IBM’s manager development course — MPS — has gone remote!
An analytical reflection on the 12-week Management Perspective Seminar (MPS) virtual pilot and scaling it across the IBM business
This spring, I completed a course called Management Perspective Seminar, or MPS. I’ve grown to understand why this program is truly a rare unicorn, and some insights that apply to both IBMers and all prospective managers. MPS prepares employees for the next level of their careers — not only when it comes to tackling the needs of the business, but in serving other humans and leading with empathy. This was the first time the program had been run remotely. From this experience, reflections, lessons, and ideas emerged. Read on for an overview of the experience and a thorough analysis of its successes and challenges as a remote program.
What is MPS?
In a nutshell
At its essence, Management Perspective Seminar (MPS) is a 12-week series of sessions meant for developers, designers, and offering managers at IBM who are aspiring to management roles and are looking for an opportunity to build leadership skills. Participants, along with guest volunteer manager SMEs join weekly for 90 minutes and discuss topics like team and relationship dynamics, communication, coaching, performance management, and manager tools. Sessions are often referred to as “the fastest 90 minutes of your week,” by participants because they fly by so quickly. It is quite easy to lose track of time when you’re tuned into great, insightful dialog.
Employees must be nominated by their managers to attend. Each participant is assigned one of 10 sessions to facilitate, usually in pairs, while different volunteer guest managers provide guidance and insight during each session. The sessions are relevant because they help foster on-the-fly critical thinking skills that managers actually encounter in the wild. It enables employees to “try on the manager” hat so to speak, and truly understand if a role managing others is the right path for them.
The origin of MPS
MPS began humbly over 20 years ago at a select few IBM sites. Initially run by HR to foster a growing manager pipeline, the MPS program eventually became employee-led. IBM’s Rochester site still maintains a version of the program, while it faded away in the Austin site until it was successfully resurrected in the spring of 2019. At this time, it was intended for development talent, but by the fall, design and offering management candidates were added to the program. This program has stood the test of time, and for good reason.
Session format
Scenes from a hat
Every week, we began with a 30-minute exercise called Scenes from a hat — named so because to pick these scenario topics each time, they are written on pieces of paper and drawn from a hat the prior week. The goal is to “try on” different challenging scenarios that an employee or a manager may encounter. Throughout the week, attendees discussed how to approach each situation in small teams before relaying to the larger group. Scenes from a hat truly got us flexing our critical thinking skills. 🤠 💪
Participant-led topics
During the participant-led portion (comprising about 2/3 of each session), we focused on topics that reflected the ways managers spend their time. Topics included communication, time management, delivering results, coaching, budgeting, team culture, and headcount challenges. We discussed sensitive scenarios that might involve contacting HR or how to address performance with an employee. These are realistic scenarios that managers encounter in business, and this forum provided a safe space where we could explore these tough topics candidly together. All the while, our wise volunteer managers and program leader could validate our reasoning on the spot and guide us towards appropriate approaches.
“The highest form of learning is the application of concepts, and we get to apply concepts to real-life management scenarios — the good, the bad, and the unexpected.”
—Ikenna Osuji, MPS Alumnus
We exchanged expertise on best practices, often citing reference materials from HR or other leadership training courses. These live discussions did away with the feeling of having an overly-controlled environment. It was a safe space to explore and be candid, thinking through use cases with direct feedback from managers in real-time. This is what sets the MPS program apart from others that focus more on instruction. We got instant feedback, and exercised critical thinking on our toes — the way a manager would in practice.
Piloting and scaling MPS remotely
Increasingly, there exists a need for leadership skills and knowledge-building across large enterprises such as ours. And for that reason, MPS has gone virtual. This cannot only be attributed to the sheer fact that we are now living the “new normal” of remote work, but because the program will need to adapt and scale to meet the needs of our business. The program can be expanded to more locations, more potential manager prospects, and more managers who volunteer their expertise. Since 2019, MPS has been helmed in-person by one of IBM’s most fantastic employees and renowned managers, Julie Johnson at the Austin site. Julie outlines the shift towards remote MPS below:
In the Spring of 2020, we continued to expand the reach of the program by adding a handful of remote participants for the first time ever. Little did I know that only two weeks into the Spring session, the entire class would be remote due to COVID-19. At first, I contemplated postponing until the fall, but then realized it was truly a teaching opportunity to focus on what it meant to be an effective leader during unexpected, challenging times. As I reflect on those 12 weeks, I am so glad we all chose to persevere during this unique Spring session.
— Julie Johnson, Design Manager and program leader
This program serves a broader mission that rises above any one location, which is to promote a culture of excellence in management practice within the IBM company. Above all it encourages us to meet our employees with empathy and understanding, while coaching towards better business performance for our clients and users.
“This program is more than just sharing management experiences — it’s about mentoring and influencing the next generation of potential leaders on their responsibility to be human while handling the pressures of business.”
- Eric Packer, Volunteer Manager & MPS Alumnus
When it comes to being an effective manager, it’s not enough to be able to handle the pressures of the day-to-day, to be business-savvy, or to be technically skilled. To be a great manager is a very human obligation. It’s to serve others with compassion and empathy. It’s to recognize that people are not just resources to be used or expended. They are human and must be treated with great care, with trust and respect at the core of it all.
The pros of remote MPS
Just as engaging as IRL
Generally, it seemed like people were engaged virtually and there never were crickets chirping during our interactive discussions. Guest managers were lively and always contributing expertise. Every Thursday, I came away with nuggets of practical knowledge.
Flexibility and balance at home
Remote sessions allowed for a certain level of flexibility. Since the course ran during lunch time, I was often munching in the background (while muted, of course!). Parents in the sessions had the ability to mute the audio and remove the camera function in order to tend to their kiddos. All attendees had the option to take a quick bio break or throw the laundry into the dryer momentarily if they needed to.
Creative ways to get active
At one point we conversed about the importance of physical movement in our daily routines considering we no longer have to physically commute to and from an office building. We discussed how we should get up every few minutes or hours to get active, practicing the 20/20/20 rule. We could also promote activity with a standing desk setup at home. One of our guest managers even attended one of our meetings while rollerblading… that was a first for us!
I see this as a pro of remote work. We now have the ability to organize our days with more freedom and get active in our own way— even if it’s just a quick walk around the block. We can fit activities like those into our day at a time that works for us outside the confines of the in-office workday.
The challenges of remote MPS
Heavily reliant on one format
Each week, facilitators started to rely heavily on the use of Mural as a tool to help ideate and organize our thoughts. Not that this was a problem — we at IBM, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mural and partner together quite frequently. However, at times that we were letting the tool drive us. No, not in like… a Terminator kind of way. We tended to stick to the same patterns we knew from session to session, such as ideation and grouping, and we desperately needed variety.
As our friends from Mural have pointed out, the remote work pony is versed in many tricks. They’ve provided numerous kits and resources for us which my team has curated here (sorry, this one’s for IBMers only).
After a few sessions in, the gears in my content design brain began to churn and cook up ideas for a unique session. My team partner and I chose to follow a game show format complete with cheesy 90s talk show music and sound FX called How do ya manage? on the topic of “coaching challenges.”
We incorporated chic fashion, with guest managers and attendees wearing “coaching hats” of all kinds — even a colander worn by our guest manager SME, Keith Vertrees, who lovingly dubbed it his “coach hat 3000.” This amplified the energy, fun, and creativity overall!
The usual culprits
We fell prey to the usual culprits of remote work — such as audio echo issues or the occasional glitch from our teleconference tool. There was difficulty understanding who was talking because we didn’t have the visual cues we typically get from in-person conversations. Sometimes participants would mute and turn off their camera, making it difficult to discern between participants who were actively listening or those that were disengaged from the conversation — the inverse advantage being of course, the flexibility that comes with being able to do that.
Working while caring for children
Some challenges that session participants were faced with are a unique circumstance of our time. Since the pandemic hit the office in mid-March, several parents in our session were tasked with caring for children while working — upending their usual 9-to-5s while school and childcare providers were shuttered. After taking the course with a few amazing parents, I learned to be more cognizant of those having to care for children at home while they work. Namely, it would be great to squash the assumption that employees are playing hooky, or that they’re not working just as hard as everyone else in this new normal (let’s be real, they’re probably working double as hard). Parents juggling the demands of business along with the needs of their family should be met with empathy and flexibility.
Ideas for future sessions
One easy improvement would be to hold a few minutes on the first day to explore different content formats or past examples to get people thinking early on about how they can run their session. The beauty lies in making it yours! Using unique session formats could keep engagement high.
Similarly, an attendee or guest speaker could run a mini Mural tutorial early on to get people familiar and comfortable with remote collaboration tools and the different ways they can be used.
Another idea for improvement is to simply spend more time introducing each manager SME. We often skipped over this too quickly and lacked context for who was speaking. We discussed that overcommunication is useful for remote collaboration, because it can be harder to pay attention in virtual meetings.
What’s next for remote MPS?
New program leaders across geos
Remotely facilitated MPS sessions will give manager volunteers in a range of geographical locations greater opportunity to practice their skills in mentorship, critical thinking, guidance, and coaching. Impassioned managers that believe in this mission wholeheartedly can now opt to “drive” their own 12-week session series themselves — so that it’s no longer just Julie leading the charge.
The experience of remotely leading the program has been surprisingly successful for both myself and the participants, and it has opened doors for MPS to continue growing in new and unexpected ways in the future. I am thrilled to announce that in the fall of 2020 we are planning to add another session leader, which will allow us to run multiple MPS programs at the same time. I proudly look forward to where we can take this in 2021 and beyond as we continue to grow and develop the future leaders of IBM!
— Julie Johnson, Design Manager and program leader
Preparing MPS for scaled success
Scaling the program requires MPS to “gear up” for a new class of candidates. For that reason my teammate Emily Kim, my manager at the time, Elissa Dixit, and I stepped in to support this program so it can truly take flight and soar — remotely across the business.
When it came to bolstering the MPS program for growth, the guiding question was, “how do we incentivize people to attend [and lead] this program, scaling it out broadly across IBM?” A few ideas, and subsequent work streams emerged:
- A digital presence for MPS
I’ve created a site on our IBM intranet, w3. Prospects can learn about the program and its benefits, read testimonies, and learn about how they can sign up to attend. Managers can find out how to get involved.
- Getting badged
Participants can earn a shiny new badge for completing the program! Professional development badges are proof that an employee is dedicated to practicing a mindset of learning and growth, and they can be brought up in contexts like goal setting and manager 1:1s.
- Getting Think40 hours
As IBMers, we pride ourselves on our proclivity towards learning, with all employees required to obtain at least 40 hours of self-guided learning each year. Participants can now, with one click, add course credit hours to their Think40 totals for the year.
Closing thoughts
So, what is to be learned? The mission of a manager to lead teams with empathy is a valuable one. It has kept the MPS program alive for over 20 years. The perpetual need for leadership skills has prompted the program to scale remotely so that many others can benefit and grow in their careers. Attendees reap everlasting benefits for years to come.
I am eternally grateful to have experienced this program, and to have a hand in scaling it. My hope is that many others, in new locations across the business feel inspired to take MPS and similar professional development courses. May the next generation of managers lead with great empathy, care, and wisdom — with skills and education from MPS! 💙
If you’re interested in learning more about the program and you’re an IBMer, visit the MPS site on w3.
Here’s a few of my favorite leadership resources that I’ve been reading to supplement my learning (bookworm status), some of which have been recommended throughout the course:
The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo | Book
Radical Candor by Kim Scott | Book
Designing your Work Life by Bill Burnet & Dave Evans | Book *NEW!*
Coaching for Performance by John Whitmore | Free book on archive.org
HBR 20-Minute Manager | 10-Book set
Allison Biesboer is a Content Designer & Strategist in the Design Program Office at IBM — collaborating remotely from Austin, TX. Her current work is now focused on boosting excellence in Design and User Experience across IBM. She is also an editor of the IBM Design Medium Publication.
The above story is personal and does not necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
