FedEx. Addressing the Challenges of Groups and Teams Essay

Introduction

FedEx is a leading delivery and logistics company based in the USA. Constant change and new technologies are the main opportunities and problems for this company. On the one hand, new technologies create new opportunities for FedEx to improve its market operations; on the other hand, they create pressure and a need for continuous training programs for employees. The proposed training program aims to educate employees about customer relationships management software and teach them how to use this program.

Importance of the Training Program

The training program will work for three months and cover 30 employees. The contributions of workplaces to training practice can be classified broadly as those associated with the activities employees engage in and those related to the support and guidance they receive while undertaking new program. Routine and non-routine workplace tasks, the guidance provided by other employees, the indirect contributions of other employees and the support provided by the managers all contribute to training at work, albeit in different ways (Hanlan, 2004). The direct leadership of others (experts and peers) provides models, mentors and clues about presentation and also assists in developing understanding that employees would not learn alone. Indirect guidance provided by other employees (e. g. comparing, listening and observing) and the software, its tools, etc.) provide visual clues that aid thinking and training. This type of education is unlikely ever to be provided through practical exercises or through engagement in activities, such as simulated tasks and those derived from practice The training system (i. e. training guides, computer-based training, videos) will be consistently reported as being less effective than the contributions provided through undertaking everyday work activities. ‘Observing and listening’, ‘other employees’, ‘everyday activities and ‘direct instruction will be consistently supported as effective in developing work-related knowledge. Even the contributions of the ‘work environment are rated higher than most of the contributions of the in-house training system in this workplace (Gardiner, 2005).

Implementation

At FedEx, everyday activity in the organization will provide the contributions that the trainees required for their work. Though, the strengths of training in the FedEx are not so surprising given the nature of, and requirements for, participation in everyday work activities. This participation provides ongoing and persistent opportunities for employees to learn the knowledge required for work through their engagement in goal-directed workplace activities. Training through doing at work is almost predictable. Training in authentic work situations enriches it. Though, while training through work is inevitable, the doubt is whether this kind of training will result in the development of exceptional professional expertise (Hanlan, 2004).

Resistance to change

In order to control motivational factors, the trainers should take into account culture and resistance to change. When pressed further, some of employees can report that their participation in work requires them to engage in the kinds of thinking and acting from which they learnt their work skills. That is, they found through involvement in goal-directed work activities. These tasks should permit them to learn new technologies and master new skills important for customer relationships management. Through their involvement in workplace tasks, employees have to consider these tasks and decide how they will proceed with them (Hanlan, 2004). Therefore they have embraced goal-directed behavior that require problem-solving. These training processes are genuine—they are set in the particular work environment where the tasks are undertaken, thus making the training applicable to that situation. When encountering a new role, employees have to consider and generate possible ways of approaching that task. Then they proceed with the direction they believe will produce the desired outcome (Gardiner, 2005).

Control of the Program

In order to control effectiveness of the program, information about the contributions to their training will be gathered over a five-month period using a ‘critical incident technique (Gardiner, 2005). Every four weeks, employees will be asked to describe situations where they: (a) able to complete a new task; (b) had problems and required assistance for task completion; and (c) unable to perform a task. Having recounted these situations, they identified and rated the aid to: (i) their training to complete the tasks; (ii) the contributions that are required for them ultimately to be successful with those tasks they required support with; and (iii) the contributions that are lacking in those situations where they are unsuccessful. The manager will create a summary of these findings and weightings of the contributions (Hanlan, 2004).

Conclusion

In sum, the proposed structure of training process will help FedEx to introduce new customer relationships management into practice and teach employees how to use it. It is assumed that through practice, team members can improve the effectiveness of their procedures. Over time, and with repetitive practice, these tasks come to be completed with less effort through compilation. The knowledge and skills associated with goals and sub-goals of the task become linked, thereby assisting the purposeful usage of their knowledge. As well as developing specific skills (e. g. specific procedures, knowledge), training process is conducive to developing the kinds of higher orders of knowledge and deeper computer skills that are required for expert performance.

References

Gardiner, P. (2005). IS Management: A Strategic Planning Approach. Palgrave Macmillanm.

Hanlan, M. (2004). High Performance Teams: How to Make Them Work. Praeger Publishers.

FedEx Home Page (2009). Web.