External/Internal Factors of Management
in the Microsoft Corporation
When the company name, Microsoft, is heard, it is automatic to think of the industry
leader in software program technology. That was until the company settled in court on
November 12, 2002, with a consent decree forcing them to allow other companies to use
their program information to make competitive company programs compatible with
Microsoft programs already on most desktops (Settlement Program, July 8, 2006). The
Microsoft Corporation must now focus organizational goals towards diversity, new
technology, and innovation to stay on top. The following will discuss how Microsoft uses
the four functions of management with some of the external and internal factors that affect
their company on a day-to-day basis.
Diversity
At Microsoft, they believe that diversity enriches their performance and products, the
communities where we live and work, and the lives of their employees (Diversity at
Microsoft, July 7, 2006). Microsoft has such unlimited potential simply because they
combine such powerful minds from many different cultures and backgrounds (Pride in
Diversity, July 6, 2006). Diversity also provides a better chance for a company to become
global, thus serving hundreds of millions of customers around the entire world. Microsoft
employs people from more than 135 different countries and regions (Inside Microsoft, July
6, 2006). To keep this company so diversely successful, it is pertinent that all four
functions of management are practiced.
Planning
Planning is the key element of the four management functions for this company. The
diversity in this company brings prosperity with fresh ideas and innovative
problem-solving techniques. This makes plenty of room for ingenious strategic planning.
The creativeness from the diverse minds of employees makes it unproblematic to explore
the current circumstances, decide how it comes into play for the future, seek out any
complications or conflicts, choose the correct strategies, and configure the right resources
needed to achieve the company goal. Thomas Bateman and Scott Snell, authors of
Management: The new competitive landscape, state that, Plans set the stage for action and
for major achievements (2004).
Organizing
In order to keep the entire diverse Microsoft staff mutually effective, organization is an
important skill that must be developed throughout the company. Organizing is
accumulating and learning how to synchronize information to achieve an ultimate goal.
Without organization, it is difficult to delegate the responsibilities of certain duties to the
right people. With so much diversity, complications may arise in dividing the employees
into the correct working teams. Not being able to delegate and divide may result in the
