In reading other students reactions to the topic, I was suprised by how many of the class felt that their program was mostly hype, and felt like their use of buzzwords was an insult. I feel like the "hype" and buzzwords is part of what makes the program so successful. When you create a training "culture" like they have by using the lingo, it seems to get people excited and promote more of a team atmosphere. Just think of all the slang terms that people use. Why do they use them? Because it makes them part of the "club".
This was one of my responses in the discussion board, to Christopher Lamberts original post:
I agree with what you said about getting attention from the employees by calling the department a “corporate university.” People may feel like this whole “smoke and mirrors” aspect of it is an insult to their intelligence. But really, when a company creates a training culture like JetBlue U has, it makes it easier for their employees to get excited about training.I really do feel that the whole package of JetBlue U is part of it's reason for success. While I will stress that there has to be substance to back it up, the excitement comes from the way the training is presented.
It’s similar to product packaging… take two of the same product, put one in a flashy package, and one in a cardboard box. I guarantee that the flashy package will be the first off the shelf!
I agree with you a little bit. I feel that by creating a working environment similar to a traditional university setting could help students to get mentally prepared for learning. In the same thought, my Grandmother used to say "If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig." So, it their training stinks, putting a fancy name on it isn't gong to make the training better.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Jet Blue U sounds like a fantastic opportunity for the company to train their employees and start them off on the right foot. It would be one thing if Jet Blue as a company did not have impressive personnel, however that is not the case. Jet Blue has excellent customer satisfaction ratings according to this article from June of 2008 http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS120589+17-Jun-2008+PNW20080617 Jet blue ranked highest in customer satisfaction among low cast carriers. There has to be a reason why this airline excels, and I believe it is due to a well laid out training schedule that prepares the employees to be the very best.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statements here. I was also surprised by all of the people that thought it was all hype and a ridiculous way of teaching. With everything that JetBlue U does, I feel like the employees would feel like a vital part of the team and feel adequately trained for their job. If they treat the employees how they should be treated, they would be more excited about their job and more than likely do their job better.
ReplyDeleteI also like your comment about the flashy vs. cardboard packaging. That is a unique way to look at this and it is completely true. With the small profit margins between the airlines, something like customer service and satisfaction could make a huge difference in the growth and sustainability of the company. I really think that they have something different and that JetBlue should keep it up and continue as they are.