CHAPTER 9
Boeing
Business Career Foundation Program
Rick Gross
During a March 2014 congressional hearing on the aging of the aerospace workforce in the United States, a Boeing executive told lawmakers that in some areas of the company more than half of the skilled workforce would be eligible to retire within 5 years. This statistic illustrates why Boeing is committed to investing in education and skills development in our communities from birth through college, as well as within the company throughout the stages of an employee’s career. Developing a highly skilled future workforce pipeline, as well as leaders to take Boeing into its second century, is achieved through a combination of community partnership and professional development programs such as the Business Career Foundation Program (BCFP).
Supporting the company’s vision to be the strongest, best, and best integrated aerospace-based company in the world, the cross-functional BCFP experience prepares participants to lead from a “One Boeing” approach. This approach encourages all employees to actively engage in and leverage the company’s full capabilities and resources to achieve company goals. The various functional rotations of the BCFP, as well as cross-business unit experiences offered through the program, provide a holistic experience throughout the business functions and company. After completing the BCFP, participants are equipped to perform in various capacities as business needs arise.
Lifelong Learning at Boeing
Boeing believes one of its greatest assets is human capital. To be innovative and remain a leader within the aerospace industry, the right combination of skills and capabilities are essential. Boeing takes a strategic systems approach to how the company invests in education and skills development to reinforce the idea of lifelong learning.
Early Education
From a K-12 education perspective of strengthening education systems to adequately equip students with the skills needed to succeed in school, work, and life, Boeing is focused on preparing and inspiring students to gain fundamental, 21st-century skills through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related, problem-based learning experiences. Twenty-first-century skills include the ability to think critically and solve problems, collaborate well, be creative, and communicate effectively.
Building students’ abilities and interests in STEM-related skills helps to ensure that the aerospace industry and the company have access to a competitive and adaptive workforce that will lead Boeing through another century of innovation and success.
Boeing puts its education strategy in practice through investments that support high-impact, evidence-based education, nonprofit organizations and community partners, engagement by employees, and advocacy to promote strategies in education that are important to the company and communities.
Three key areas through which Boeing tactically executes its strategy are educator leadership development, support of problem-based learning experiences that build STEM-related skills, and early learning to ensure that every child has access to quality early care and education.
One example of Boeing’s investment in education is the company’s strategic partnership with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging young people to become science and technology leaders. Through our work with the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®), one of four programs in a progression of programs offered by FIRST, Boeing employees serve as mentors and prepare students for possible future careers by instilling an appreciation for STEM while fostering collaboration, problem solving, creativity, and effective communication skills. During the 2014–2015 FRC season, more than 500 Boeing employees will mentor FIRST Boeing teams, and hundreds of employees will provide support such as judging or volunteering at competitions.
While many of Boeing’s partnerships focus on developing skills through STEM-related activities, the company also focuses on strengthening entrepreneurial and leadership skills in students through programs such as Junior Achievement, which teaches the basics of business to high school students, and events such as Washington Business Week, which hosts a week-long business simulation for high school students.
University Relations and Career Preparation
As students continue their education beyond high school, Boeing maintains a leadership role by partnering with more than 200 universities and higher education institutions around the world to ensure a workforce pipeline that can support its growing business. With these higher education relationships, Boeing’s priority is to provide the very best resources and opportunities to create meaningful experiences for students who share Boeing’s passion for aerospace innovation. Critical to this workforce readiness is aligning curriculum with Boeing’s business priorities to directly influence the future of aerospace. Partnerships include those with technical, vocational, and training institutions; community colleges; universities; and premier research institutions.
Boeing’s partnership with Green River Community College (Auburn, WA) is an example of how Boeing partners with local institutions to develop the pipeline of technical talent. Brand new in 2012, Green River Community College, in conjunction with Boeing, created three state-of-the-art training programs providing a stepping stone in the pathway to careers in the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries. In 20 weeks, the student learns the skills required for a high-demand aerospace or advanced manufacturing job related to one of three areas: precision machining, machine maintenance, and quality assurance.
The programs are using a fresh curriculum that is industry-driven and aligns directly with job knowledge, skills, and abilities identified by the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industry. Boeing and several supply chain partners have provided their input on the curriculum and approve of its content.
In addition to influencing curriculum, partnering for research purposes and supporting student activities in key business-related areas, Boeing’s student engagement includes global student-focused programs in the form of internships, fellowships, and co-ops for students so that they are prepared to enter the workforce with hands-on experience that benefits their professional development, as well as their future employers. In 2014, Boeing hosted more than 1,700 interns across the enterprise from higher educational institutions globally. In Boeing’s programs, students practice high performance, ethics, and accountability; apply critical thinking and learn how to collaborate with others in a complex environment; and, most important, receive hands-on experience to last them a lifetime. These opportunities are available to both domestic and international students across the commercial and defense businesses.
One example of the internship opportunities available at Boeing is FLITE (Future Leaders in Thought and Experience). A diversity internship program, FLITE is hosted in the Puget Sound region and in St. Louis, and is a summer immersion experience for students of underrepresented backgrounds. Students are recruited from local universities in the Northwest and Midwest regions with the intention of identifying talented, diverse students to feed the Boeing Business Intern Program (BBIP). Each Friday during the summer, interns participate in the Boeing FLITE program, in which they meet to gain invaluable academic and professional skills in what is aptly named “FLITE School.” On these days, students expand upon their experience through excel courses, a functional speaker series, tours, and thought leader discussions (discussing innovation around current industry/market/leadership challenges). FLITE has been a staple internship program at Boeing for the past 3 years with plans on improving and growing with each year.
Another example of how Boeing builds the talent pipeline is through the BBIP. With several hundred business interns each summer, the BBIP is Boeing’s largest centralized effort to attract entry-level talent for the business functions across the enterprise. There were 215 BBIP interns eligible for full-time employment in 2014, and 67% of the interns were converted to full-time Boeing employees upon graduation from college.
Each of these programs, partnerships, and initiatives are part of a strong talent pipeline for Boeing, and helps prepare top talent transition into development programs such as the Boeing Career Foundations Program (BCFP).
Business Career Foundations Program: Accelerating Business Leadership Development
One of Boeing’s most successful efforts to accelerate the development of skilled business leaders is the BCFP, a 2-year, entry-level development program designed to build participants’ leadership and business acumen through a challenging, fast-paced rotation experience. The program is conducted at five major Boeing sites across the United States.
In the BCFP, participants rotate through six positions in a variety of business disciplines, including financial planning, accounting, financial operations, contracts, estimating and pricing, scheduling, supplier management, and business operations. One of these rotations can be an elective in a field such as marketing, business development, business strategy, or human resources. The program offers offsite rotations at different sites throughout the company, both domestically and internationally. Participants are allowed to join a rotation outside of their home region during the second year of the program. Participants are encouraged to rotate through multiple programs and business units to further enhance their breadth of exposure to the business. Each rotation is 4 months in duration, with a performance review at the completion of each rotation. Although the annual performance review is done by the BCFP program manager, each rotational hosting manager also does a mini, 4-month work statement set up and performance review. At the conclusion of each rotation the hosting manager provides the performance feedback to the program manager, who incorporates it into the annual review. The BCFP participants also have various training and development opportunities over the course of their time in the program. They are encouraged to engage in various networking opportunities offered to them as current program participants, as well as when they become alumni of the program.
Target Audience
As an entry-level program, the BCFP targets candidates with little or no work experience. The BCFP hiring philosophy focuses on demonstrated leadership potential rather than strict degree or grade point average (GPA) requirements. The BCFP management team works with college recruiters to identify and attract potential participants, and the effort is aligned with specific business schools. Boeing determines engagement with schools based on a number of factors, including the quality of the curriculum, the diversity of the student body, and the performance and retention of graduates at Boeing.
Recruiting for the BCFP is a multistep process. The majority of BCFP participants are selected from the BBIP. This internal application process involves an onsite interview, which includes a structured interview and group assessment. Participating in BBIP maximizes an applicant’s chances of being selected, but is not the only way to enter the program. External applicants can apply online during the fall recruiting season. Strong applicants are invited to participate in first-round interviews, either over the phone or on campus. The final candidates are invited for second-round interviews at a Boeing facility, which follow the same process of a structured interview and group assessment. The external hiring process typically takes place in November.
Program Design
Typically, new BCFP participants start together as a class in late June. The program begins with a regional orientation, welcoming them to the program and giving them basic company and program knowledge, as well as opportunities to network with program supporters, alumni, and those currently in the program.
During their first rotation, the entire cohort comes together at the Boeing Leadership Center for a week of professional development and program networking. From time to time, we have BCFPs who graduate in December and start the program one rotation early in March. For these participants, a mini-regional orientation is provided, as well as the opportunity to fully participate in all of the onboarding activities with the balance of the cohort later in the summer.
Each BCFP participant is paired with an executive mentor with whom they meet on a quarterly basis. Participants are encouraged to engage with other mentors throughout the program, as new connections are made in rotating through different teams. The participants are also involved in mentoring interns as they spend the summer with Boeing. This is a great chance to experience being a mentor and to realize the skills gained in their short tenure as a working professional.
The BCFP supports business requirements and work statements through the various functions, and participants often work above normal entry-level responsibilities. These assignments are not job shadowing, that is, following another employee through the workday to learn the job, but must entail execution of a true work statement connected to the group and function. Ideally, each rotation would have a combination of typical day-to-day activities as well as big-picture projects. At the conclusion of the rotation, participants should understand what it would be like to work within that organization as well as how the organization fits in and provides value to the company.
Throughout the program, there are additional opportunities for training and development. The first day of each rotation is a full training and development day that focuses on a specific business unit of Boeing as well as a specific leadership skill. Over the course of the 2 years, each participant is given the opportunity to explore each business unit and a variety of soft skills through these formal training and development days.
During their second year, BCFP participants are required to complete a capstone project. Much like a senior thesis, the capstone project is an opportunity to provide significant value back to the company over and above the work the participants do in each rotation. There are minimal requirements of the capstone to allow for individual and company interests. The project must provide significant value to a larger organization, and the BCFP participant must be the project lead. One example of a capstone project was the creation of a dashboard that gives visibility to cost surrounding computing/telecommunications devices and travel. This serves to significantly help managers track and control cost in a more streamlined and effective manner, reducing the overall cost to the company.
Program Impact
Boeing expects the BCFP will help to attract top talent to the company, and produce employees who are more engaged and prepared to take on leadership roles at an accelerated rate. Metrics have shown that those who participated in BCFP move through the pipeline faster than the general population of employees. For example, several of our youngest executives on the selling team in the Boeing Commercial Airplanes business unit came through the BCFP.
Since the launch of the BCFP in 2000, there have been more than 500 program participants. More than 95% of these participants have successfully completed the program by receiving top scores on performance reviews and completing all program requirements, including a capstone project.
The BCFP graduates benefit from expanded career opportunities, a larger network, and ongoing leadership development for BCFP alumni. They graduate with an increased understanding of how various Boeing organizations interact, enabling them to achieve higher levels of quality and productivity early in their careers. They are promoted, on average, three to five times faster than the general population, and have increased earning potential because of their accelerated career path. They also have a solid retention rate, which is an indicator of job satisfaction.
Boeing benefits from an expanded pool of qualified leadership candidates, improving the pipeline for succession planning. Through BCFP, Boeing not only gains adaptable and strategic leaders but also reduces the time it takes to develop those leaders. We estimate that the 2-year program is equivalent to about 5 years of general experience. We are very pleased with the benefits of the BCFP both for the participants and for the company. The success of the BCFP has proven to be an internal benchmark best practice, spawning additional functional development programs in engineering, information technology, and human resources, which now each have a career development rotation program.
Ongoing Development Opportunities: Mid-Career and Leadership
As employees progress in their careers and move into leadership roles, Boeing provides development opportunities at every step of the way. Boeing employees have a myriad of opportunities to learn and grow as leaders, including formal and informal mentoring programs, daily interactions with leaders, and development programs at the Boeing Leadership Center, as follows:
• Formal and informal programs: Whether it’s taking a new assignment or volunteering in our communities around the world, Boeing people never stop learning. The company offers classroom and online training, opportunities for rotational and development assignments, and a variety of collaboration tools that help people learn from one another.
• Daily interactions: Boeing leaders help employees develop the skills that will accelerate their careers within the company. Each year vice presidents mentor at least two employees who have the potential to become future leaders.
• Boeing Leadership Center: Current and aspiring Boeing leaders can attend programs at the center in St. Louis, where they team up to tackle business issues and share best practices. Boeing vice presidents teach at least two programs at the Boeing Leadership Center annually, using the “leaders teaching leaders” methodology of two-way dialogue about career experiences.
As evidenced by the aforementioned programs and partnerships, Boeing is committed to building a solid talent pipeline and encourages lifelong learning and development of talent. Each career stage is vital to Boeing’s success. Investing in K-12 education fosters an interest in STEM careers and provides youths with the necessary foundation to succeed in the aerospace industry. Partnerships with higher education prepare students for careers in aerospace, and the FLITE program and BBIP prepare business students with the training and experience to launch a successful business career and be ready for opportunities in early career development programs such as the BCFP. As employees grow, Boeing grows, and that’s why lifelong career development is encouraged and supported through the variety of opportunities offered at Boeing.
Conclusion
Running a successful leadership development program like BCFP requires executive sponsors, hosting managers, and mentors who are devoted to the program’s mission. Program leadership requires those who are truly engaged, and they are given time away from existing duties to develop and implement the program. Adequate funding is required at a company level to ensure consistency and success.
Internal policies and procedures need to support the cross-functional and cross–business unit movement of participants. For example, a challenge to overcome with a program of this nature is labor charging policies that hinder moving participants across business units, as this undermines the objective of providing participants with a breadth of exposure to the company. The program should be structured in such a way as to minimize tension from multiple reporting relationships, by having direct reporting and year-end performance reviews held by the program manager. Programs that span multiple locations should also try to avoid inconsistencies between sites, especially in hiring practices and budget for program activities. This can be mitigated by reporting up to one enterprise program manager.
Expansion is the logical outcome of a successful program, but should be treated with care. BCFP leaders have consciously decided to keep the program size at approximately 40 participants per year to preserve the program’s integrity.
The BCFP aligns and furthers Boeing’s overall commitment to learning at every career stage by offering a unique opportunity for high-potential candidates during their very first years at the company. While there are other programs further in the pipeline to continue to address top talent throughout all functions, the BCFP sets up its participants for success as future leaders from the very beginning.