InformationWeek

September 28, 1998

Boot Camp For CIOs

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

or about 18 months, Kevin Hofmann's days have been jam-packed--and rewarding. In addition to his regular responsibilities as manager of information-management services at the organization that supports IT for General Electric's corporate research and development activities in Niskayuna, N.Y., Hofmann also works on special projects and attends classes.

Hofmann is participating in the company's Experienced Information Management Program, which was launched in 1997 to groom midlevel employees to be CIOs for GE business units. EIMP was designed, in part, to develop the careers of valued people--to keep them from leaving GE to seek better jobs.

"Although becoming a CIO is a goal for some, the program isn't meant to pigeonhole you as a CIO," says Hofmann. "There are only so many of those positions within GE. The program prepares you for the challenges and problems you face as you gain more responsibility."

Most of the 40 EIMP participants, who were selected by GE executives, have been with the company four to 10 years. The two-year program's curriculum is mainly on-the-job training; employees are assigned to a variety of long-range business and IT projects, such as managing a software development team or overseeing a small IT support group. Each assignment is geared to help a student develop his or her leadership, management, business, problem-solving, and technology skills--all necessary to be a well-rounded CIO.

Students also participate in two month-long assignments. Ginny Walker, for instance, recently did an internal audit within GE's insurance unit, FIGI. "This helped strengthen my financial knowledge," says Walker, who has an MBA but limited auditing experience. Walker, who's been with GE for 13 years, is manager of enterprise data integration in the IS department of GE Aircraft Engine in Cincinnati.

As a group, EIMP participants tackle big-picture, companywide technology issues. Although they're scattered around the country, members have regular conference calls in which they pick one another's brains. "This program is a good way to network with the company's other top IT people and exchange ideas," says Hofmann. "GE is such a big company. If there's a problem, someone in the company has undoubtedly fixed it before."

EIMP students also attend three week-long classes, which include advocacy (how to sell IT to business people), sourcing (how to manage outsourced relationships), and staffing (how to manage IT staffs).

All EIMP participants are sponsored by either a business or human resources executive, who helps them develop a long-term plan to ensure that they have the opportunity to learn all the needed skills. The sponsors are often the executives that nominated the students for participation in EIMP.

General Electric also has a program to prepare junior employees, including college recruits, for the EIMP. Students in the Information Management Leadership Program take classes in databases, networking, rapid application development, Java programming, legacy systems, groupware, and the Web. The IMLP curriculum also includes leadership courses, such as business writing and career strategies.

In addition, IMLP students are sent out in the field for experience. Some have been assigned to GE operations in Brazil for six months to provide IT and business support for the launch of a marketing program there. Others are working in GE's distribution and supply channel, building a data warehouse.

The EIMP program has already helped the company achieve one of its goals: reducing turnover and building morale among GE employees. "Anyone in my position at GE gets at least a call a week from headhunters," says Walker. "This program keeps us from looking elsewhere. Also, the recognition you get by participating in the program can speed up your career." That's good news for the 40 GE employees who will begin the EIMP program shortly.

Return to main story, "What It Takes To Be A CIO."