I was asked to write a paper for my organizational communication class. We were supposed to do a site visit to the company of our choosing, observe the physical surroundings, the employees, and the customers and then write a paper analyzing the culture of the organization. I chose to write about Starbucks, and here is what I had to say:
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A Sophisticated Organization
"He was not really a coffee drinker. So the siren mixed espresso with cocoa and steamed milk, then topped it with whipped cream. He liked it. End, chapter one. He began to enjoy the taste of coffee. So the siren chose a Central American blend, light and refreshing, no cream, just a touch of sugar. He liked it. End, chapter two. His taste was becoming sophisticated."
The opening segment of this four tile artistic panel hanging on the wall of a Brighton Beach Starbucks is inviting the customer to become more sophisticated too. By drinking Starbucks coffee, and letting the barista (the siren) suggest new and exciting things to you, your palate can become more experienced, and in turn, you yourself will become more experienced. From the moment you walk into Starbucks, you walk into a façade of sophistication. The décor is reminiscent of a library, a bookstore, or perhaps even a museum. The colors are neutral and warm, the furniture is toned down, and everything is neatly displayed with subtle signs. You have entered a quiet refuge from the busy city life outside these doors, and not only can you find refuge here, but you can be a higher class of person, if only while you are sitting within these walls and using these products.
The entire environment of Starbucks is designed to promote quiet, comfort, and thoughtfulness. The general clientele was white, middle aged or older, and very relaxed. The physical layout is painted in neutral tones – there is nothing too offensive to the eyes. The lighting is warm, indirect, and not too bright. There is enough light to allow reading, but not bright enough to be harsh. All of the light, like the environment inside, is artificial. The only windows are by the front door, and precious little of the seating is close enough to allow exposure to that light. The furniture is arranged to prevent large groups of disruptive people. The tables are small and only have two chairs at each one. There are single arm chairs for added comfort, and these are kept near where they sell newspapers and books full of mind puzzles. The furniture is therefore designed to encourage either coming in alone and reading quietly while you drink your coffee, or coming in with one other person for a quiet, more intimate conversation.
Even the art and music are designed to keep customers engaged and quietly thinking. The art on the walls, although very corporate, encourages study. Many of the paintings and murals have many small details and interplaying colors and patterns that take some time to unravel and determine exactly what you are looking at. One could easily get wrapped up in looking at the art for longer than they realize. Before you know it, your coffee is empty, and you might as well get another one before you leave. Much of the art have subtle coffee imagery in them – some with what look suspiciously like Starbucks cups, some with regular coffee mugs steaming, and still others with words that speak of coffee in tantalizing tones. The music is familiar to the ideal clientele. It is predominately on the softer side: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc, and was largely feel good music or thought provoking music. In either case, you are likely to hear music that you can sing along to, that encourages you to stay longer and listen more.
Not only is the environment designed to lure people in with the promise of respite from the outside world, and a sense of civility, but it also provides the façade of elegance. Aside from the art on the walls, the rest of the décor is quite elegant. The furniture all matches, everything is made of nice wood, the signs and plaques are all framed in wood. The menu board looks like a fine wine list. The food display and the bottles on the shelves behind the bar look like a museum display. To further wrap customers and employees alike in the feeling of upper class status, English is not even spoken here. One cannot order a “large coffee” – one should request a “venti drip”. If you want something more than just a regular coffee, the language becomes even more complicated and flowery. One can be overheard ordering a “grande, soy, no whip, three pump vanilla latte” or a “venti, half-caf, extra shot, skim caramel macchiato”. Even the employees are called “baristas” and not just “the guy behind the counter”. This is a language unique to the Starbucks culture that reminds you of the different universe you are in.
The employees play a large part in the organizational culture. There is a beautiful machine at work in the store. One employee greets customers, takes their order, and calls in back to the rest of the “machine”. There is one piece of the machine to get regular coffee and food ready, one to create cappuccinos and lattes, and another to create the mixed or frozen beverages. Each of these people, or machine parts, is interchangeable, and each communicates clearly with the other people around them. If there are a lot of frozen drink orders, one of the other employees steps over to help. Management is sure to train each employee in every section of the bar so that they can be more efficient no matter what the situation.
All of their communication is done verbally, without the aid of technology. There was no way to distinguish who is in charge or who is making decisions. None of the employees were wearing name tags and all were in the same solid black uniform with a green Starbucks apron. The nice appearance and the neutral black uniform, as well as the anonymous service, adds to the feeling of this being an upscale experience. After all, there is no need to know the names of “the help” and they should try to stand out as little as possible while serving you. Each of the four employees there seemed to function as an equal. Each had a job to do and was actively doing it, each asked for help easily when it was necessary, and the others gladly jumped in when they could. The few times an employee did directly address another one, it was by first name only, again making it impossible to tell what sort of hierarchy may have been involved.
There was no place for the employees to sit behind the bar or to be easily out of view of customers, but there was a closed room to the back of the bar area where employees could go for their breaks, to count money, or for a momentary chance to sit down. The inability to sit adds to the feeling that the employees are always there ready to help and work for the customer. Each employee was not only respectful to the customers, but also used quiet tones of voice. At times, they were so quiet that even sitting just a few feet away, it was impossible to hear them, and when not actively talking to a customer, they kept their personal conversations to a whisper.
The employees were doing their part to add to the peaceful climate that had been so well established. This culture is so much a part of what the clientele expects that when two young mothers came in with their loud children, it disrupted the entire atmosphere. Not only was the child crying loudly, but the mother was yelling at him. Several people turned to look at the scene, many of the older people quickly left the building, and at least two couples came in, saw the noisy chaos, and walked out again without even taking the time to order coffee. When the organizational culture is created to give customers a sense of sophistication, relaxation, and class, the customer does not expect that to be interrupted by loud intrusions.
The baristas neither seemed extremely pleased or displeased with their job, but as an organization, Starbucks tries to encourage the day to day happiness of their staff. They have many framed employee recognition awards near the cash registers and coffee machines, not only to let the customer see that the staff has achieved excellence, but to remind the employees that they are appreciated. There was also a nicely framed sign naming the “barista of the month”, which further motivates the staff. When employees feel recognized for their work, it provides them with reasons to continue working hard.
While Starbucks is really little more than a coffee centered fast food restaurant, the culture they have created around sophistication, elitism, class, and relaxation has given them the illusion of being something more, of being special. By extension, if you are a customer there, you too, will be special. It’s like the signs they have created to advertise their coffee: “Extraordinary and Enticing”, “Interesting and Complex”, “Familiar and Friendly”, “Adventurous and Assertive”. It is hard to say if these signs are supposed to describe the flavor of the various coffee roasts or if they are intended to describe the person who drinks each one. Either way, there is a sense that by using our products, you can be these things. You, like the man who learned to like the taste of coffee with the help of the siren, will become more sophisticated.
*************************
A Sophisticated Organization
"He was not really a coffee drinker. So the siren mixed espresso with cocoa and steamed milk, then topped it with whipped cream. He liked it. End, chapter one. He began to enjoy the taste of coffee. So the siren chose a Central American blend, light and refreshing, no cream, just a touch of sugar. He liked it. End, chapter two. His taste was becoming sophisticated."
The opening segment of this four tile artistic panel hanging on the wall of a Brighton Beach Starbucks is inviting the customer to become more sophisticated too. By drinking Starbucks coffee, and letting the barista (the siren) suggest new and exciting things to you, your palate can become more experienced, and in turn, you yourself will become more experienced. From the moment you walk into Starbucks, you walk into a façade of sophistication. The décor is reminiscent of a library, a bookstore, or perhaps even a museum. The colors are neutral and warm, the furniture is toned down, and everything is neatly displayed with subtle signs. You have entered a quiet refuge from the busy city life outside these doors, and not only can you find refuge here, but you can be a higher class of person, if only while you are sitting within these walls and using these products.
The entire environment of Starbucks is designed to promote quiet, comfort, and thoughtfulness. The general clientele was white, middle aged or older, and very relaxed. The physical layout is painted in neutral tones – there is nothing too offensive to the eyes. The lighting is warm, indirect, and not too bright. There is enough light to allow reading, but not bright enough to be harsh. All of the light, like the environment inside, is artificial. The only windows are by the front door, and precious little of the seating is close enough to allow exposure to that light. The furniture is arranged to prevent large groups of disruptive people. The tables are small and only have two chairs at each one. There are single arm chairs for added comfort, and these are kept near where they sell newspapers and books full of mind puzzles. The furniture is therefore designed to encourage either coming in alone and reading quietly while you drink your coffee, or coming in with one other person for a quiet, more intimate conversation.
Even the art and music are designed to keep customers engaged and quietly thinking. The art on the walls, although very corporate, encourages study. Many of the paintings and murals have many small details and interplaying colors and patterns that take some time to unravel and determine exactly what you are looking at. One could easily get wrapped up in looking at the art for longer than they realize. Before you know it, your coffee is empty, and you might as well get another one before you leave. Much of the art have subtle coffee imagery in them – some with what look suspiciously like Starbucks cups, some with regular coffee mugs steaming, and still others with words that speak of coffee in tantalizing tones. The music is familiar to the ideal clientele. It is predominately on the softer side: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc, and was largely feel good music or thought provoking music. In either case, you are likely to hear music that you can sing along to, that encourages you to stay longer and listen more.
Not only is the environment designed to lure people in with the promise of respite from the outside world, and a sense of civility, but it also provides the façade of elegance. Aside from the art on the walls, the rest of the décor is quite elegant. The furniture all matches, everything is made of nice wood, the signs and plaques are all framed in wood. The menu board looks like a fine wine list. The food display and the bottles on the shelves behind the bar look like a museum display. To further wrap customers and employees alike in the feeling of upper class status, English is not even spoken here. One cannot order a “large coffee” – one should request a “venti drip”. If you want something more than just a regular coffee, the language becomes even more complicated and flowery. One can be overheard ordering a “grande, soy, no whip, three pump vanilla latte” or a “venti, half-caf, extra shot, skim caramel macchiato”. Even the employees are called “baristas” and not just “the guy behind the counter”. This is a language unique to the Starbucks culture that reminds you of the different universe you are in.
The employees play a large part in the organizational culture. There is a beautiful machine at work in the store. One employee greets customers, takes their order, and calls in back to the rest of the “machine”. There is one piece of the machine to get regular coffee and food ready, one to create cappuccinos and lattes, and another to create the mixed or frozen beverages. Each of these people, or machine parts, is interchangeable, and each communicates clearly with the other people around them. If there are a lot of frozen drink orders, one of the other employees steps over to help. Management is sure to train each employee in every section of the bar so that they can be more efficient no matter what the situation.
All of their communication is done verbally, without the aid of technology. There was no way to distinguish who is in charge or who is making decisions. None of the employees were wearing name tags and all were in the same solid black uniform with a green Starbucks apron. The nice appearance and the neutral black uniform, as well as the anonymous service, adds to the feeling of this being an upscale experience. After all, there is no need to know the names of “the help” and they should try to stand out as little as possible while serving you. Each of the four employees there seemed to function as an equal. Each had a job to do and was actively doing it, each asked for help easily when it was necessary, and the others gladly jumped in when they could. The few times an employee did directly address another one, it was by first name only, again making it impossible to tell what sort of hierarchy may have been involved.
There was no place for the employees to sit behind the bar or to be easily out of view of customers, but there was a closed room to the back of the bar area where employees could go for their breaks, to count money, or for a momentary chance to sit down. The inability to sit adds to the feeling that the employees are always there ready to help and work for the customer. Each employee was not only respectful to the customers, but also used quiet tones of voice. At times, they were so quiet that even sitting just a few feet away, it was impossible to hear them, and when not actively talking to a customer, they kept their personal conversations to a whisper.
The employees were doing their part to add to the peaceful climate that had been so well established. This culture is so much a part of what the clientele expects that when two young mothers came in with their loud children, it disrupted the entire atmosphere. Not only was the child crying loudly, but the mother was yelling at him. Several people turned to look at the scene, many of the older people quickly left the building, and at least two couples came in, saw the noisy chaos, and walked out again without even taking the time to order coffee. When the organizational culture is created to give customers a sense of sophistication, relaxation, and class, the customer does not expect that to be interrupted by loud intrusions.
The baristas neither seemed extremely pleased or displeased with their job, but as an organization, Starbucks tries to encourage the day to day happiness of their staff. They have many framed employee recognition awards near the cash registers and coffee machines, not only to let the customer see that the staff has achieved excellence, but to remind the employees that they are appreciated. There was also a nicely framed sign naming the “barista of the month”, which further motivates the staff. When employees feel recognized for their work, it provides them with reasons to continue working hard.
While Starbucks is really little more than a coffee centered fast food restaurant, the culture they have created around sophistication, elitism, class, and relaxation has given them the illusion of being something more, of being special. By extension, if you are a customer there, you too, will be special. It’s like the signs they have created to advertise their coffee: “Extraordinary and Enticing”, “Interesting and Complex”, “Familiar and Friendly”, “Adventurous and Assertive”. It is hard to say if these signs are supposed to describe the flavor of the various coffee roasts or if they are intended to describe the person who drinks each one. Either way, there is a sense that by using our products, you can be these things. You, like the man who learned to like the taste of coffee with the help of the siren, will become more sophisticated.
Give me the address of this Starbucks! When I am seeking a quiet atmosphere in which to mix with my fellow sophisticates, all I find is soccer moms drinking coffee while their little tykes make lots of noise. I couldn't read a book in the place if I had to.
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