I am going to have FedEx Canada be the example. I would like to choose the organization I am familiar with to share more opinions and reflection on this blog. I have a very close friend who had worked for FedEx for a year, and we talked about this company many times.
FedEx:
FedEx is mainly running for the delivery of goods. According to my friend, the division of FedEx she was in also took charge of printing for mailing and posting. She was very enjoying working there with other coworkers. They usually wrapped the packages together, put them in the truck, and waved hands behind the truck. I was so moved by the satisfactory emotion implied in her tone of hard working and harmonious teamwork.
And there is a lot of use of technology in FedEx. The company has designed the official page in beautiful purple colour that you could find from https://www.fedex.com/en-ca/home.html. Also, the company has incorporated the relevant information, such as the location of the FedEx companies and the terms of service, and the diverse business items on the page. It has greatly helped the customers find and proceed to the services they are seeking. For example, the customer could establish an account first to fill in some personal information such as name and Email address; then, he can choose the service he wants and fill the details in another page; further, he could track the record from the page by typing in the codes of the package. As for the staff, my friend mentioned that they had their own information system to compute the time the delivery might need, take record of every package, and so on. The technology has made the delivery service more convenient and effective. Rather than writing the address of the destination and simply waiting for the package to arrive with no idea of its current location, the information on the computer is clearer and the trackable service can create a sense of reliability for the customer which could trigger the intention to choose the FedEx continually.
However, my friend did mention some adverse aspects regarding the technology. First, the company relies too much on the technological means. Since every detail of the packages and all the information were kept in the computer system, it was a complete disaster when the system crashed or the computer died. And they had run into this kind of situation many times. Once it happened, they were unable to keep the work going on anymore and the complaints from the customers appeared day and night. Second, the technological hardware is easy to become outdated. These years, the world is witnessing a series of technological evolution. The high-tech means is updated rapidly, and consequently, the software and the hardware need to be renewed in time. Clearly, the FedEx company was not taking care of this aspect because the staff were complaining about the outdated computers and printers which greatly affected the working efficiency.
As far as I am concerned, the leaders in the FedEx company should fully exert the ability of foresight in depicting the vision and establishing the long-term goal for the company like John Smart (2015) has strongly suggested. The leaders have to realize that the technological evolution is not a one-time thing. The next step of the technological evolution is unpredictable, and the technological means has become an indispensable factor in the business items. Therefore, it is crucial for the leaders to incorporate foresight in making decisions and equipping the organization. Apparently, the leaders of FedEx should update the systems and buy in computers, printers and hard disks regularly to keep the business and service running at the higher level. Also, my friend had mentioned that the training programs of FedEx company were not well-designed and effective. Considering the widely used teleconference in many organizations, I believe that the FedEx company could resort to it to learn from other organizations. Then the higher manager can impart the new training programs to the store managers of all divisions through teleconference to facilitate the training. At last, there should be a feedback mechanism set in the staff information system. As John Smart (2015) says ” Most stuff happens bottom-up”, it would be necessary for the leaders to keep track with the bottom line of the organization where the real problems and needs rise up. The workers or employees at the bottom line are the people who are actually communicating with the clients and customers. Therefore, devoting more attention to them can get to know the real requirements of the market. Besides, if the workers at the bottom line are equipped with the high-tech devices, they would accomplish the work efficiently and serve the customer effectively.
Question: I would like to ask a question regarding the ability of foresight. According to Malgeri’s (2010) definition about foresight which “can be considered a behavioural inclination, referring to an individual’s tendency to devote a significant amount of time engaged in thought or activities concerning the future”(para. 1). What are the key traits or abilities of a leader which can contribute to the ability of foresight in your opinion?
References
John M Smart. (2015, April 8). John Smart – Leadership of Tech Change – WFS 2013 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhdWqLNUJns
Malgeri, J. (2010). Organizational foresight and stewardship. Public Manager, 39(4), 39-42.
https://create.twu.ca/ldrs500/unit-9/unit-9-learning-activities/
Hi Layla
According to me I think conceptual thinking, comman sense and critical thinking are the abilities a leader should posses which can be helpful for foresight as critical thinking with concepts and comman sense make a leader able to see what his actions gonna do to the organisation in future and also helps in developing new policies that can be helpful for organisation in future.
Thank you so much for the reflection! I think the three aspects you have mentioned are crucial for a leader to exert the ability of foresight as well! And besides, I would like to add self-awareness as the leader has to be clear about who he/she is and balance the inner voice with the external needs.
Layla,
You have provided a strong illustration of technological integration in an industry that relies heavily on technology –which, as you point out, results in increased efficiency and effectiveness when all works well and near disaster when the system crashes!
In response to your question, I think leaders with foresight must be able to lift their heads and attention from the list of tasks needed to be accomplished today, talk and listen to their customers (or students, patients, employees, etc.), and remain faithfully attuned to their “felt” needs. Furthermore, engaging in wide-ranging reading (across industries), exploration, and creative endeavours can strengthen a leader’s ability to think creatively and consider novel approaches to emerging problems. I read recently (although I don’t remember where) of one leader who regularly takes her team to visit other innovative companies in industries different than her own. By physically being in their space, listening to their leadership approaches, and considering the products/services they offer, the team comes back to work with their creative juices flowing — often considering novel solutions to ongoing problems.
This type of experience can easily be recreated by reading books or TedTalks from other industries (such as you have done in this assignment), talking with friends who work in completely different fields, walking through an art museum, or reading a novel. Immersing ourselves in creative experiences can help us deepen our own abilities to think innovatively in our own industries.
What types of experience enhance your creative problem-solving abilities?
— Leadership Prof