Employee Training & Development at Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo is considered one of the largest financial institutions in the US and one of America’s largest employers with more than 150,000 team members. Wells Fargo is a successful financial institution because they grow with people and technology. Technology such as computers, cell phones, i-pods, webcams, and other new technology devices are reshaping the way we play, communicate, and plan our lives and where we work.

Wells Fargo uses their website to provide information to its customers, investors, employees and other users throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, India and other countries around the world. Wells Fargo allows its customers to utilize e-commerce which is a method to conduct business transactions to suit their needs wherever they are.

Wells Fargo is a well-developed organization having a lot to offer to current and potential employees. Some of the characteristics that motivates candidates to apply for open positions at the financial institution are employee training and development, strategic training, learning theories, transfer of training, traditional training methods and e-learning and the use of technology in training.

Employee Training and Development

Forces influencing employee training and development in today’s learning environment are part of Wells Fargo team. Wells Fargo team is entering international markets by exporting their products and services to India building facilities, entering in alliance with foreign companies and engaging in e-commerce. They recently opened Wells Fargo Indian Solutions in India to meet the needs for “application development, testing and other technical solutions. It is also an integral part of the Technology Information Group in the US” (Wells Fargo, 2007). The hiring process is extensive and they are offering positions to prospects willing to relocate in India and are legally eligible to work in a foreign country. Important employee training to be done by management is cross cultural training. Cross cultural training prepares employees and their families to understand the culture and norms and to return to the United States after their assignment.

The need for leadership in a foreign market is important and “necessary to identify, train and develop employees with managerial talent”(Noe, 2007). Selected managers for international and local markets must to know how to build international teams, manage a global economy, create global management, interact and manage employees from diverse cultural backgrounds. In international markets and local markets, managers must learn techniques to retain good employees, be good communicators, and be part of employee development and team work.

An important force for Wells Fargo is the retention of talented employees. Talented employees are known by their desire to grow and the career path they are constantly looking for. “Training and development is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees”(Noe,2007) Wells Fargo hiring process must look into employees that are more concerned with growing opportunities than job security and stable employment. The two main top reasons for staying at a job are exciting work, challenge, career growth, learning and development. Good training is essential for employees and greatly influences their satisfaction due to the increased advancement opportunities. Not being able to retain talented employees affects the learning environment and the workplace because of high levels of employee turnover.

Customer service and quality emphasis is a challenge for Wells Fargo international and local employees because customers from diverse cultures will judge their quality and performance. This force affects employees’ learning because customer’s diversity will demand more on customer excellence. Training must focus on requiring attention to product and services features as wells as interaction with customers. Employees and managers must understand what customers want and anticipate future needs.

New technology is the last force to discuss in the case of Well Fargo’s new industry in India. New technology affects learning in the workplace. The author mentions how “technology has reshaped the way we play, communicate; plan our lives and where we work” (2007, Noe). Wells Fargo uses e-commerce as a method to conduct business transactions throughout the United States and the world. Through the internet they have been able to communicate with customers wherever they are at home or travel around the world. This global collection of computer networks allows users to exchange data and information to meet customer’s needs. Employees must have knowledge and computer skills to fully understand the process.

According to my research Wells Fargo utilizes competitive advantage as part of their training