Page 276 - The extraordinary leader

The Organization’s Role in Developing Leaders • 253

exists within every firm. The people involved are energized when asked to
address a topic of such obvious importance and value to the firm.
One interesting approach in leadership development involves each par-
ticipant defining a personal action learning project. Ford Motor Company has
used this technique. They call it their QIP (Quantum Idea Project) activity.
It is a centerpiece of their New Business Leader Program designed for first-
level supervisors of salaried employees.
Stewart Friedman observes the results this had at Ford:

Action learning creates business impact. The projects participants choose must
have a business benefit in terms of customer satisfaction, cost reduction, or
enhanced revenue. One of the most notable examples is the QIP—the Quantum
Idea Project. It’s the key to our New Business Leader Program—The QIP,
intended to drive revolutionary change at Ford, stretch an individual’s capacity to
think critically, innovate daringly, evaluate choices strategically, and support
business objectives wisely. In the process, a manager begins to develop leadership
skills that he/she can use every day. The QIP process is organized according to key
milestones, check-offs, and evaluation processes inherent to a project. Additionally,
our programs instill a sense of accountability. Participants are evaluated on the
outcome of their projects and how well they performed as leaders. For example,
how did they interact with their peers? Did they network successfully? Did they
learn new ways of doing things? 15

Most action learning projects involve sizable teams, often representing
different functional areas of the organization and different countries. They
meet face-to-face on some occasions and supplement such meetings with tele-
conferences or chat rooms on the Internet.
One key element is the process of ensuring that learning is taking place as
the team works on a real issue or problem. Outside resources, such as tech-
nical experts, are often made available to the team, but it is the team’s respon-
sibility to ask for and use these resources. Participants are often working on
an issue that is outside the normal sphere of their responsibility. The teams
are nearly always devoid of any hierarchy. Instead they are composed of “orga-
nizational cousins”—people at generally the same level but from different
“families” inside the firm. Often, a facilitator is assigned to work with the team
to ensure that time is taken periodically to pause and reflect on what they have
learned and to encourage different approaches in the future. 16