Like federal agencies, Cisco Systems is transforming its organization and working to sustain performance during the transition to a new administration.
The provider of networking equipment and management is migrating from a top-down organizational structure to one that fosters collaboration and teamwork at all levels of the company. In an interview with Federal Computer Week, Randy Pond, Cisco’s executive vice president of operations, processes and systems, offered some best practices for sustaining system and process transformation gains in uncertain times.
FCW: What are some challenges both Cisco and government agencies face in transforming their enterprises?
POND: It’s the three pillars: people, process and information technology. The challenge is different in different environments. The government can get better leverage out of its IT — [those systems that] have a process orientation to them. The change management of people is the biggest problem. You have to do it so it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a possible negative impact. That’s what scares people about change.
Our challenge is that the work that businesses need to get done exceeds the current resources available. With these changes, we can free you up to do other things to move the enterprise along. We’ll craft a vision of where we see the work going and move you from where you are to there, if you’re intellectually curious and you have enough IQ. At Cisco, we have taken people off the manufacturing floor who were parts chasers and made them demand planners. We retrain people. Some can’t make the transformation, the work or culture.
People going into the workforce to do certain work over the next two to five years have to realize they won’t be doing the same work in six to 10 years. Work will continue to transform. We’re going to pay people for breadth, not depth. Most organizations pay for depth, for deep content knowledge, but that’s going away.
People who move across several functions during their career here — such as IT, finance, customer service, manufacturing and who are now vice presidents — I can put them on any cross-functional project and know that [the work] will get done. I’m willing to pay a premium for that. You have to let them know that they can move across the organization and land somewhere and that we’re not going to pay you for your current skills. We’re going to pay you for your leadership skills and willingness to learn new things.
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