Organizational Structure and Culture

Upon researching the company I chose AAFES, I looked over their website and discovered that they are organized by a military command and operated by civilians. The organization has a highbred bureaucratic organizational structure. They have a structure that answers all the way up to the military and to a board of directors that is made up of civilians and military personnel. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service remains a team of dedicated people committed to increasing the value of the Exchange benefit while continuing to give back to the military community. They have proudly served America's armed forces for over 115 years. With the primary focus of delivering quality goods and services at competitively low prices with superior service. Their vision statement is printed clearly on their website along with many tabs that not only direct you through the site, but also give you complete access to the command. They describe all of their policies and theories of giving back to the military and the community they serve.

Their mission statement:

OUR MISSION

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (the Exchange) has an enduring mission to provide quality merchandise and services to its customers at competitively low prices and to generate earnings, which provide a dividend to support morale, welfare and recreation programs.

This company is military and its primary focus is our troops. The organizational culture would be a military culture. They show that in the structure of their organization. They operate by a chain of command that goes all the way up to a commanding general. All communications are the same. However they also have a civilian side that operate with a similar chain of command. They have a very open line of communication with their customer and they consider concerns when making decisions.

One of their primary goals apart from giving all of their profits back to the military to help with programs for families and soldiers, they employ family members. One of the hardest things for a family who is assigned overseas is finding employment in a foreign country. AAFES knows this and they employ a majority of the family members of deployed soldiers.

I found that because they are a military organization operated by civilians and a military command, the organizational structure and culture go hand in hand. It works to where everything is spelled out and concise. They have published mission statements and clear communication with their employees as well as their customers.

References:

AAFES Company website

http://www.shopmyexchange.com/AboutExchange/exchangequickfacts.htm