Agile Career Development: Lessons and Approaches from IBM

Supercharge Performance by Linking Employee-Driven Career Development with Business Goals

How do you make career development work for both the employee and the business? IBM® has done it by tightly linking employee-driven career development programs with corporate goals. In Agile Career Development, three of IBM’s leading HR innovators show how IBM has accomplished this by illustrating various lessons and approaches that can be applied to other organizations as well. This book is for every HR professional, learning or training manager, executive, strategist, and any other business leader who wants to create a high performing organization.

“In the 21st century, there will be an increasing competitive need for any company to operate as a globally integrated enterprise that can effectively develop and then tap the skills and capabilities of its workforce anywhere in the world. In IBM, we have worked to enable a workforce that is adaptive, flexible, and capable of responding to changes in the marketplace and the needs of our clients. Agile Career Development shows how focusing on career development opportunities and guidance for employees is a key factor in our business strategy and a major source of value for IBM employees. This book can be used as a guide to any organization that is seeking to find practical ways to develop the talent of its workforce.”

–J. Randall MacDonald, Senior Vice President, IBM Human Resources

“This book highlights tried and true best practices developed at a company known the world over for active dedication to their workforce. Mary Ann, Diana, and Sheila have captured the key issues that will enhance and streamline your career development program and, subsequently, increase employee engagement, retention, and productivity. I particularly like their practical, real-life understanding of the barriers to most career development programs and the manageable framework to bring career growth to life. They also teach us how to make a business case for career development–critical in creating the foundation for a sustainable program. This includes a good blend of benefits both for the individual employee and the organization as a whole. I only wish I had this book available to me years ago when I was managing a career development program!”

–Jim Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., author of Implementing the Four Levels of Transferring Learning to Behavior

Mary Ann Bopp, Manager of Career Development in IBM’s Center for Learning and Development, leads design, development, and deployment of numerous IBM global career development initiatives and related processes. She has 21 years of corporate education, training, performance consulting, and project management experience, as well as 10 years of management accounting experience.

Diana A. Bing recently retired as IBM’s Director for Professional Development and Enterprise Learning after 31 years with the company. She led IBM’s strategic efforts to plan and deliver programs that develop IBM’s employees and enrich the company. She currently is an executive and professional coach, supports nonprofits, and is involved in developing programs regarding women and diversity.

Sheila Forte-Trammell, Learning Consultant in IBM’s Center for Learning and Development, has held HR positions ranging from Placement Counselor and Recruiting to Multicultural People in Technology Program Manager. She has had responsibility as a Human Resources Partner and for several of IBM’s career development programs. She is now focused on expanding IBM’s Global Mentoring Program as a business imperative across the many borders of IBM’s employee population.

Sheila Forte-Trammell and Diana A. Bing are coauthors of Intelligent Mentoring: How IBM Creates Value through People, Knowledge, and Relationships.