Continuing the discussion in prior posts related to RTO and LL6 Behaviors:
Yes, LL6s in core groups have less accountability than LL6s assigned on Programs. LL6 assigned to a program, ends up co-locating in physical program team room space, and ends up coming full day at least 3 days/ week. LL6s in core group are mostly working from home and basically are seat warmers of video meetings.. Most of them come into office couple of days/ week for badge count and leave office after an hour stay in office. They do not have to be accountable for a specific outcome and can hide behind a GSR do all the talking in front of mgmt. Upper mgmt need to spot this behavior and make core LL6 accountable for decisions and outcomes. Ask these core LL6s to explain their R&R and accountability in local townhalls so program teams know what are the reasonable expectations from core groups.
8 replies (most recent on top)
As a Core Engineer we spend more time engineering our internal processes vs engineering our components and subsystems.
This entirely due to the lack of courage to say, “NO, we will not accept a process that has no value add to quality,etc.”
Core group folks just parrot what the supplier reps say. They are just like a housewife going shopping. "Did you see what I just bought?". Can replace them with A.I.
Knowledge and expertise/experience used to be valued to this company. Remember knowledge over hierarchy? Those days are long gone and we're left with a bunch of glad handing id--ts who think they know how to solve a problem because they have a LL in front of their name
Or worse, that you can take a operational job the requires knowledge and experience and widdle it down to a run book and off shore to another continent.
Here's the kicker, they tried this is the late 2000s and it blew up in their faces. Well, they fired all the people they brought in the fix that disaster and they are repeating history all over again.
Stupid is as stupid has always done.
Core is more important to the company. Without core, you have no technical expertise. Program Teams and Applications are just glorified supplier babysitters. Anyone can do those jobs and thats why many are being moved to LCC regions.
Core PM is a great example of a useless group. Get rid of the entire group, starting with the LL3.
What are core engineers supposed to do? Develop new approaches, R&D type of work? Or help calibration team solve their road blocks?
Most old timer LL6s, wanting to coast to retirement, end up in some core group and hide away from front line battle fires. Aggressive result and outcome oriented LL6s get selected for specific program specific responsibility, and end up facing front line fires. Put fire under these passive core LL6 leaders and make them accountable for outcomes and mandate minimum full day office presence to build cross-organizational awareness and relationships... . Currently, Core LL6s hardly visible in offices... promoting poor culture in their younger staff !!
You could require badge scan out as well and see how many hours they have been in the building. The reality is all the LL6s I ever worked for and some of the LL5s can be completely eliminated and the work will go on as usual in fact it will probably speed up as it takes that one additianal hurdle to get to the end of a problem. I can't tell you how many times the LL6 steered an issue into dead-end outcomes just to show that they are doing work and to buy more time. The one LL5 I had the fella took every Friday off, I didn't know that LL5s had 52-day vacations to be honest. I also cant believe some of the GSRs that got pushed into LL6 positions, unreal, and some of the greatest engineers I ever knew got laid off, the place has turned to an absolute sit show!