Reshaping Organizational Culture in the Era of Digital-Intelligent

Economy: A Case Study of Apple Inc.

Tianhua Wang

School of International Education, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China

Keywords: Apple Inc, Digital Intelligence Economy, Organizational Culture.

Abstract: With the rise of the digital intelligence economy, the continuous progress of artificia l intelligence (AI) and

other technologies has had a profound impact on the production mode, management mode and organizational

culture of various industries. Especially for the world's leading technology company - Apple Inc., how to

adapt to the development trend of emerging technologies through innovative organizational culture reshaping

under the background of digital intelligence economy is one of the keys to its long-term leading position in

the industry. Through the case study of Apple's organizational culture, this paper discusses the path of

reshaping corporate culture in the era of artificial intelligence, and analyzes the influence of artificial

intelligence on Apple's culture, including openness and cooperation, privacy protection and care for special

groups. The research shows that Apple has made significant changes in collaboration, privacy protection and

inclusiveness by leveraging the technical advantages of artificial intelligence, providing powerful practical

guidance and theoretical support for the transformation of corporate culture in the era of smart economy.

1 INTRODUCTION

With the rapid development of global digital and

intelligent technology, digital intelligence economy

(digital and intelligent economy), as a new economic

form, is profoundly changing the operation mode of

traditional economy (Jobs, 2011; Fernandez, 2017).

Based on emerging technologies such as big data,

artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, the

digital intelligence economy uses intelligent means to

promote industrial upgrading, efficiency

improvement and innovative development. Its core

features are data-driven, technology convergence,

innovation iteration, and the spread of intelligent

economic activities, which are bringing

unprecedented changes to industries, enterprises, and

management models on a global scale. Compared

with the traditional economy, the digital intelligence

economy emphasizes the deep integration of

information technology and the key role of

technology in innovation. In this new economic form,

enterprises are faced with unprecedented challenges

and opportunities. On the one hand, the rapid

development of technology provides enterprises with

more innovation opportunities and promotes the

improvement of productivity and work efficiency. On

the other hand, the rapidly changing technological

environment also makes enterprises face many

adaptability problems in the traditional management

mode, organizational structure, and employee skills.

Therefore, how to reshape organizational culture to

adapt to technological change under the background

of digital intelligence economy has become one of the

key factors for the sustainable development of

enterprises in modern competition.

The age of digital intelligence economy has put

forward new requirements for enterprise culture.

Traditional corporate culture is often based on fixed

values, organizational structures and management

styles, which may not be able to adapt to new

technologies and market demands in a rapidly

changing environment. Therefore, the reconstruction

of corporate culture has become a necessary means to

cope with the challenges of the digital intelligence

economy era. Especially under the guidance of

artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies,

corporate culture must not only maintain the spirit of

innovation and collaboration, but also flexibly

respond to changes in technology and social

environment, and promote the deep integration of

technology and culture. The reshaping of culture is

not only to enhance the adaptability and flexibility of

414

Wang, T.

Reshaping Organizational Culture in the Era of Digital-Intelligent Economy: A Case Study of Apple Inc..

DOI: 10.5220/0013992500004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 414-418

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

the organization, but also to stimulate the creativity

and cooperation of employees in a technology-driven

context, thus driving the sustainable development of

the enterprise (Herman, 2019).

In this field, the previous research results are

mainly concentrated in two directions: one is the

relationship between technology and corporate

culture, and the other is the impact of the era of digital

intelligence economy on organizational culture.

Some scholars believe that technological advances,

especially the application of artificial intelligence, are

becoming important factors in shaping corporate

culture (Tao, 2020). Markus et al. (2019) pointed out

that AI can not only change the way enterprises work,

but also reshape the communication and decision-

making mode within organizations. Lu et al. also

believe that with the advancement of technology, the

traditional corporate culture is facing the challenge of

transformation, and enterprises need more open,

innovative and flexible cultural characteristics to

cope with the future technological environment (Lu

& Zhao, 2018). On the other hand, Zhao et al. believe

that the arrival of the digital-smart economy requires

corporate culture to pay more attention to employees'

technological adaptability, cross-departmental

collaboration, and data ethics (Zhao, 2019). These

studies show that technological change is profoundly

affecting all aspects of corporate culture, especially

the cultivation of innovation-driven and collaborative

spirit.

However, although the existing research provides

us with a theoretical framework for the reshaping of

organizational culture in the era of digital intelligence

economy, there are still some gaps in practice and

case studies. Most studies focus on theoretical

discussion and industry analysis, and lack case

studies of specific enterprises, especially how to

promote the effective application of technology and

the cultural identity of employees through cultural

innovation and reshaping in specific enterprise

environments. In addition, how to promote

technology while maintaining the core values of

traditional culture, especially in privacy protection,

employee care, etc., is still a problem to be further

studied. Therefore, this study will discuss how

emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence

promote the transformation and innovation of

corporate culture through an in-depth analysis of

Apple's organizational culture reshaping in the era of

digital economy, and provide new perspectives and

ideas for the change of corporate culture in the era of

digital economy.

2 APPLE INC.'S DEVELOPMENT

STATUS

Founded in 1976, Apple has become one of the most

influential technology companies in the world. The

company has always adhered to the core concept of

innovation as the driving force, and through superb

product design and excellent user experience,

continue to shape the industry standard. Apple's

products cover many fields such as smart phones,

personal computers, smart watches, and software

services, and through the highly integration of self-

developed chips, hardware, software and other

technologies, Apple has built a seamless closed-loop

ecosystem (Zhang, 2021).

Apple has a unique organizational culture that

emphasizes the innovative spirit and autonomy of

employees, and is committed to creating the ultimate

products that meet the needs of users. In terms of

internal management, Apple emphasizes a high

degree of confidentiality, privacy, and a work ethic of

excellence, which helps the company always stay

ahead in the fierce market competition.

However, with the rapid development of

digitalization and artificial intelligence technology,

Apple's traditional corporate culture began to face

challenges, especially in how to organically integrate

artificial intelligence technology with the existing

culture. How Apple ADAPTS to technological

change through cultural reshaping in this new

economic era will be the core content of this paper

(Vasconcelos & Araujo, 2021).

3 APPLE'S ORGANIZATIONAL

CULTURE RESHAPING

PRACTICES

3.1 Openness & Collaboration:

Cultural Shifts in the AI Era

Apple has always adhered to the concept of

independent development in technological

innovation, emphasizing the closed-loop of its own

technology. However, in the context of the rapid

development of artificial intelligence, Apple has

gradually turned to a more open cooperation model.

For example, in the application of artificial

intelligence, Apple has chosen to cooperate with

industry leading companies, introduce OpenAI

technology in some high-level areas, and integrate

Siri voice assistant with ChatGPT. In addition, Apple

has also partnered with China's Alibaba and Baidu to

Reshaping Organizational Culture in the Era of Digital-Intelligent Economy: A Case Study of Apple Inc.

415

provide cloud large models and data review services.

This pattern of collaboration suggests that AI is not

only promoting technological advancement, but also

driving more open and inclusive values in corporate

culture, especially in terms of cross-industry

collaboration and resource sharing (Brynjolfsson &

McAfee, 2014).

3.2 Privacy Protection: Upholding

Core Values

Apple has always emphasized user privacy as a core

component of its brand value. In the era of rapid

development of artificial intelligence technology,

personal data security has become a global issue.

Apple ensures the encryption and protection of user

data through its own designed hardware and software.

In product advertisements, Apple has repeatedly

promoted its privacy measures, emphasizing that

"personal information is safe, which is very important

for iPhone." This shows that in the era of digital

intelligence economy, Apple still adheres to the

corporate culture of privacy protection as the core,

and ensures the sustainability of privacy protection

through technological innovation (Huang & Rust,

2021).

3.3 Inclusivity: AI-Driven Social

Responsibility

Apple has always been concerned about social

responsibility, especially for people with disabilities.

Internally, Apple provides the necessary support and

convenience for employees with disabilities so that

they can work to their strengths. For users with

disabilities, Apple continues to develop accessibility

features to ensure that all users can equally enjoy the

benefits of technology. With the progress of artificial

intelligence, Apple has also launched more intelligent

assistance functions to help more special groups

improve the quality of life and promote social

inclusion and harmony (Chesbrough, 2020).

4 CHALLENGES IN CULTURAL

RESHAPING

4.1 Technological Adaptation vs.

Cultural Friction

With the continuous introduction of artificial

intelligence technology, Apple Inc. is faced with the

problem of how to balance the conflict between

technological innovation and the original culture.

While technology drives company progress, it can

also create employee resistance. Many employees are

used to traditional ways of working and processes,

and the introduction of new technologies, especially

artificial intelligence and automation, may change the

way they work and function, which in turn affects

their sense of work identity. In the process of rapid

technological change, how to avoid cultural and

emotional conflicts when employees adapt to the new

technology has become a difficult problem for

Apple's cultural restructuring. Companies must focus

on the psychological adaptation of their employees

and ensure that technological innovation does not

lead to a cultural disconnect or identity crisis among

employees.

4.2 Technological Standardization

Apple has always taken innovation culture as the

core, emphasizing user-centered design concepts and

product innovation. However, when applying

emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence

to products and management, how to maintain this

spirit of innovation and avoid the application of

technology becoming too "cold" or mechanized is a

concern. The introduction of technology may make

some originally creative processes become highly

standardized, and even affect the uniqueness and

personalized design of products. How to make

technology enable innovation rather than undermine

it is one of the key challenges in reinventing Apple's

culture. Apple must balance its use of technology

with creativity to ensure that technology not only

drives efficiency, but also continues to drive its

culture of innovation.

4.3 Workforce Identity in Cultural

Transition

Apple should strengthen interdepartmental

cooperation and communication, especially in the

application of artificial intelligence technology.

Cross-departmental collaboration can not only

promote the collaboration between technical

personnel in different fields, but also help the

company better integrate technical and cultural

resources and promote the innovation of the

company's culture. The introduction of artificial

intelligence technology involves the joint efforts of

multiple departments, including research and

development, marketing, production and customer

service. Apple needs to ensure barrier-free

information flow between departments and promote

teamwork. Cross-departmental cooperation not only

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contributes to the efficient implementation of

technology, but also promotes the integration of

different cultures, thereby promoting the innovation

and upgrading of organizational culture. By

strengthening collaboration, Apple can improve its

overall competitiveness in the era of digital

intelligence economy and ensure that corporate

culture is consistent with technological development.

5 RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Enhanced Workforce Upskilling

Apple should continue to promote the combination of

artificial intelligence technology and employee skills,

especially for the application of emerging

technologies, and regularly hold training activities for

employees to help them improve their technological

adaptability. These trainings should not only include

the learning of technical operations, but also cover

how to optimize working methods and improve work

efficiency in the new intelligent work environment.

Through systematic training and skill upgrading,

employees can better adapt to the intelligent working

environment, reduce the psychological resistance

brought by technological change, and enhance their

sense of identity and enthusiasm for technology.

Training programs should also focus on helping

employees understand the innovative ideas behind

technology and enhance their positive response to and

participation in technological change.

5.2 Safeguarding Cultural DNA

Although AI and other advanced technologies are

bringing great changes to businesses, Apple should

still maintain its traditional core cultural values such

as innovation, collaboration, and putting people first.

The development of technology should not cause the

company culture to be lost or broken. Apple should

ensure that it continues to emphasize these cultural

values as it advances its technology. For example,

innovation remains at the core of Apple's culture, and

the independent thinking and creativity of employees

should be fully exploited. When companies introduce

new technologies, they should ensure that they

enhance, not diminish, their original cultural values.

The continued transmission of cultural values is

critical to maintaining employee loyalty and company

consistency, and Apple must maintain the uniqueness

of its culture as it transforms its technology.

5.3 Participatory Cultural Evolution

Apple should strengthen cooperation and

communication between departments, especially in

the application process of artificial intelligence

technology. Cross-departmental collaboration can not

only promote the collaboration between technical

personnel in different fields, but also help companies

better integrate technical and cultural resources and

promote the innovation of corporate culture. The

introduction of AI technology involves the joint

efforts of multiple departments, including research

and development, marketing, production and

customer service, and Apple needs to ensure that the

flow of information between departments is barrier-

free and promote team collaboration. Cross-

departmental cooperation not only contributes to the

efficient implementation of technology, but also

promotes the integration of different cultures, thus

promoting the innovation and upgrading of

organizational culture. By strengthening

collaboration, Apple can improve its overall

competitiveness in the digital intelligence economy

and ensure that its corporate culture is aligned with

technological developments.

6 CONCLUSION

By analyzing Apple's organizational culture

remodeling in the era of digital intelligence economy,

this study found that AI technology not only

promoted the company's product innovation, but also

had a profound impact on the change of the

company's internal culture. Apple has successfully

reshaped and innovated its culture by strengthening

open collaboration, privacy protection, and care for

special groups. However, with the continuous

development of technology, Apple still needs to face

the challenges of technological adaptation,

innovation culture and employee identity. In the

future, Apple should continue to promote

technological development while maintaining the

value of its core culture, ensuring the integration and

win-win of technology and culture.

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