A PROJECT REPORT ON

ORGANIZATION CULTURE OF SPORTZINTERACTIVE

SUBMITTED BY
Kinnar Majithia
P1026
PGDBM 2010-2012

SYDENHAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,

RESEARCH AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION (SIMSREE)
1

Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Prof. D.I. Cabral for giving me the opportunity to study the concept of Organization
Culture and understand the organization culture of the organization Sportzinteractive.
I would also like to thank Mr. Karthik Iyer and the other 13 members of Sportzinteractive who helped
me in carrying out this project by sharing their valuable information which formed the content of this
project and the basis for the further analysis.
Lastly, I would also like to thank everyone else who helped me in carrying out this project.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Synopsis .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Objective ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Methodology........................................................................................................................................... 6
Company Information ............................................................................................................................. 7
Questionnaire ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Tabulated Data and Analyses................................................................................................................ 11
Findings. ................................................................................................................................................ 25
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 27
Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 28
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 29
Annexure ............................................................................................................................................... 29

Synopsis
The culture of any organization is like an iceberg. Just as an iceberg has a visible section above the
waterline and a larger, invisible section below the water line, so culture has some aspects that are
observable and others that can only be suspected, imagined, or intuited. Also like an iceberg, the part of
culture that is visible (observable behavior) is only a small part of a much bigger whole.

For any organization, its culture is its identity. It is that one unique thing that the organization possesses
and that differentiate it from other organizations which are in the same business or have the same set of
clients.

The culture is a broad umbrella and encompasses within it, a large number of characteristics which
together are responsible, in their own unique way, in giving a shape to the culture.

The aim of this project was to study and understand the underlying aspects of the culture and the
culture as a whole of a unique organization called SportzInteractive which is a pioneer in providing
Sports content and Live sports feed to clients. The business of the organization, itself is sports, and
hence one would expect its culture to be quite different from that of the other existing organizations.
For this study, a 20-question questionnaire was prepared and a few employees of the organization were
asked to answer them. The questions covered almost all the aspects that define the culture of any
organization, though not in detail but at the peripheral level so as to gauge an idea about the cultural
overview. The responses were then collected and analyzed. This was followed by presenting the findings
from the analyses and them by the conclusion about the general culture that exists in SportzInteractive.

Objective
The objective of the study was Major shaping forces of the culture at SportzInteractive.

Different aspects that are responsible in the development of the culture of an organization were
identified as:

Goal awareness, Task-Orientation, People orientation, Team-Orientation, Rewards and Recognition,

Handling Change, Flexibility and Miscellaneous

Each factor was to be analyzed individually based on the responses obtained from the participants of
the survey and then to determine which of them are the major contributors to shaping the culture at
SportzInteractive and what made its culture different from that of the other organizations.

Methodology
The methodology includes the following steps in order to understand the Organization Culture of
SportzInteractive:
1. Studied the concept of Organization culture and the different aspects that make up the culture
of any organization.
2. Prepared an exhaustive questionnaire of 20 questions which were designed in order to gauge
various parameters that determine the culture of the organization.
3. The questionnaire (online version) was shared with 14 members of SportzInteractive who
answered all the questions.
4. The responses were collected and analyzed. The findings were derived from the analysis and
also, a few recommendations were made so as to bring about a general improvement in the
culture of the organization.

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
Sportz Interactive is one of the world's fastest growing B2B sports content companies, headquartered in
Mumbai and a key member of the STATS Global Network. Founded in 2002, Sportz Interactive boasts of
an enviable list of clients and partnerships with companies, brands and sports organizations from across
the world.

Sportz Interactive specialises in producing rich Internet and mobile products that have revolutionised
the way sports data is consumed.

Clients: ICC, SET MAX, YAHOO, ESPN STAR, Times of India, Cricket Nirvana, IBIBO, Zapak, Zee etc.

Sports covered: Cricket, Football, Formula 1, Moto GP.

Websites: www.sportzinteractive.net, www.f1pulse.com

QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: ___________________________
Age:

__________

Team: __________
Designation: ______________________
Experience in the organization (Months): _________
Choose one from the two statements:
1.
[A] I am aware of my organizations mission and the organization helps me to align my plans with its
plans.
[B] I am unable to relate my goals with the goals of my organization.
2.
[A] The management believes that It is the final result that counts
[B] My supervisor is equally concerned with the way I have done the task as the outcome of the task
itself
3.
[A] How well I work with other people in the team, forms an important component of my performance
evaluation
[B] My performance evaluation focuses only upon my individual contribution
4.
[A] In case of mistakes, the supervisor reprimands me in front of everyone.
[B] My supervisor discusses my mistakes in privacy.
5.
[A] There is a certain dress-code that is to be followed while working in the organization.
[B] We are free to wear any outfit which we are comfortable with.
6.
[A] Everyone in the team gets the same/similar rewards for any valuable contribution.
[B] Rewards are given out to suit the preference of the recipients.

In the following Questions, indicate the frequency of the event by choosing appropriate option:
1 Never
2 Rarely
3 Sometimes
4 Frequently
5 - Always
1. The organization surprises us with non-monetary rewards as a token of appreciation for our
excellence - ___
2. Top executives in this company are innovative and approachable - ___
3. When problems emerge, there is a willingness to fix them - ___
4. We have team outings that enable us to spend some quality time together and know oneanother well. - ___

Select Yes or No in each of the following questions:

1. I feel hesitant while asking for help from other members of the organization
Yes/No
2. The management ensures due recognition in the organization as a testimonial for our valuable
contributions
Yes/No
3. In my organization, change is viewed as a challenge and an opportunity
Yes/No
4. My supervisor is unmindful about my goals and is only concerned with the task at hand.
Yes/No
5. We can and do make 'midway' corrections without much difficulty.
Yes/No

6. Our HR department is creative in finding new ways to attract top talent among diverse groups.
Yes/No
7. Client servicing is the top-most priority and I do not mind working at unusual hours to make an
on-time delivery
Yes/No
8. "We've always done it that way" is a philosophy that describes my company's response to new
ideas.
Yes/No

9. My organization shows respect for a diverse range of opinions, ideas, and people.
Yes/No
10. I can talk to my supervisor about my personal problems.
Yes/No

10

TABULATED DATA AND

ANALYSIS
1. EMPLOYEE DATA
Teams participated in the survey

Team Members
8
7
7

Team
Members

Frequency

Content Team

Data Team

Admin

0
Content Team

14

Data Team

Admin

The Data team and the Content team members were the major participants in the
assessment.

11

 Age of the Participants

Employee Age
6
5

Employee Age Frequency

20-24

25-29

30-34

5
4

3
2
1
0
20-24

14

25-29

30-34

The participants were evenly distributed in the age-groups 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 3034 years

Designation of the participants

Designations
Designations

Frequency

7
6

Associate Live Content

Associate Data Team
Associate Admin
Team Lead Content Team
Team Lead Data Team
Team Manager Data Team

4
3

0
1
1
14

Associate Associate Associate Team

- Live
- Data - Admin Lead Content Team
Content
Team

Team
Team
Lead - Manager
Data
- Data
Team
Team

Majority of the participants were associate members with a few of them in managerial
positions

12

 Experience (in Years) of the participants

Experience(Years)
8
7
Experience
Frequency
(Years)

0 to 2

2 to 3

More than 3

5
5

3
2
2

1
0
0 to 2

14

2 to 3

More than 3

Almost of the number of participants had around 2 years experience in the organization
while the remaining half had more than 2 years experience.

2. Goal awareness

Awareness of organizational
goals and alignment with
personal goals
0%
Awarenes of
Org. Goals and
Frequency
alignment with
personal goals
Yes
14
No
0
14

Yes
No
100%

Every participant is aware of the Organizations goal and agrees that the organization
helps him to align his personal goals with those of the organization.

13

3. Task Orientation
Manner of performing the task

Manner of performing task

OutcomeOriented
21%

Manner of
performing Task
Process-Oriented
Outcome-Oriented

ProcessOriented
79%

Frequency
11
3
14

More than 2/3rd of the participants agree that the supervisor is equally concerned with
the way I have done the task as the outcome of the task itself and is not just outcomecentric.

Willingness to fix the problem

Willingness to fix problems

No
50%
Willingness to
fix problems
Yes
No

Yes
50%

Frequency
7
7
14

There is a 50-50 opinion that whenever there is a problem there is willingness to fix it.
14

 Client-servicing & extra working hours

Client servicing top-most priority +
Extended working hours
No
0%

Client servicing topmost priority +

extended working
hours
Yes
No

Frequency

Yes
100%

14
0
14

All the participants have client-servicing as their top-most priority and are willing to
work an extra-mile towards achieving the objective.

4. People Orientation
Top executives being innovative and approachable

Rarely
0%

Top executives innovative and

approachable
Sometimes
14%

Top executives
innovative and
approachable
Always
Frequently
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

Never
0%

Frequency

Frequently
36%

7
5
2
0
0
14

Always
50%

86% of the participants are in the favor of the top executives being innovative and
approachable.
15

 Hesitation while asking for help

Feeling of hesitance while

asking for help
Yes
7%

Feeling of
hesitance while Frequency
asking for help
Yes
1
No
13
14

No
93%

A vast majority do not feel the hesitation to ask for help while doing the tasks.

Supervisor being only Task-oriented and not employee-oriented

Yes
0%

Supervisor is
only taskoriented
Yes
No

Supervisor is only
task-oriented

Frequency

No
100%

0
14
14

None of the participants feel that their supervisor is only task-oriented.

16

 Personal problem discussion with the Supervisor

Personal problem discussion
with supervisor
No
7%

Personal problem
discussion with Frequency
supervisor
Yes
13
No
1
14

Yes
93%

A vast majority of them feel that they can discuss their personal problems with their
supervisor.

17

5. TEAM ORIENTATION
Team orientation consideration during performance evaluation
Team Orientation consideration
in performance evaluation
Considered

Not considered
0%

Team
Orientation
consideration in Frequency
performance
evaluation
Considered
14
Not considered
0
14

100%

Everybody amongst the participants feels that his contribution as a team member plays
a vital role during his performance evaluation

Team Outings

Team Outings

Never
0%

Team Outings

Always
Frequently
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

Always
0%

Frequently
7%

Frequency

Rarely
50%

0
1
6
7
0
14

Sometimes
43%

A huge chunk of the participants are of the opinion that it is only sometimes or on rare
occasions that they have team outings.

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6. REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Customized rewards

Rewards customization
Customized
14%

Rewards
customization
Customized
Same for all

Same for all

86%

Frequency
2
12
14

A large majority of the participants feel that the rewards for excellence are not
customized to the liking of the receiver of the award.

Surprises in the form of non-monetary rewards

Always
0%

Non-Monetary
Rewards
Always
Frequently
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

Non-monetary Rewards
Never Frequently
0%
0%

Rarely
50%

Frequency
0
0
7
7
0
14

Sometimes
50%

All the participants fell that receive surprises in the form of non-monetary benefits only
rarely or sometimes.
19

 Recognition by management for excellence

Recognition for Excellence

No
7%

Recognition for
Excellence
Yes
No

Yes
93%

Frequency
13
1
14

A huge chunk of the participants feel that the management gives them the due
recognition for excellence at work.

20

7. HANDLING CHANGE
Viewing change as a challenge and an opportunity
Viewing Change as a challenge and
an opportunity

Viewing Change
as a challenge and
an opportunity
Frequency
Yes
14
No
0
14

No
0%

Yes
100%

All the participants feel that the organization views change as a challenge and takes it as
an opportunity to move forward.

Resistance to change We have always done it that way

Resistance to Change - "We have
always done it that way"
Yes
7%

Resistance to
Change - "We have
always done it that
way"
Frequency
Yes
1
No
13
14

No
93%

Except for 1 participant, the rest feel that the organization does not resist change.
21

8. FLEXIBILITY
Task Flexibility

Midway
Corrections
Yes
No

Frequency
10
4
14

A fraction less than 3/4th of the participants feel that it is not difficult to do mid-course
corrections while performing task.

Dress-Code

Dress-Code
Dress-Code exists
No restrictions

Frequency
1
13
14

Majority participants say that they can wear clothes in which they are comfortable.
22

9. MISCELLANEOUS
HR Department being creative and spotting special talent

HR dept. creative
and spots talent
Yes
No

Frequency
14
0
14

All the participants say that the HR department is create enough and at it is vigilant to
spot special talent.

Reprimanding

Reprimandation

Reprimandation
Done in front of everyone
Discussion in private

Discussio
n in
private
100%

Frequen
cy
14
0
14

23

Done in
front of
everyone
0%

 All the participants are of the opinion that in case they commit mistakes, the supervisor
does not reprimand them in front of the others, instead chooses to have a private
discussion about the issue.

Respect for diverse range of opinions, ideas and people

Respect for a
diverse range of
opinions, ideas and
people
Frequency
Done in front of everyone
14
Discussion in private
0
14

Each and every participant agrees that the organization shows respect to diversity in the
form of opinions, ideas and people.

24

FINDINGS

100% of the participants are aware of the Organizations goals and also feel that the
organization helps them in aligning their personal goals with those of the organization This
means that they have faith in the organization that while they do well for the
organization, it will reciprocate them by taking them up with it.

21% of the participants feel that the management is only concerned with the outcome of
the task and not the process. This proportion is not too small to be ignored and if a few
more start feeling this way then the attitude might soon change to By hook or by crook.

50% of the participants feel that there is no willingness to fix a problem when one arises.
This again, is a discomforting sign and indicates that the organization does not believe in
quick-fix indicating that the responsiveness is slower that it should normally be.

100% of the participants say that client-servicing is their top-most priority and that they are
ready to put in extra efforts to meet the deadlines. Thus, the culture reflects dedication and
devotion to the mission of the organization and the acceptance of such a mission by the
employees.

86% of the participants feel that the top executives are approachable; 100% & 93%
respectively feel that their supervisor is not just task-oriented but also cares to listen to their
problems. This means that the culture of the organization is such that the employees are
not intimidated to discuss with the management people and there is a healthy level of
candidness existing.

100% of the participants feel that during their performance evaluation, their role as a team
member and their contributions to the development of the team play a vital role. This
means the organization is making it a point for the employees to be a team player.

Only 7% of the participants feel that they have frequent team outings. Thus, the
organization might not be doing enough to create the extra-special bond between the
players of the team. This again, is countered by the fact that 93% of the participants do not
feel the hesitation to ask for help from the others indicating that they have that comfort
level to ask for help when in need.

25

86% of the participants say that the rewards they receive are the same for all the employees
without any customization to suit their preferences. Thus, the organization might not be
really caring about knowing whether its rewards are motivating the employees or not.

93% of the participants feel that the organization gives them the due recognition apart from
the rewards for excellence at work. Thus, the organization believes in giving true
satisfaction to its employees. However, this is done only rarely (50%) or sometimes (50%)
indicating that the organization does not stress much importance on the non-monetary
benefits.

93% of the participants feel that the organization does not believe in We have always done
it this way and 100% of them feel that the organization views change as a challenge and an
opportunity This means that the organizations resistance to change is minimal and it is
flexible to adapt to the environment indicating the maturity in the thinking of the
management of the organization.

71% of the participants say that it is not difficult to make mid-course to the tasks in
progress which means that there is enough flexibility and room to make urgent
modifications without any adverse effects on the outcomes. This emphasizes the taskstructure which has been designed to be flexible.

93% of the participants say that there is no restriction on the dressing style in the
organization which means that they can wear whatever they like and whatever makes
them feel comfortable.

100% of the participants believe that that the HR department is creative enough and is
vigilant to spot special talent This means that the personnel are being constantly
evaluated not only by their supervisors but also by the HR dept.

100% of the participants say that the supervisor discusses their mistakes in private and not
in front of everyone else This means that while their successes receive due recognition in
front of all, their mistakes are not highlighted before everyone to avoid embarrassment and
humiliation.

100% of the participants feel that the organization respects diversity of opinions, ideas and
people This means that they believe in the organizations ability of not discriminating and
treating all of them equally, on the same grounds.

26

CONCLUSION
From the analyses and the findings we can conclude that the major shaping factors for the culture at
SportzInteractive are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Awareness of Goals
Client Servicing
People-orientation
Perception of the adaptation to change capabilities of the organization
Team-orientation
The inherent flexibility
Acknowledgement by the organization of the existence of diversity in different forms and
respecting it.

Not only are these the major contributing factors but also they are firmly in place and hence are there to
stay ensuring that the culture of the organization stays intact withstanding the test if time.

27

RECOMMENDATIONS
The organization might suffer badly on occasions if it maintains the attitude of slow response
and unwillingness to fix problems immediately. For this the management could assign additional
responsibilities to a few senior members of a team and ask them to work on fixing the
problems on priority by delegating their work to some other capable person.

Though, not alarming, the organization would be better off by putting in more efforts to
concentrate on the manner in which the task is carried out. This can be done by segregating the
task into parts and analyzing each part separately. This can improve the efficiency of individual
parts and improve the efficiency of the entire task as a whole.

The organization could do a bit more on the Team-outing front which can help in creating a
strong bond between the team members and then have a direct impact on the productivity.
Perhaps it could also organize office parties to get all the members together with the motive to
celebrate success.

A huge chunk of the employees believe that their rewards arent customized to suit their
preferences. This could lead to demotivation. The supervisors could get the information about
what rewards motivate the individual employees through a one-on-one session like
performance evaluation sessions and use this information while giving away rewards for
excellence.

In order to make mid-course change easier, the organization could arrange for training
sessions for those who believe that it is not easy. They could be trained by the experienced
employees and this could bring in more flexibility as far as effective carrying out of tasks is
concerned.

28

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Organizational Behavior by Stephen P. Robbins, Prentice Hall International

www.sportzinteractive.net

ANNEXURE

Response sheets of all the 14 participants

29