Term Paper on "Supporting Business Strategy Through HR Practices"

/>

Although Reidy eventually left the company, he noted that one of Pfizer's best assets was its training, which continued throughout a drug representative's tenure at the company. As he grew more experienced, his education continued, for example, at the hands of persons he called, Pfizer Masters, sales reps with long periods of service and proven results. (Reidy, 2005, p.112) The company's stress upon backing up its claims with data when speaking to physicians, combined with a clear vision statement and collective ethos made its salespersons some of the most persuasive, of all competing drug reps. A sale was not just a sale, it was a win, and it was not just a win for the individual salesperson, it was a blow against the competition. Reidy describes himself as seething with hatred for the other drug reps to the point he disdained talking to them when he saw them outside of the doctor's offices he patronized.

This competitive ethos permeates the training of all Pfizer employees, not just sales staff. Pfizer has proved particularly skillful at manipulating the opinion of doctors through other arms of its company. Its IT staff, for example, when attempting to support data to gain FDA approval for an antibiotic by using a then-nascent electronic submissions system to drew forth doctors in the drove, as one executive noted because: "getting the business users -- many of whom are medical doctors -- to sign on...was easy. Doctors are competitive...[so] we'd say, [to the doctors] So-and-so is... benefiting...and the next thing you know, another business unit would want to be involved," with the trials at Pfizer, because the doctors didn't want to be seen as lagging behind their competitors, when using the most innovative drugs. (Blodgett, 2000)

Thus motivating a competitive spirit and a sense of quality, even superiority has been part of the Pfizer approach to training all members of the company, and reaching out to physicians. (Blodgett, 2000) The IT staff is given the goal: "to 'deliver the right information to the right people at the right time.'" ("Knowledge Management at Pfizer," Eyeforpharma, 2000)

Discuss how the company's policy and practice in this area support organizational mission/vision, values and business… READ MORE