Detroit Free Press (Michigan), September 23, 2006, Saturday

Copyright 2006 Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press (Michigan)

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News

September 23, 2006 Saturday

SECTION: BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS

HEADLINE: COMPANY WAYS: Ford first in boosters' eyes: Employees high and low push image, products

BYLINE: Margarita Bauza, Detroit Free Press

BODY:
Sep. 23--In the midst of the anxiety at Ford Motor Co., employee Joe Frank and 2,000 of his colleagues still think Ford rocks.
On Thursday, Frank and 300 of his colleagues gathered at Milan Dragway in Monroe County to race their beefed-up Mustangs, Mercury Marauders, F150s and Focuses. Ninety-three cars showed up at the car rally, one of the many monthly events for Frank and other members of Ford Motorsports Enthusiasts.
The regular activities give members a chance to proclaim their love for the products they make, for motor sports and for each other. The activities of this all-volunteer group are also where Frank soaks in positive energy when he needs distraction from the grim news at Ford.
"It's one of those things. If you were depressed about something, you go out on the racetrack and smell the high-octane fuel, tires burning," said Frank, 29, of Dearborn. "How can you not get excited?"
This week, Ford announced it would cut its union workforce by nearly half in the next year and trim its white-collar ranks by a third, mostly through buyouts. The 103-year-old automaker lost $1.4 billion in the first half of the year and must shrink to match its production capacity to declining demand for its vehicles.
Any Ford worker needs a release valve, and workplace experts say groups like Ford Motorsports Enthusiasts -- when not mandated by bosses -- can boost morale and performance.
In Ford's case, such employee involvement could be critical to the automaker's survival.
While no one tracks the group's effect on Ford's performance, its members believe they help sell cars by being ambassadors for the company and its products.
"Ford is fortunate to have employees who are so passionate about our business and the products that we make," company spokeswoman Marcey Evans said.
Workers involved in such groups often perform better and are happier than those who don't join the fun, said Ellen Kossek, a professor at the Michigan State University School of Labor and Industrial Relations.
"People shouldn't overlook the importance of work groups that come together by choice," Kossek said. "These are car lovers who happen to work for Ford. This kind of identity is beneficial to individuals, but this is also a group that companies should be talking to to figure out how to turn around Ford."
Richard Hurd, a labor studies professor at Cornell University, agrees.
"It's certainly good for morale, but also, workers who identify with the company and take pride in the product the company turns out tend to be more understanding when the company has difficulties."
Richard Zavodsky, one of the group's founding members, said the benefits are clear during hard times.
"We work harder and together to turn things around," he said. "We are able to talk to executives to form a synergy that breaks through the layers of management to have fun and get the job done."
The enthusiasts group, which was founded in the early 1980s, started with only blue-collar workers, but membership now includes workers at all levels of the company.
Its members include Mark Fields, president of Ford's Americas unit, and departing CEO Anne Stevens. Unions and management alike support its activities, providing resources for events.
Frank, a data analyst for the company, joined Ford Motorsports Enthusiasts in 2003 and goes drag racing every month.
"I joined mostly to hang out with people, talk about cars, be with a group of people who enjoy the same stuff," he said. "It's been great. Everybody there had an answer to all my questions. They know more about Ford and cars than you could possibly imagine."
When money is tight at Ford, members make sure the company does not cancel corporate events because of manpower, he added. While it has the support of Ford management, the group is an all-volunteer, self-supported, dues-paying group.
Such groups are increasingly rare in corporate America, in part due to the changing nature of work. Companies are more apt to resort to layoffs, hire contingency workers and move jobs overseas, Cornell's Hurd said.
"This is an example of something that is disappearing in our country, this type of lifetime commitment to a company."
Zavodsky said employees like the enthusiasts care most about seeing Ford succeed.
"We feel that this is the best time to be at this company," he said.
"We all feel like we need to stop crying and work together to get this company turned around."
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