When it comes to training, UPS seems to have thought of everything. Employees are taught efficient procedures for safe driving, how to lift and carry packages, knock on doors, and even how to carry the keys to the big brown delivery vans. Procedures for how to effectively manage people, however, are just not as clear cut UPS is attempting to fix that with their Community Internship Program (CIP) that helps managers strengthen management skills and develop greater sensitivity toward UPS staff and customers.

UPS founder, James Casey, realized that many of the managers in his organization had no idea of what poverty and inequality was. This sheltered perspective made it more difficult for these managers to deal with the diversity in their workforce. As such, Casey believed that if UPS was going to be most effective, it had to learn about and live with societal elements that were foreign to most of them. That did not mean, however, relaxing the rigid rules of UPS. Rather, it meant fitting the rigid rules to the diversity of the organization.

The month-long program costs UPS over $10,000 for each manager enrolled. To date, UPS has spent over $14 million on the program, designed to help managers understand the increasingly complex needs of a diverse workforce and customer base. CIP builds understanding between managers and entry-level employees who are often minorities from low-income communities in New York City, Chicago, Chattanooga, Tennessee, McAllen, Texas, or San Francisco. During the thirty-day internship, UPS managers live among the area's poorest residents. They serve meals to the homeless, build homes, counsel recovering addicts, fix bikes in a community center, tutor individuals in prison, or aid migrant farmers. They spend time in the community attempting to find workable solutions to transportation, housing, education, or healthcare problems.

But most of all, the CIP was designed to develop the UPS man- ager's ability to listen and be empathetic toward their employees. For example, manager Mark Colvard recalled a situation where he had to make a difficult decision. One of his drivers needed some time off from work to care for an ill family member. Under the rules that applied to this worker, he was not eligible for the leave. But Colvard made the decision to give the employee some time off-even though other drivers had an issue with this decision. But Colvard never second-guessed what he did. He strongly suspected, based on his experience with CIP, the employee was not going to show up at work anyway. Why complicate the problem and ultimately lose a productive worker? Even though Colvard rook some flack over the two weeks the driver was out, the driver returned to work very appreciative of what Colvard had done. And Colvard retained a valuable employee.

What the CIP program does, in essence, is develop another aspect of UPS managers. Although the company's process and procedure training was thorough, UPS leaders came to realize chat managers also must be sensitive to the needs of today's workers. By develop- ing employees in this manner, UPS is reinforcing a culture of what they believe is important and provides its employees with the necessary tools to walk the walk. CIP coordinators admit they have no quantitative way to measure the program's success, but they point to retention numbers and personal contributions as proof that the sys- rem works. As one UPS manager stated, the program "made me a better person and a better manager. I've never been exposed to anything like it in my life." That's hard to put a price tag on.

Questions:

1. How does the CIP at UPS foster a culture in the organization?
2. What role can human resources play in ensuring success for this internship program?
3. What criteria would you use to determine who should participate in the program?
4. If you were challenged to defend the return that CIP offers to UPS, explain how you would evaluate the CIP program to demonstrate that it's beneficial to the manager and the organization using Kirkpatrick's model or another method of evaluation.