IBM Competencies Bands 1-AA

1

Embrace challenge

IBM is in the business of taking on complex situations and challenges. The mission of IBMers is to make the world work better--from daily breakthroughs to world-changing progress. So we focus on the future and embrace the hard challenges facing our teams, our clients and our communities. We see opportunity in complexity, and are skilled at identifying the central issues and charting a path forward. We take personal accountability for transformative outcomes--and our belief in progress inspires others to rise to the challenge with us. Embrace challenge – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Adjusts priorities to respond to changing business situations. – Demonstrates a positive attitude, willingness and energy to solve complex problems and embrace change, despite difficulties that might arise.

– Displays a sense of humor to help maintain a positive work environment. – Displays confidence in one's own abilities and judgment, takes on stretch assignments, and performs well under pressure.

– Persists in overcoming obstacles, challenging oneself to achieve better results. Foundation

– Expresses optimism about the future and sees business opportunities and potential for growth in daunting situations.

– Promotes a healthy sense of urgency in achieving objectives and gathers necessary resources to achieve the goal.

– Takes on very challenging situations with enthusiasm and determination, while still conveying the difficulties involved.

Experienced

– Describes the current difficulties in the context of longer-term opportunities to get people energized to overcome the obstacles.

– Expresses belief that the team will prevail and engages them in solving the problems at hand.

– Helps the team deal with complex problems or situations by translating the situation into manageable actions and focusing the team on key priorities.

– Takes responsibility for the situation and demonstrates resilience and emotional stamina when difficulties and problems occur.

2

Expert

– Creates an enduring “can do” attitude within the organization. – Creates the belief within the team that they can excel and energizes them to engage in the cause.

– Finds innovative solutions in the face of seemingly contradictory circumstances. – Mitigates tensions, rather than aggravating them, when communicating a sense of urgency.

Thought Leader

– Creates an organizational climate in which individuals and teams take risks and find innovative solutions that have strategic impact.

– Helps leaders throughout the organization reframe seemingly hopeless circumstances into challenges that can be overcome and redirects the organization to alternative goals and keeps it moving forward, when goals become unachievable.

– Maintains an optimal level of urgency throughout the entire organization, by moderating the stress under the most difficult circumstances.

– Transforms the organizational culture to one of optimism in the face of great adversity and challenge.

Embrace challenge – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10)

Entry

– Demonstrates a positive attitude, willingness and energy to solve complex problems and embrace change, despite difficulties that might arise.

– Displays a sense of humor to help maintain a positive work environment. – Displays confidence in one's own abilities and judgment, reacting to difficult business realities in a positive and competent way.

– Persists in overcoming obstacles, challenging oneself to drive better results.

Foundation – Adjusts priorities to respond to changing business situations, and gathers necessary resources to achieve the goal.

– Assists in resolving particularly difficult problems or client solutions in a proactive way.

– Promotes a healthy sense of urgency in achieving objectives.

Experienced

– Demonstrates resilience when difficulties occur by taking personal responsibility for the situation.

– Distils the central issues in difficult problems, focusing on the most important elements.

– Seeks out challenging business opportunities, seeing growth potential in daunting situations.

3

– Takes on very challenging situations with enthusiasm and determination, acting beyond job responsibility when required.

Expert

– Establishes a team standard that promotes seeking out challenging business opportunities.

– Helps the team deal with complex problems or situations by translating the situation into manageable actions and focusing the team on key priorities.

– Takes a stand and overcomes resistance to pursue complex business opportunities.

Thought Leader

– Creates the belief within the team that they can excel, energizing them to seek and embrace challenge, and embedding this attitude into the way they approach business

– Describes current difficulties in a way that gets people energized to overcome obstacles.

– Strives to create new opportunities by encouraging the team to constantly monitor the business environment, and by gaining commitment from senior leaders to invest in challenging opportunities.

Embrace challenge – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Demonstrates a positive attitude towards and a willingness to embrace change as well as a sense of humor to help maintain a positive work environment.

– Takes initiative to accomplish tasks. Foundation

– Looks for ways to manage and minimize the disruptive nature of change. – Persists in overcoming obstacles to accomplish work goals. – Uses available resources creatively to achieve an objective.

Experienced

– Adjusts priorities to respond to changing business situations, and gathers necessary resources to achieve the goal.

– Challenges oneself to drive better results. – Demonstrates a positive attitude and willingness to help solve complex problems, despite difficulties that might arise.

– Displays confidence in one's own abilities and judgment, reacting to difficult business realities in a positive and competent way.

– Sees change as an opportunity to be challenged.

4

Expert

– Gets energized by solving complex business problems. – Takes on assignments that stretch one’s abilities. – Takes responsibility and holds oneself accountable for achieving challenging tasks.

Thought Leader

– Demonstrates resilience and emotional stamina when difficulties and problems occur, taking responsibility for the situation.

– Distills the central issues in difficult problems, focusing on the most important elements.

– Promotes a healthy sense of urgency in achieving objectives. – Sees the business opportunities or growth potential in daunting situations. – Takes on very challenging situations with enthusiasm and determination, acting beyond job responsibility when required.

5

Partner for clients’ success IBM’s worth depends not just on what we imagine, but what we deliver. IBMers go above and beyond what is expected to achieve our clients’ current and future aspirations. We deliver client value. We act as their partners and derive great pride from their success. We invest the time to understand their situation and unmet needs; seek out market and societal insights; and make connections across the whole of IBM to serve them. We work alongside our clients, co-creating approaches, solutions and ultimately their success--which in turn, transforms whole industries, economies and society. Partner for clients’ success – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Acts as the client’s advocate within IBM. – Takes the time to explore the client’s needs and determines how IBM can add value before coming to conclusions or proposing solutions.

Foundation

– Constantly seeks new insights about clients that represent sources of opportunity for us and value for them.

– Focuses on identifying the right solutions to address each client’s specific needs. – Identifies the right standardized or customized solution to satisfy each client’s current or future needs.

– Invests in relationships by putting the interest of the client ahead of one’s own personal agenda.

Experienced

– Builds norms and expectations that all team members focus on delivering client value that enables their success

– Demonstrates an understanding of the client’s industry, markets, business model, challenges and strategy for winning.

– Establishes ways to routinely monitor clients, markets or technologies. – Finds ways to access and engage senior client leadership. – Helps others determine when to customize and when to standardize and simplify to best meet clients’ needs.

– Sees how IBM can connect with clients, their customers, vendors or partners in new and useful ways.

Expert

– Applies a broad and deep understanding of IBM's enterprise-wide capabilities. – Establishes strong relationships with key decision makers and other leaders at multiple levels within the client's organization, based on a willingness to think alongside them and the expertise to add value.

– Partners with the client to identify opportunities to add sustainable value and transform their industries.

6

Thought Leader

– Builds ongoing collegial relationships with key clients or client groups based on mutual strategic interests and has earned favored access at the most senior levels of the client organization.

– Develops means to build deep knowledge of clients’ industries and of IBM’s global capabilities within one’s organization.

– Embeds the norm of partnering and enables colleagues to partner with clients to transform their businesses and industries.

– Engages in open dialogue with clients that leads to solutions addressing the client’s immediate business problems and creates long-term value for both the client and IBM.

– Provides breakthrough insights that challenge clients’ current perceptions about their own business to increase their success.

Partner for clients’ success – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry

– Nurtures strong client relationships. – Takes the time to understand the client's situation and requirements before coming to conclusions or proposing solutions.

Foundation

– Identifies the right standardized or customized solution to satisfy the current or future needs of each client.

– Invests in relationships by putting the interest of the client ahead of own personal agenda.

– Seeks out new insights about clients that represent sources of opportunity for IBM and value for them.

Experienced – Acts as the client’s advocate within IBM. – Demonstrates an understanding of the client’s industry, markets, business model, challenges and strategy for winning.

– Establishes ways to routinely monitor clients, markets or technologies. – Helps others balance the use of customized and standardized solutions that add significant value to the client.

– Leverages IBM’s capability to connect clients, client’s customers and partners in new ways.

7

Expert – Applies a broad and deep understanding of IBM's enterprise-wide capabilities to partner with clients.

– Engages in open dialogue with clients that leads to solutions addressing the client’s immediate business problems and creates long-term value for both the client and IBM.

– Finds ways to access and engage senior client leadership. – Keeps people focused on creating a deep understanding of the client’s world. – Partners with the client to identify opportunities to add sustainable value and transform their industries.

Thought Leader – Builds ongoing relationships with key clients or client groups based on mutual strategic interests and has earned favored access at the most senior levels of the client organization.

– Influences others to adapt behaviors, norms and processes that strengthen partnerships with clients.

– Provides breakthrough insights that challenge clients’ current perceptions about their own business and increase their success.

– Strengthens organizational capabilities by establishing new approaches to deepen client and industry knowledge.

Partner for clients’ success – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5)

Entry

– Expresses the notion that accuracy and quality of one’s work and that of others across IBM is fundamental to IBM’s success and that of our clients.

– Nurtures strong client relationships. – Takes the time to understand the client's situation before coming to conclusions.

Foundation

– Invests in relationships by putting the interest of the client ahead of own personal agenda.

– Understands the client's requirements, engaging in open dialogue with clients that lead to solutions that address their immediate problems.

Experienced

– Constantly seeks out new insights about clients that represent sources of opportunity for us and value for them.

– Displays a high level of energy and motivation to produce work of the highest quality.

– Strengthens client relationships by showing enthusiasm for clients’ success.

Expert

8

– Customizes solutions to satisfy current and future needs of clients. – Develops new solutions that add significant value for the client.

Thought Leader

– Acts as the client’s advocate within IBM. – Demonstrates an understanding of the client’s industry, markets, business model, challenges and strategy for winning and keeps people focused on creating a deep understanding of the client’s world.

– Encourages others to focus on delivering client value that enables their success. – Establishes ways to routinely monitor clients, markets or technologies.

9

Collaborate globally IBMers are global professionals and global citizens--and must therefore be skilled at collaboration. We think and work shoulder-to-shoulder with others--across the boundaries of teams, disciplines, organizations, countries and cultures--to achieve the right outcome. As the human dimension of a globally integrated enterprise, we build our own networks of experts--and we encourage our colleagues to use the collective intelligence of their network not just to get work done, but to identify what needs to be done and to take collective action. We see our networks of global citizens not just as collections of individuals, but as a collective leadership force creating the full promise of IBM to transform the marketplace, society and the world. Collaborate globally – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Consolidates perspectives of others to create a collective understanding, translating intent into a series of coordinated and integrated actions.

– Identifies and connects to key individuals to take collective action to further a goal that reaches beyond one’s own organization.

– Works well with people whose background, culture, and work style differ from one’s own.

Foundation

– Demonstrates a curiosity about other cultures and disciplines. – Explores own and others’ assumptions and remains open to being influenced with the goal of achieving a common understanding and mutual learning.

– Expresses a need for all to take responsibility to identify and pursue cross-unit/boundary goals.

Experienced

– Builds a cross-unit /boundary/discipline guiding coalition for change. – Contributes to the group’s collective knowledge by sharing perspectives or expertise.

– Leverages an informal network of influential people to achieve common goals. – Shares not only personal point of view but uncertainties, questions, aspirations and possibilities in an attempt to further one’s own and others’ thinking.

– Shifts group members from trying to achieve their ends, to assuming leadership responsibilities for determining and accomplishing the common good.

– Takes the initiative to organize others, beyond one’s own group to achieve a common goal.

10

Expert

– Builds an organizational climate in which all see seeking out knowledge of economic, political and cultural facts, and perspectives from colleagues, clients, and partners in other geos as the way do business.

– Continuously and consistently pays attention to possibilities and engages others in determining not only what can be done but what should be done.

– Overcomes obstacles (e.g., cultural difference, metrics, etc.) to collaboration. – Sets the expectation that debates or disagreements will result in optimum solutions, rather than a winner and a loser.

Thought Leader

– Collaborates and builds consensus with leaders from across the enterprise to create innovative business solutions or models that result in cross-organizational success.

– Creates an organizational climate in which members assume responsibility for the process of inquiry and collaboration as well as the outcome.

– Evaluates one’s effectiveness as a leader based on how well people work together, discover, and create rather than solely on one’s ability provide a grand vision or innovative answers and solutions.

– Promotes a selfless and socially responsible agenda across boundaries and builds a shared commitment to creating the full promise of IBM to transform the marketplace, society, and the world.

Collaborate globally – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry – Builds effective internal and external networks by identifying and connecting to key individuals.

– Shares contacts to help others expand their networks. – Strives to understand the culture of the people with whom one works. Foundation – Creates a network of colleagues with diverse capabilities and expertise. – Fosters collaboration within one's team and with other IBM teams, adopting new technologies or techniques to facilitate group interactions.

– Looks for opportunities to collaborate across the global IBM, engaging others in brainstorming activities to share and collectively shape ideas.

– Works well with people whose background, culture, language, or work style is different than one's own.

11

Experienced – Adapts to fill leader and contributor roles depending on the needs of the group. – Creates a network of key influencers to achieve objectives. – Creates cross-boundary coalitions that unite around a common goal by developing a collective understanding and reconciling conflicting interests or objectives.

– Establishes clear expectations for cooperative behavior among team members. – Grows one's professional network by participating in internal and external groups. Expert – Leverages an informal network of influential people to achieve goals. – Moves colleagues from dialogue to actions. – Overcomes obstacles to collaboration such as organizational measurements, cultural or work unit differences.

– Sets the expectation that debates will result in optimum solutions, rather than a winner and a loser.

Thought Leader – Collaborates and builds consensus with leaders from across the enterprise to create innovative business solutions or models that result in cross-organizational success.

– Evaluates one’s effectiveness based on how well people work together, discover, and create rather than on one’s ability to provide a grand vision or innovative answers and solutions.

– Motivates members of cross-boundary teams to invest in and commit to each others’ success, resolving business conflicts and facilitating collaboration among teams.

Collaborate globally – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1 - 5) Entry

– Demonstrates cooperative behavior when working with team members. – Shares contacts with others.

Foundation

– Builds effective internal networks of colleagues with diverse capabilities and expertise.

– Engages others in brainstorming activities to boost idea generation. – Strives to understand the culture of the people with whom one works and demonstrates respect and appreciation of other cultures and disciplines.

12

Experienced

– Consolidates perspectives of others to create a collective understanding. – Identifies and connects to key individuals to achieve the desired outcome. – Works well with people whose background, culture, language, or work style is different than one's own.

Expert

– Contributes to the group’s collective knowledge by sharing perspectives or expertise.

– Fosters collaboration within one's team and with other IBM teams, adopting new technologies or techniques to facilitate group interactions.

– Participates in internal and external groups (e.g. committees, boards, conferences) to actively grow one’s professional network.

Thought Leader

– Adapts to fill leader or contributor roles depending on the needs of the group. – Creates a supporting network of key influencers to pursue objectives. – Establishes clear expectations for cooperative behavior among team members, reconciles conflicting interests or objectives in pursuit of team goals, and motivates team members to invest in and commit to the extended team’s success.

– Helps other individuals develop their network. – Shares not only personal point of view but uncertainties, questions, aspirations and possibilities in an attempt to further one’s own and others’ thinking.

13

Act with a systemic perspective IBMers are systems thinkers. We help our clients, our colleagues and the world understand and design the essential dimensions of any system – how it senses, maps and analyzes information, detects underlying patterns, and translates that knowledge into belief and action. We help others see this end-to-end view, synthesizing information from many dimensions – whether the system in question is technological, economic, societal, cultural or natural. This systemic view allows us to frame problems properly, and to take the right action in the right way at the right time. It also lets us anticipate the impact of our actions on others. Knowing all this, we act wisely while boldly taking the right risks. Act with a systemic perspective – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D - AA) Entry

– Acts with a sense of urgency. – Asks questions to understand what is behind others' point of view. – Identifies and defines problems in a timely manner and gathers relevant information needed to solve them.

– Prioritizes work demands by focusing on what is important. – Strives to identify root causes of problems.

Foundation

– Analyzes the situation with the team to identify next steps. – Anticipates the impact of one’s actions on others and makes decisions with the speed and urgency required.

– Makes effective use of business analytics to make timely and wise decisions. – Separates facts from emotions to better understand the problem and find a solution.

Experienced

– Considers the implications of own and organizational actions on other areas of IBM and the client, and adjusts approaches to optimize solutions.

– Identifies causes and relationships not immediately evident to others. Expert

– Acts boldly and takes the right risks. – Anticipates the impact of actions on other parts of IBM, on clients, on partners and on society at large.

– Helps others see end-to-end views and discover broader and deeper patterns that underlie them.

– Makes timely decisions by integrating the facts with intuition and acquired expertise.

14

Thought Leader

– “Connects the dots” between seemingly disparate issues and generates innovative strategic insights resulting in a revolutionary and compelling vision for the future.

– Demonstrates an understanding of how large systems work -- companies, industries, cities, and economies--and designs solutions to make them work more effectively.

– Establishes an organizational norm that encourages members to act boldly and take the right risks in service of our clients and growing IBM.

– Synthesizes information from many dimensions--technological, economic, societal and human.

Act with a systemic perspective - Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry – Asks questions to understand what is behind others' point of view. – Gathers relevant information needed to solve problems in a timely manner. – Solicits input from others to test the validity of new ideas. Foundation – Anticipates the impact of one's own actions and decisions on others. – Identifies and defines problems in a timely manner and makes decisions with the speed and urgency required.

– Separates facts from emotions to better understand the problem and find a solution.

Experienced – Acts decisively even when complete information is not available and takes calculated risks by considering potential losses and gains.

– Builds a broad perspective from multiple sources of data and involves the team to analyze the situation and identify next steps.

– Uses root cause analysis and business analytics to better understand the problem or situation when making decisions.

Expert – Finds solutions to problems that others have not been able to solve. – Helps others to separate facts from emotions in making decisions. – Integrates facts with intuition and experience to make timely decisions. – Makes decisions that meet the needs of both immediate business issues and long-term strategy.

15

Thought Leader – Encourages people to leverage diverse sources of information in making strategic decisions.

– Encourages risk-taking by supporting others during set backs and challenges. – Helps others develop a systemic view to make more strategic decisions that consider the broader implications for people, organizations, clients and society.

Act with a systemic perspective – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Gathers relevant information needed to solve problems in a timely manner. – Responds to requirements with a sense of urgency.

Foundation

– Asks questions to understand what is behind others' point of view. – Prioritizes work demands by focusing on what is important. – Separates facts from emotions to better understand the problem and find a solution.

– Solicits input from others to test the validity of new ideas. Experienced

– Identifies and defines problems in a timely manner. – Makes decisions with the speed and urgency required.

Expert

– Analyzes the situation with the team to identify next steps. – Anticipates the impact of one's own actions and decisions on others. – Helps others separate facts from emotions in making decisions.

Thought Leader

– Acts decisively even when complete information is not available. – Finds solutions to problems others have not yet been able to solve. – Strives to identify root causes of problems. – Uses multiple sources of data and business analytics to build a broad perspective and make sound decisions.

16

Build mutual trust IBM’s business model requires getting different constituents to work together to solve problems and open up opportunity--be that inside IBM, among organizations, within our clients, or in the case of world-changing work, with many communities. IBMers are skilled at building “360 degrees of trust” across this full spectrum of IBM’s constituents--finding common ground for those with different objectives, aspirations, constraints and cultures. We build these kinds of relationships by acting with integrity, assuming positive intent and ensuring that openness and trust are maintained--even when agreement is not achieved. We trust in the skills of others--that they know what to do and how to do it, and are motivated to achieve the result. And if we see trust eroding, we take accountability to remedy that quickly. Build mutual trust – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Acts with integrity and behaves in ways that are consistent with IBM values. – Assumes others have positive intent and focuses on resolving problems rather than finding someone to blame.

– Communicates openly and honestly with others. – Holds self and others accountable to follow through on commitments from beginning to end.

Foundation

– Admits when lacking knowledge or answers and accepts responsibility for one’s mistakes and works to correct them.

– Develops an appreciation of others, their strengths, weaknesses, and potential and shows enthusiasm for their success

– Promotes good relationships with colleagues from other organizations and cultural backgrounds by seeking to understand others’ points of view and interests.

Experienced

– Fosters mutual trust among all organizational members by engaging team in teambuilding activities and creating opportunities for them to get to know each other, even when members are spread across the globe.

– Seeks occasions to provide positive feedback, acknowledges success and recognizes what went right.

– Speaks up to do what is right and inspires others through example. – Trusts that others have the skill and capacity to follow through on commitments.

17

Expert

– Acts as a role model for IBM’s values and demonstrates personal conviction in a way that inspires others to do the same.

– Analyzes own organization and client relationships to identify impediments to trust and strives to address them.

– Creates an organization in which all members hold themselves and others accountable and take the initiative to address shortcomings.

– Creates “360 degrees” of trust by looking beyond integrity issues to factors such as confidence in each others’ skills, motivation, etc.

– Ensures team members know their roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities and that client expectations are set properly so that IBM can deliver solutions that maximize their success.

Thought Leader

– Creates an enterprise-wide culture grounded in IBMers’ values, in which IBMers, our clients and communities worldwide support and encourage each others’ success.

– Creates an organization in which all members have a well-grounded trust in each others’ integrity, skills, and motivation to achieve shared goals.

– Enables the creation of organizational/corporate values, norms, processes, communications and management systems in the work environment that inspire employees and are admired by our clients and society–builds not just a reputation but constituency.

Build Mutual Trust – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry – Acts with integrity and follows through on commitments from beginning to end. – Appreciates the importance of trust in all relationships, demonstrating respect for others and assuming others have positive intentions.

– Behaves in ways that are consistent with IBM values. – Communicates openly and honestly with others and responds to issues or questions in a timely manner.

– Focuses on resolving problems rather than finding someone to blame. Foundation – Admits when lacking knowledge or answers. – Avoids over committing self and others and is willing to make the same sacrifices asked of others.

– Respects the organizational or cultural norms and values of others. – Shows enthusiasm for the success of others.

18

Experienced – Accepts responsibility for one’s own mistakes and works to correct them. – Creates opportunities for team members to get to know each other, even if team members work remotely.

– Speaks up to do what is right. – Trusts others have the skill and capability to follow through on commitments. Expert – Strengthens team, organization and client relationships by removing impediments to trust, inspiring others through example to do the same.

Thought Leader – Creates an organization characterized by trust and integrity, where everyone feels accountable for the success of the organization.

– Embodies all IBM values and demonstrates personal conviction in a way that inspires others to do the same.

Build mutual trust – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Acts with integrity and behaves in ways that are consistent with IBM values. – Appreciates the importance of trust in all relationships, demonstrating respect for others and assuming others have positive intentions.

– Communicates openly and honestly with others and responds to issues or questions in a timely manner.

– Focuses on resolving problems rather than finding someone to blame. – Follows through on commitments from beginning to end.

Foundation

– Admits when lacking knowledge or answers. – Respects the organizational or cultural norms and values of others.

Experienced

– Accepts responsibility for one’s own mistakes and works to correct them. – Avoids over committing self and others. – Speaks up to do what is right.

Expert

– Seeks out occasions to provide balanced feedback by focusing on both what went well and what could be improved.

– Shows enthusiasm for the success of others. – Trusts others have the skill and capability to follow through on commitments.

19

Thought Leader

– Creates opportunities for team members to get to know each other, even if team members work remotely.

– Embodies IBM values and demonstrates personal conviction in a way that inspires others to do the same.

– Encourages others to do what is right. – Makes the same sacrifices asked of others. – Provides encouragement and support to enable team success.

20

Influence through expertise IBM’s value proposition and business model are grounded in delivering expertise. So we continually deepen our own and our colleagues’ knowledge and eminence--as professionals, as collaborators, as leaders, as fully realized IBMers. We develop our skills and careers through feedback, coaching, mentoring and challenging assignments--within IBM and in the communities where we and our clients live and work. And we take personal responsibility for developing IBM’s thought leadership, both inside and outside our organizations. Influence through expertise – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Deepens one’s expertise through self-study or research. – Sets the example by continually seeking developmental assignments and projects.

Foundation

– Coaches employees to step out of their comfort zone to reach their highest potential.

– Commits time to develop self and team through self-study and sharing information, articles and insights.

– Encourages others to keep focus on their long-term career objectives. – Finds opportunities to share expertise with others both inside and outside of IBM.

Experienced

– Builds organizational capability by identifying skill gaps and providing timely performance feedback.

– Develops a community of experts that extends beyond the immediate team. – Identifies challenging assignments for employee growth. – Leverages expertise to identify and bring new perspectives to critical issues and seizes spontaneous opportunities to create teachable moments.

– Mentors and coaches others across the organization. Expert

– Advances high-potential employees’ careers by gaining them visibility to senior managers/executives.

– Advances the IBM brand and one’s own expertise and influence by outreach such as speaking at conferences, publishing in scientific or trade journals and taking leadership in professional associations. Supports others to do the same.

– Focuses on identifying and developing tomorrow's leaders. – Moves talent to other parts of the organization for employees' or IBM's growth. – Sets an expectation within the organization that all members foster mutual development.

21

Thought Leader

– Enables high potential employees to demonstrate their expertise by gaining them visibility to senior managers/executives/external community.

– Establishes a system for routinely moving talent across the enterprise, taking into consideration, developmental needs and time in current assignment.

– Establishes broad initiatives to support coaching and mentoring. – Leverages deep expertise to frame critical issues in a new way and promotes dialogue throughout the organization that provokes deeper thinking that spurs innovation.

Influence through expertise – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry – Develops one's own capabilities and career by staying current in functional/technical areas of responsibility, seeking challenging opportunities or assignments and establishing relationships with mentors.

– Provides others with information, opportunities or resources to develop their skills. Foundation

– Finds opportunities to share expertise with others both inside and outside of IBM. – Meets regularly with individuals to support their development. – Understands own strengths and weaknesses, and what it takes to drive personal growth.

Experienced

– Builds organizational capability by identifying skill gaps and supporting individual development as well as seizing spontaneous opportunities to create teachable moments.

– Coaches others to step out of their comfort zone to reach their highest potential. – Develops others by matching them with appropriate mentors or role models. – Encourages others to maintain focus on long-term career objectives, providing development opportunities such as job rotations, cross-functional or challenging assignments.

Expert

– Advances the IBM brand by supporting participation in conferences or professional associations.

– Focuses on identifying and developing tomorrow's leaders. – Helps others advance their career by finding opportunities to make them visible to a broader audience.

– Mentors or coaches others across the organization. – Structures work in a way that develops the capability of the group in addition to completing the immediate task.

Thought Leader

22

– Establishes broad initiatives to support coaching and mentoring. – Moves talent to other parts of the organization for employees' or IBM's growth. – Sets an expectation within the organization that all members foster mutual development.

Influence through expertise – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Establishes relationships with mentors for one’s own development. – Stays current in functional /technical areas of responsibility.

Foundation

– Meets regularly with managers or mentors to support one’s own development. – Seeks challenging opportunities or assignments to grow and develop one's own capabilities.

– Understands own strengths and weaknesses, and what it takes to drive personal growth.

Experienced

– Provides others with information, opportunities or resources to develop their skills. – Provides timely feedback.

Expert

– Coaches others to step out of their comfort zone to reach their highest potential. – Mentors and coaches others.

Thought Leader

– Encourages others to keep focus on their long-term career objectives. – Finds opportunities to share expertise with others both inside and outside of IBM. – Seizes spontaneous opportunities to create teachable moments. – Structures work in a way that develops the capability of the group in addition to completing the immediate task.

23

Continuously transform IBMers are committed to building the future--a better world, and a better IBM. This is what IBM has done for 100 years. Our intellectual curiosity and spirit of restless reinvention, animated by a belief in reason, in science and in progress, infuses the enterprise with energy. Today, in a world where the future is far less predictable, IBMers actively seek what we do not know and haven’t yet imagined. We cultivate an environment of openness to new approaches and experimentation. We rethink assumptions and ask probing questions–to grasp new situations, unearth opportunities and create new markets. We engage others whose background, culture, language or work style is different from our own. This is the heart of an IBM that can learn, adapt and continuously transform. Continuously transform – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Accepts feedback non-defensively, asking questions and seeking feedback to learn from others at all levels of the organization.

– Accepts the change and ambiguity of the world today. Foundation

– Generates new ideas; is not constrained by traditional thinking or procedures. – Grasps the essence of new patterns and situations and quickly learns new systems, procedures and tools in response to changes in the work environment.

– Learns from the success and failures of others and oneself to make better decisions.

– Monitors trends in the external environment for changes that may affect one’s own work or organization, analyzes situations through different perspectives, and acquires knowledge needed to resolve ambiguity.

Experienced

– Able to see patterns of complex inter-relationships, rather than just linear cause and effect.

– Actively engages diverse stakeholders and organizational members, influencing and learning from them at the same time.

– Confronts ambiguity and uncertainty with a willingness to rethink assumptions, adopting new approaches and solutions in response to changing demands.

– Creates an environment of openness to new ideas and approaches, identifying opportunities for innovation and implementing creative ideas that result in business improvement.

– Helps others identify the proper course of action in ambiguous and uncertain situations.

– Is able to turn a personal experience of disequilibrium into a new understanding and perspective, and adjust behavior as appropriate.

– Undertakes opportunities outside one’s area of expertise to broaden capabilities.

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Expert

– Creates a climate that is prepared to accept some unpleasant truths and makes the distinction between mistakes that are the result of irresponsibility and those from a genuine exploration of a new idea or way of working.

– Helps others deal with ambiguity and to see it as an opportunity to change the way they do business.

– Helps others examine situations from multiple perspectives and expands the boundaries of organizational thinking by modeling intellectual curiosity and deep expertise.

– Promotes innovation by challenging the status quo, engaging both self and others in examining the assumptions under which work gets done and involving team/ organization in experimentation and rapid prototyping.

Thought Leader

– Creates agile teams that can anticipate the impact of changes in markets, politics and culture on IBM and its clients.

– Creates learning organizations that continuously transform themselves. – Drives organizational culture that is based on IBM’s history but is able to transcend it in response to changes in the world.

– Infuses the organization with intellectual energy. Continuously transform – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry

– Accepts feedback non-defensively. – Accepts the change and ambiguity that exists in a global environment. – Asks questions and seeks feedback to learn from others at all levels of the organization.

– Looks for more effective ways to achieve objectives. Foundation

– Acquires knowledge needed to resolve ambiguity. – Analyzes situations through different perspectives. – Generates new ideas not constrained by traditional thinking or procedures. – Learns from the success and failures of others and self to make better decisions. – Monitors trends in the external environment for changes that may affect own work and organization.

Experienced – Confronts ambiguity and uncertainty with a willingness to rethink assumptions, adopting new approaches and solutions in response to changing demands.

– Implements innovative ideas to drive business growth, encouraging others to be creative on the job.

– Learns new systems, procedures, and tools quickly in response to changes in work environment.

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Expert

– Anticipates the impact of change in markets, politics and culture on IBM and its clients.

– Enables others to develop different perspectives by challenging their assumptions or biases.


– Promotes innovation by challenging the status quo and identifying opportunities in changing environments.

Thought Leader

– Expands the boundaries of organizational thinking by creating an environment of openness to new ideas and by modeling intellectual curiosity and deep expertise.

– Helps others deal with ambiguity and to see it as an opportunity to change the way they do business.

Continuously transform – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Accepts feedback non-defensively. – Accepts the change and ambiguity that exists in a global environment. – Asks questions and seeks feedback to learn from others at all level of the organization.

Foundation

– Acquires knowledge needed to resolve ambiguity. – Learns from the success and failures of others and self to make better decisions. – Learns new systems, procedures, and tools quickly in response to changes in work environment.

Experienced

– Adopts new approaches and solutions in response to changing demands. – Analyzes situations through different perspectives. – Looks for more effective ways to achieve objectives. – Seeks challenging opportunities or assignments to grow and develop one's own capabilities.

Expert

– Confronts ambiguity and uncertainty with a willingness to rethink assumptions. – Generates new ideas not constrained by traditional thinking or procedures.

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Thought Leader

– Creates an environment of openness to new ideas and approaches and encourages others to be creative on the job.


– Promotes innovation by challenging the status quo.

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Communicate for impact IBMers communicate to find mutual understanding and to build a sense of shared outcomes. That starts with listening; we ensure people’s ideas and concerns are heard. We bring deep expertise and perspective, which are the ingredients to communicating clearly and simply, especially in complex situations. We interpret and synthesize disparate concepts, strategies and intent. We leverage our understanding of others’ perspectives--the ones they can express, and the ones they cannot yet--to tailor what we say and how we say it. We communicate authentically, in a timely way and in the most effective manner--even when conveying difficult topics or an unpopular opinion. Communicate for impact – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D-AA) Entry

– Asks questions to ensure two-way understanding. – Communicates effectively by attending to the audience – sharing only relevant information and using terminology and concepts that they understand.

– Shares information that directly affects others and helps them make effective decisions.

Foundation

– Encourages others to be forthright without fear of negative repercussions. – Is able to interpret and synthesize disparate information and clearly communicate concepts, strategies, priorities and intent.

– Takes time to listen actively and appreciate other viewpoints, and ensures others know they have been heard by acknowledging their point of view.

– Varies communication approaches depending on the message and audience and uses a variety of formal and informal means to communicate and gain information.

Experienced

– Appreciates that most of what one communicates is non-verbal, paying attention to one’s tone and demeanor.

– Balances advocacy with inquiry, which helps one deal with issues that are complex or beyond one’s personal experiences.

– Engages listeners by tailoring the message based on an understanding of others’ perspectives and cultures.

– Views solutions to client problems through the eyes of the client.

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Expert

– Chooses a few powerful and consistent messages which one repeats in different settings and by multiple means.

– Communicates regularly with management, peers, employees and clients to gain an understanding of the “big picture,” and to share a broad perspective on unfolding events.

– Creates an organizational climate in which all members hold themselves accountable for gaining mutual understanding and fostering increased commitment.

– Persuades effectively, by voicing one’s own assumptions and seeking to identify what evidence supports other points of view, thus quickly addressing misunderstandings, gaining consensus and deepening commitment.

Thought Leader

– Communicates clearly and simply in complex situations enabling all to understand.

– Communicates not just to dictate or persuade, but to educate and to learn. – Communicates with strategic thoughtfulness and rigor – developing and executing communications plans to approach specific target audiences, determining what media to use, checking to see how the message is received and understood, and adjusting as necessary.

– Creates an organization characterized by effective communication through all levels of the global enterprise and beyond.

– Demonstrates an understanding of symbolic communication--that one’s words, decisions, and actions have meanings beyond the immediate consequences. Uses one’s position and eminence to represent the enterprise, its goals and its values effectively to employees, clients and the external world.

– Inspires employees, partners, clients and communities to stretch themselves in making the world work better.

Communicate for impact – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10)

Entry – Asks questions to ensure two-way understanding. – Communicates effectively by attending to the audience- sharing only relevant information and using terminology and concepts that they understand.

– Shares information that directly affects others in a timely manner, enabling them to make effective decisions.

Foundation – Communicates with management, peers, employees, and clients on a regular basis.

– Displays tact and candor, even in difficult situations. – Takes time to listen actively and appreciate other view points, managing own personal biases and assumptions.

– Varies communication approaches depending on the message and audience, adjusting the nuances of the message based on verbal and non-verbal feedback.

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Experienced – Ensures others feel heard by acknowledging their point of view. – Leverages awareness of one’s own perspectives and cultural norms when communicating with globally diverse audiences.

– Monitors tone and demeanor to reflect the message being communicated. – Persuades others through compelling and reasoned arguments.

Expert – Creates meaningful messages through the use of stories or anecdotes that resonate with the audience.

– Demonstrates understanding of unstated intentions behind verbal and nonverbal communication.

– Engages listeners by tailoring the message based on an understanding of the others’ perspectives and cultures.

– Reconciles disparate information to create a holistic message.

Thought Leader – Communicates a clear and consistent vision which captures the commitment of others.

– Encourages everyone to voice their opinions to all levels of the organization without fear of negative repercussions.

– Helps others develop messages that address the needs and values of the audience.

– Translates complex information into a simple and impactful message.

Communicate for impact – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Asks questions to ensure a two-way understanding. – Uses standard communication approaches that have proven to be effective.

Foundation

– Regularly communicates with management, peers, employees and clients, varying communication approaches for the message and audience.

– Shares information that affects others. – Takes the time to listen actively and appreciate other view points, even when they differ from one's own.

Experienced

– Displays tact and candor, even in difficult situations. – Ensures others feel heard by acknowledging their point of view. – Persuades others through compelling and reasoned arguments and adjusts the nuances of the message based on audience interaction.

– Shares information to help others make effective decisions.

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Expert

– Communicates effectively by attending to the audience—sharing only relevant information and using terminology and concepts that they understand.

– Demonstrates understanding of unstated intentions behind verbal and nonverbal communication.

– Leverages awareness of one’s own perspectives and cultural norms when communicating with globally diverse audiences.

Thought Leader

– Creates meaningful messages through the use of stories or anecdotes that resonate with the audience and engages listeners by tailoring the message based on an understanding of others’ perspectives and cultures.

– Is able to interpret and synthesize disparate information and clearly communicate concepts, strategies, priorities, and intent.

– Shares relevant information in a timely and efficient manner, even when representing an unpopular opinion.

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Help IBMers succeed The IBM brand is about IBMers, and how we show up in the world--not just client-facing IBMers, but all of us. So we each strive to bring our best selves to our work. And we are in the service of the success of others--ensuring they have resources, ongoing support and clear milestones. We take the time to share insights and discuss the challenge in front of us. We anticipate and remove obstacles and prevailing practices that are holding people back. We acknowledge others’ contributions, champion their ideas, and help each IBMer find his or her own motivation. We create an environment in which our colleagues feel a sense of purpose and engagement, and which draws on their own strong desire to act. Help IBMers succeed – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands D - AA) Entry

– Creates a sense of pride and belonging among team members. – Keeps people informed about work priorities, establishes clear expectations and goals, and sets milestones to help achieve them.

– Recognizes individual contributions and celebrates team successes publicly. – Supports team by being actively involved with the work.

Foundation

– Ensures from the outset that people have the necessary resources to be successful, anticipates the challenges they may encounter, and acts to mitigate or remove them.

– Motivates team by providing the business rationale for assigned tasks and ensures others see how they have directly contributed to organizational outcomes.

– Sets standards that challenge employees to deliver high performance and confronts poor performance immediately.

Experienced

– Monitors and attends to what is important—and does these in a positive manner. – Shields the team from structures or processes that interfere with performance. – Taps into peoples’ intrinsic motivations by considering their needs, preferences, and goals.

Expert

– Champions others’ good ideas to ensure they are considered by decision makers and creates an organizational climate in which colleagues show an interest in what others are doing and demonstrate an appreciation for their contributions.

– Creates innovative systems and tools that provide people the necessary information to help clients succeed, enabling the IBMers to make the difference and be IBM’s competitive advantage.

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– Ensures people know why they have been given specific responsibilities—what strengths they bring and what they are expected to learn.

– Establishes policies and procedures that allow employees to make known the challenges they are facing and obtain appropriate support.

– Prioritizes multiple expectations in terms of strategic direction, providing focus and clarity for teams and organization.

Thought Leader

– Creates a climate of continuous improvement, where all are expected to take steps to identify and proactively remove obstacles to performance, regardless of position or band level.

– Creates systems that enable all to be routinely considered for increased responsibilities.

– Discerns marketplace trends ahead of others and provides those insights to give IBM a competitive advantage.

– Instills a norm that all organizational members are vigilant to others’ need for assistance and support, and are quick to offer it and facilitate success.

– Provides guidelines that emphasize the purpose and intent so, when necessary, individuals and teams can make judgments and take self-directed actions to adapt and achieve the intended goals.

Help IBMers succeed – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 6-10) Entry – Ensures people know their contributions are valued by recognizing individual and team performance and celebrating team success.

– Provides clarity about individuals' roles, responsibilities, and work priorities, establishing clear expectations and goals.

– Supports the team by following up to ensure everyone has what they need to be successful and by actively contributing to the work when required.

Foundation – Aligns operational goals with IBM's strategy and sets clear milestones to help achieve those goals.

– Confronts problems or poor performance immediately and helps others work through and learn from shortcomings or mistakes.

– Ensures from the outset that people have the necessary resources to be successful.

– Ensures others see how they have directly contributed to team objectives. – Sets standards that challenge others to deliver high performance.

Experienced – Creates a sense of pride and belonging among team members. – Implements creative ways to recognize people's success. – Motivates the team by providing the business rationale for assigned tasks and communicates a clear vision, especially in times of uncertainty.

– Shields the team from structures or processes that interfere with performance.

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– Supports team members in integrating work and personal responsibilities.

Expert – Acts as the team's advocate by championing their ideas to decision makers and securing recognition by senior management for team or individual successes.

– Ensures people know why they have been given specific responsibilities — what strengths they bring and what they are expected to learn.

– Helps team members fit in what they want to do at work with the organization's goals.

– Makes sure team members understand how their work contributes to IBM's strategy.

– Works with others to change systems and processes that interfere with performance.

Thought Leader – Creates an environment where everyone is expected to anticipate and resolve performance obstacles or issues, offering help when others need assistance or support.

– Motivates people by leveraging their interest and capabilities across organization boundaries.

Help IBMers succeed – Detailed Behavioral Descriptions (Bands 1-5) Entry

– Celebrates team successes publicly. – Helps the team by offering assistance and support. – Keeps people informed about work priorities. – Secures the resources required to be successful.

Foundation

– Ensures people know their contributions are valued. – Provides clarity about individuals' roles and responsibilities.

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Experienced

– Creates a sense of pride and belonging among team members. – Helps people work through and learn from their mistakes. – Sets clear milestones to help achieve end goals. – Sets standards that challenge others to deliver high performance and implements creative ways to recognize people’s success.

– Supports team members in integrating work and personal responsibilities and follows up to ensure that people have what they need to succeed.

Expert

– Confronts poor performance immediately. – Ensures from the outset that people have the necessary resources to be successful and resolves potential obstacles or problems before they impact performance.

– Establishes clear expectations and goals. – Motivates others by considering their needs, preferences, and goals.

Thought Leader

– Champions others’ good ideas to ensure they get considered by decision makers. – Creates an environment where people are vigilant about others’ needs for assistance and support, and are quick to offer help.

– Encourages others to seek out challenging business opportunities and ensures they know why they have been given specific responsibilities—what strengths they bring and what they are expected to learn.

– Encourages risk-taking by supporting others during set backs and challenges. – Works with others to change systems and processes that interfere with performance.