Ford Motor Company the Purpose Term Paper

Those five steps are:

Analyze the Situation and ask the following questions:

Are we making any major changes in our business process?

How do those changes impact our employees job functions?

What information and training will our employees need to continue being successful in their jobs?

How will our employees best accept and integrate this information and training?

How do our employees learn?

How can we get this information and training to our employees?

Are there any corporate needs that are not being met?

Does our staff have the skills they need to do their jobs effectively?

Evaluate the Training in Place: This is inclusive of training materials, manuals new hire orientation material etc.

Identify Gaps: Identify what the company can provide and that which it cannot provide thereby knowing what assistance should be sought for.

Assess Options: After identifying what is needed assess options by considering the questions of:

Does this company or individual have a proven track record of satisfied customer?

Will they work well with your business culture?

Will they be able to fill in all the gaps you have identified?

Can they provide you with multiple training options?

Choose Solutions: the consultant or consulting company may very well "identify issues, gaps, or existing solutions you could not see - it's often best to perform preliminary needs assessment and allow training professional to review your analysis and offer helpful additions or suggestions."

In answer to the questions in number 4 above, the Ford Motor Company is characterized by long-term customers who are satisfied with the product and service provided by Ford and Ford utilizes the services of consulting firms that have a proven track record as well. It is important to note that Ford Motor Company uses the services of more than one company in their training initiative depending upon the focus and issues at hand in the specific training. Overall it must be understood that it is important for a company to bring in objective, unbiased training from the outside of the company in pinpointing all necessary issues to be addressed.

Ford's Pyramid Approach

In the Pyramid Approach, the "alignment of strategies, processes and people, specifically "will allow the organization to state intentions, take actions and produce desirable outcomes" (Kaipa, et al. 2004) as well as to do so with clarity and vision. The Ford Motor Company has used this method for aligning strategies, processes and people and to further take actions, and produce outcomes that are optimally sought after. Fruther the social context in which the individual is able to discover assumptions, values and beliefs." One important fact to note is that when people are not in touch with their dreams and visions anxiety may results as well as the feelings of resistance, with the organization becoming uninspiring, and people lose their energy as well as their capacities of creativity. In organizations that 'embrace both perspectives, change is self-generated and transformational, both practical and aspiring." (Kaipa, et al., 2004)

The exploration of both perspectives and their relationship creates a developmental approach to organization building and alignment. It these type of organizations. The following illustration labeled Figure 2.0 makes identification of four 'key' components two-dimensional pyramid. These components are (1) Business development, (2) Self-development, (3) Organization development, and (4) Knowledge development.

The four identified components or categories are explained categorically in the organizational chart below labeled Figure 3.0.

Foundation Perspective Emergent Perspective

Training Self-development

Improving/Analyzing Realizing/Visioning Imitating Creating

Results Business Development:

Planning Realizing

Improving

Valuing

Controlling

Programs Organization Development

Analyzing Visioning

Presenting Learning

Controlling Valuing

Information Knowledge Development

Initiating/Planning/Presenting Creating/Strategizing/Learning

The "emergent approach is one that allows vision and clarity in relation to business, knowledge as well as vision-based strategy, creativity and learning leading to the realization of enterprise goals." On the other hand "The Foundation approach focuses on intentions of results, information, programs and training allows for workable plans, good market analysis, meaningful presentations, good control structures and focus on continuous improvement." Stated of this application in organizations which is used for "a wide variety of purposes" is that, "Our clients have found it to be a stimulus in confronting complexity and integrating diverse perspectives."

The Pyramid Building Approach has been found to be useful in developing shared meaning and alignment and valuable as well in helping clients to:

Think systemically

Explore Ideas and Build Alignment

Surface and Explore Differences

Communicate and share understanding

Focus efforts

Design strategies, and Evaluate results

Task Analysis

Analysis of the Data Collected and Identification of Training Needs

Works Cited

History. [Copyright © 2005, Ford Motor Company Online available at: Copyright 2005, Ford Motor Company]

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Barlow, Neil et al. (1998) Learning at Work within the Ford Motor Credit Company. Global J. Engng. Educ, Vol.2, No.2 1988 UICEE available Online at…