New Focus on Leadership Transitions
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live.
Each year, about 300 employees move from senior manager positions to leadership roles. With research from Michael Watkins and others revealing the tremendous cost of a failed transition, Intel placed new emphasis on supporting this key transition point.
Best Practices
With CEO Paul Otellini’s support and involvement, Intel created a set of “Management & Leadership Expectations” for first line, middle and senior managers. Intel’s Leadership Development Group designed a pilot program for the senior manager cohort based on best practices research, which suggests a blended learning approach that involves existing leaders.
Hallmarks of the “New to Leader” pilot program include five to six months of training with executive coaching, residential programs, and training sessions run by current Intel leaders, as well as self-paced self-study. The Intel Leadership Collection website containing the self-study components was created specifically for this group.
Intel Leadership Collection website
The Leadership Collection website presents a curriculum for Intel’s five Leadership Expectations with links to supporting content from Harvard Business Publishing. Specific programs include the Leadership Transitions course, Harvard ManageMentor™, Harvard Business Review articles, Harvard Business Press books, Executive Insights, Faculty Seminars and podcasts. Some readings and courses are required on each of the Expectations, with optional readings, video, courses and reference materials available.
For example, Intel’s “Set the Pace and Execute” Expectation is connected to online resources that enable users to examine the latest thinking on the topic; to delve into ideas through interactive scenarios, faculty lectures, and other in-depth resources, and to apply the learning with just-in-time tools. Face-to-face sessions with Intel’s established leaders then build on the self study courses and readings to ground the concepts within Intel’s business environment.
Leadership Behaviors
With this comprehensive approach, participants are encouraged to see themselves in a different way and recognize that behaviors must change when moving from manager to leader. Early feedback shows that this visible, comprehensive, supported program for new leaders helps them to take the time to successfully take on the new role.
Future Steps
Once the pilot program is completed, Intel’s Leadership Development team will make refinements and evaluate taking the program out to a second, larger cohort beginning in Summer 2008.
CEO-led Kickoff (Breakout Section)
To kick off the “New to Leader” program, CEO Paul Otellini hosted a company-wide presentation where he discussed leadership development – what it means to him and to Intel. This served as an introduction of Michael Watkins, who presented a webinar on Leadership Transitions to the company. His webinar was timed with the launch of the new website to support the cohort, the Intel Leadership Collection website.
Rapid Curriculum Mapping (Breakout Section)
Michael Watkins initially suggested that Intel use the Leadership Transitions course from Harvard Business Publishing as a pairing to his consulting work with the company
When Intel’s Leadership Development team looked into Harvard Business Publishing’s other offerings, they selected a complete Collection of materials and decided to create a website for the transition group. Harvard Business Publishing’s implementation team mapped the content in just three days to meet the tight deadline and be ready to turn the Leadership Collection website on the same day as Michael Watkins’ webinar.