BUS 520 Professional Development Program Proposal

Task Force Committee Report: Issue and Solutions

By Larry D. Douglas

BUS 520: Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Professor Kene D. Ewulu PhD

October 29, 2018

 

Task Force Committee Report: Issue and Solutions

The company United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a privately owned organization founded in 1922 when 25 Army officers met in San Antonio, Texas and decided to issue each other’s vehicles insurance. They could never have imagined that their tiny organization would one day serve millions of members and become one of the only fully integrated financial services organizations in America. USAA has its headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. (USAA Corporate Staff, 2015). USAA is part of the Financial Services and Insurance Industry (Corporate Staff, 2015). So of the products and services that USAA provides are insurance, banking, investments, retirement & IRA’s, real estate, shopping & discounts, health insurance, and ATM locations. Also, some life events that USAA provides is car buying, car selling, military life, and a tax center. USAA as of today has more than 12.4 million members that remain enrolled in a number of its products. We are known for our legendary commitment to our members and our outstanding service, financial strength, and employee well-being. Membership is open to all who are serving or have received an Honorable discharge from the military, and their eligible family members (Corporate Staff, 2015).

The Organization and the Issues to Resolve

The company United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a Fortune 500 company that is a very diversified group of financial services companies that among the leading provider’s of insurance, investments, banking products, retirement & IRA’s and they bring advice to over 12.4 million current and former members of the United States Military and their families. USAA has been consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee well-being, and financial strength. Members of the United States armed forces, veterans, and their families are all customers of USAA. Some products provided by USAA include savings and checking accounts, credit cards, home, and auto loans. USAA has about 76 sites throughout the United States and approximately 26,267 United States employees (Great Rated Staff, 2015). USAA is currently serving individuals who are currently serving in the United States Air Force, U.S. Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, National Guard, and Reserves. Former military and those who have retired or separated from the U.S. military with a discharge type of Honorable. Family widows, widowers and un-remarried former spouses of USAA members who had USAA auto or property insurance while married and individuals whose parents have or had USAA auto or property insurance. Cadets or Midshipmen Cadets and midshipmen at United States service academies, in advanced Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) or on an ROTC scholarship, plus officer candidates within 24 months of commissioning (Great Rated Staff, 2015). USAA has roots that are well grounded in the military, in which they can bring its methods to finances, and its values to service through an exclusive suite of financial products, tools, and advice.

With all of the changes within the organization when it comes to the directives, they are usually delayed due to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) not being updated and processed in a timely matter. Also, when it comes to training for the new employee’s implementation of participants, the process is rushed, and there are usually more questions than answers after the training has occurred completed. These are just two issues that affect the environment within the USAA company. These reflect some weaknesses in USAA’s culture and leadership and its culture of diversity could have contributed to the issues.

Current Corporate Culture

According to United Services Automobile Association’s when it comes to corporate culture positions to itself internal and external perspectives. When it comes to an internal corporate culture within USAA, it is visible, and it is voluntary. Corporate culture is also all the deliberate inaction that people have with each other within an organization. When it comes to the external corporate culture within USAA, it describes a particular environment in the organization that it services. External changes outside of the company that the company has no control over. One may draw strength from the other when it comes to being within an organization. One supports the other by facilitating each other. The challenge to each other in order to get the most out of there employees and their suppliers (USAA Corporate Staff, 2015).

Areas of Weakness

There is some weakness within USAA when it comes to international growth once the company has reached out to all prior military and their family members, there are no other opportunities to expand. The company has to deal with default issues wh make it comes to its financial services in order to have significant competitive pricing in order for the company to make a profit. USAA has one of the largest electronic footprints within the cybersecurity threat to the company and its customers. In which it will have to stay abreast of all the technological changes in order to protect the integrity of its IT systems. With USAA being a privately owned company they are not required to report their financials with as much scrutiny as publicly owned firms. So it reasons would make it very difficult to ford them to compare their financial health with other companies based on these discrepancies. They include problems that need to be corrected, deficiencies recognized through a comparison with competitors, or deficiencies relative to proposed strategies such as lacking the resources to grow (Abraham, 2012). USAA weaknesses are due to the single market exposure that prevents diversification, and all revenue comes from the United States limiting exposure to the United States Armed Services. Additional this has restricted growth opportunities.

 

Proposed Solutions

As the leader of a task force committee, we will be proposing that whenever the company changes its directives that the company’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) be updated immediately. Moreover, that all employees remain informed that they need to read the updates as soon as possible and in hear For the long-term growth of the USAA company, there is a need for the creation of a strategy that advances diversity to them. Because that is very important that all personnel within the organization be aware of all changes that would affect them. The second thing is that when it comes to training within the organization that should be implemented from the very start after an employee was hired. Some organizations may call this training new hires orientation. Because if new employees are trained right from the onset, they will come into the organization knowing what will be expected of them. So, there will be no sources once the employee began working in their new position. So if the company were to modify these two practices that it would not only keep the company’s employees informed. However, this might increase work productivity and their attitude of its employees. So what we would be presenting to the organization’s leadership is to modify its new employee orientation training with training improvement, organizational communications, and information dissemination improvement. Within the company, the senior leadership should focus on its employees being well trained along with providing the highest level of customer service. Not only when management is around, but more important when they are not around. Always doing the right thing for the customers and their clients would help not only help to grow the company. However, it would help to create a positive work environment not only for other employees but senior management within the company as well. So when everyone works together, it allows all who are involved in completing the mission of the company.

Executive Summary

At United Services Automobile Association (USAA) company, which was formed in 1922 by 25 United States Army officers that met in Texas and decided to ensure each other’s vehicles. The organization was initially named United States Army Automobile Association (USAAA), but two years later the name was changed to United Services Automobile Association in 1924.

Today most of their businesses are conducted over the internet or by using telephones by their employees instead of agents. The two main objectives are to provide a summary to the senior leadership of the company so that they can improve the corporate work environment. So, the key recommendations will be about the organization constant change so that when changes come down, all employees will know why senior leadership is doing what they do when it comes through directives and SOPS are often delayed. Also, that when new training classes are implemented and not rushed through all the participants want to be confused and be left asking too many questions after the training has been finished.

The company will need to improve how training is conducted regarding content, delivery and implementation monitoring along with improving the organizational communications and dissemination of information within the company to all that are involved. Once those two things are done, revisit how the organization manages diversity and establish processes that support greater productivity. Because according to research done by (Saxena, 2014), diversity may be a problem, but it can enhance productivity if properly managed. In order for these to take effect, it should be supported by the senior leadership of the organization. The organization should always value the skills, abilities, and aspirations of each of their employees no matter how big are small that they may be within the organization.

Sources

Abraham, S. C. (2012). Strategic management for organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Boone, G., & Kurtz, D. L. (2012). Contemporary business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Great Rated Staff. (2015). USAA: What you should know. Retrieved from Great Rated website: http://us.greatrated.com/usaa.

USAA Board of Directors. (2018). Retrieved from USAA website: https://www.usaa.com/inet/

wc/about/_usaa_corporate_governance_board_of_directors? Akredirect=true.

USAA Corporate Staff. (2015). Corporate Info & Media. Retrieved from USAA website: https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/about_usaa_main.

USAA Corporate Staff. (2015). Policies. Retrieved from USAA website: https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/about_usaa_supplier_guide_policies?akredirect=true.

USAA Corporate Staff. (2015). USAA Career Center: Our Mission and Values. Retrieved from USAA website: https://www.usaajobs.com/about-usaa/mission-and-values.html.

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