The Transformational CIO: Leadership and Innovation Strategies for IT Executives in a Rapidly Changing World

From Pentagon to Pyramid

One of the largest challenges Rich faced was restructuring the shape of his organization. The IT organization Rich inherited looked more like a pentagon than a pyramid, with more senior managers and directors than junior managers.

“And it wasn't just the number of people at levels; the responsibilities assigned to each level were equally jumbled. We had senior managers and directors who managed no one or just a handful of people, while we had some managers who oversaw 100-plus people,” says Rich.

This upside structure created serious issues for the IT organization, “with senior leaders really not leading,” says Rich.

The old model also created career gridlock for people at lower levels, with top performers having no real way to advance their careers—“so they would leave the organization,” says Rich.

To resolve this, Rich and his team tackled the roots of the problem, building a new simplified career model, streamlining job descriptions and job titles, rightsizing responsibilities with levels, dramatically reducing the use of experienced hire recruiting, and driving up college recruiting.

Rich also implemented changes that forced global performance evaluation at all levels, driving a focus toward meritocracy where ratings are based on demonstrated results no matter where they live or whom they report up to.

“The results from these changes have been tremendous. We now truly know who our superstars are; they are rewarded for their efforts, and they move quickly,” ...