My job is to get rid of David Brents, says head of L&D at social media giant
Ten per cent of managers at Facebook give up management every year in favour of a role with no direct reports, Jeff Turner, head of learning and development EMEA, told delegates at the CIPD’s annual conference.
Turner said the social media giant effectively gives managers a “get out of jail free card” at regular check ins, and the company has developed a dual career track approach that allows employees to reach a senior position without managing people.
“We did not want the tension of having to get into people management to progress through the organisation,” he said. “Becoming a manager is not a promotion and you don’t get a pay rise. You become a manager because you want to try managing people."
Turner said Facebook had introduced a new development strategy for managers after it became apparent that there was a huge gap between those who were doing a very good job and those that weren’t.
“Managing isn’t easy. Anyone who thinks it is hasn’t been doing it right or has been very lucky,” he said. “If you work for a great manager you are motivated and engaged but if your manager sucks it is not a good experience. The manager trumps the brand. We can do all the work we do to drive engagement but if an employee works for a bad manager they see the company through that lens.”
Facebook drew on the Gallup Q12 and the philosophies of Dan Pink in his best selling book Drive, as well as the age profile of the organisation – 70 per cent are Generation Y – when devising its development strategy.
Rather than introduce competency models, the employer developed a manager philosophy - “set context, create focus, drive impact and cultivate growth” - backed up by its model for manager effectiveness.
This focuses on clear expectations (including check ins and dual career tracks), development (such as mentoring and cohort-driven learning) and accountability (including upward feedback and regular performance calibrations). At the time managers were also given the opportunity to opt out of management and more than 150 chose to do so.
“We believe everyone in Facebook deserves a great manager,” said Turner. “There’s a reason why people find David Brent funny. We’ve either seen it or we’ve done it ourselves. My job is to get rid of David Brents."