Review the case study at the end of Chapter 8, Frederick W. Smith – FedEx. Answer the five questions below: How do the standards set by Fred Smith for FedEx teams improve organizational performance?

REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 125 WORDS or MORE)

1. How do the standards set by Fred Smith for FedEx teams improve organizational  performance?

The standards set by Fred Smith for FedEx teams improved organizational performance because he used the team approach to get the work done. Fred set the standard and reinforced them. He gave them the opportunity to make decisions on their own which greatly improved work ethic and their loyalty to the company.
2. What motivates the members of FedEx to remain highly engaged in their teams?

FedEx members are motivated to remain highly engaged in their teams because they have freedom to be creative and express their ideas on what they think could help improve productivity. They are also offered incentives by the company for their hard work. 

 3. Describe the role FedEx managers play in facilitating team effectiveness.

Managers facilitate team effectiveness by clearly expressing and encouraging attainable goals for their teams.  Managers must provide the necessary skills and tools needed so the teams can complete their goals. They must also allow the team to express their views on certain factors.

 4. What types of teams does FedEx use? Provide evidence from the case to support your answer.

FedEx uses teams that are self-managed that work well without direct supervision. The example would be the implementation of the “Quality Action Teams”. These teams re-vamped their package-sorting techniques. This improvement put couriers on the road 12 minutes earlier than before and cut in half the number of packages that were being delivered late. This greatly improved customer satisfaction.

 5. Leaders play a critical role in building effective teams. Cite evidence from the case that FedEx managers performed some of these roles in developing effective teams.

The managers were not afraid to pitch in and help and this showed the workers that they were truly a team. They helped to load trucks and do whatever is necessary to ensure that productivity is maintained. Leaders show by doing and not telling.