Starbucks Coffee Company, Organizational Commitment and Communication Paper

Starbucks Coffee Company, Organizational Commitment and Communication Paper

Starbucks Coffee Company is a world leader in coffee industry and that is due largely because of leadership and vision of Howard Shultz. He wanted to “create a national brand around coffee and a unique experience in our stores.” ("Starbucks quest for healthy growth: An interview with Howard Shultz," 2011)

The leadership style affects directly group communication and effectiveness. Howards Shultz uses a decentralized leadership and many decisions are taken by the local managers. Even that Starbucks is a huge corporation and widespread the local managers have an input on the decisions that affect the store performance. If Starbucks is compared with Taco Bell, than at Taco Bell the store managers have a diminished input in the way the store is run. They have directives on even how many times the bathrooms have to be cleaned in a day.

Howard Shultz recruits, influences and retains the employees that adopt his vision. As a large corporation it is very difficult to use a decentralized leadership. However, Shultz inspires creativity and gives autonomy to the local managers and that is a key of Starbucks success. He encourages lower level decision making to promote customer service and innovation.

Shultz is an employee oriented leader, he takes a personal interest in the employees needs and emphasizes interpersonal relationships. A good example, on how he cares about his partners, was when three of the Starbucks employees were killed in a store in Georgetown in Washington DC. When he heard in the middle of the night, the first think he did, was to head that way, even that he was in New York at the time. He did not call his attorneys or public relations but instead he went to support their families and share their tears.

Howard Shultz is a successful transformational leader; he influences his followers to adopt his vision and perform beyond expectations. He transcends the employee’s...