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...

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WEEKLY NORTH AMERICAN PRODUCTION REPORT - WEEK ENDING MAY 22, 2005

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 http://www.eng.monash.edu.au/uicee/gjee/vol2no2/barlow.pdf

Kaipa, Prasad et al. (2004) Application of Pyramid Building in Organizations: Aligning Strategy, Processes and People in Organizations.

Knowledge Development

Self

Development

Organization Development

Business Development

Learning and Development

Pyramid