Change Management at UPS: Case Study of Organizational Change

Summary

Change management is crucial for organisations to handle changes. This document looks at how United Parcel Service (UPS) dealt with changes in the 1990s. Students learn about the factors that drive change and how UPS responded to them.

Factors driving change

Many forces push organisations to change. These include technological advances, increased competition and customer demands. Some changes come from inside the organisation, some from outside it.

UPS's response to change

UPS had to adapt to stay competitive. It introduced quality initiatives and changed how it used technology. The company also looked for new business opportunities in logistics and information management.

Survey of employees' views

A survey asked employees about changes at UPS. It covered topics like corporate philosophy, communication and team building. It aimed to find out how well UPS had handled the change process.

Recommendations for UPS

The survey results led to suggestions for UPS. These included clarifying the role of teams and when to involve employees in team implementation. The survey found that employees were unsure about how teams should work.

Key terms

change management

Planned and systematic approach to making changes in an organisation.

quality initiatives

Efforts to improve customer satisfaction and efficiency at UPS.

reengineering

Redesigning a department or process to focus on outcomes like customer satisfaction.

value-added activities

Actions that bring benefit to customers, not just to internal efficiency.

change methodology

Approaches and techniques used to guide and manage change in an organisation.

team building

Activities and processes to improve how well groups of employees work together.

Questions this document helps with

• What forces push companies to change?
• How did UPS adapt to stay competitive?
• What can surveys tell us about change in a company?

Summary written with AI from the document's text.