Thread regarding Intel Corp. layoffs

Totally agree, I was a manager managing over 25 employees before, in the past years, the focal process is quite time consuming but did stand by Intel core value. But today, focal process has serious issues, giving the fast growth of the companies and lack of rigid training to new managers and lack of re-enforcement on 360 and stakeholder feedbacks, many hard-working, employees who dare to have their own points or do constrcutive confrontation get penalized, HR truly has done a very poor job in withhodling Intel value and ensure management team are role modeling Intel value. Many of our execution problems is due to the lack of practice of Intel value, people now dare not to say things differnt from their upper management even they see it wrong as they do not get support nor recognized at all.

The root of Intel's problems are 2/3 cultural and 1/3 structural.

Believe me, as someone who was recruited to Intel as a senior external hire in late 2014 and ISV'd last week, it is Intel culture that rewards the navel gazing and politics that pervade the company and keep it from moving quickly (and rationally) to seize real world opportunities.

Unfortunately, a bad culture reinforces itself when managers favor people who [lay the game...and seek to get rid of those who don't. Giving people bad reviews requires documentation and improvement plans. Giving people SL-4 doesn't. Which is why the layoff criteria are just so stupid.

@ aim

We're saying the same thing. Determination of value is from the customer which is what I said. The only additional concept I used was the value chain that's necessary to link complex systems together.

Google it. Over the years 360 makes non confrontational politicians survive and over the multiple years upper management gets infected by promoted politicians. It is essentially either mobbing or popularity contest. Typical 360 feedback I heard and saw most of times is subjective or emotional and not tangible, while merit based feedback is tangible. Example of non tangible one is ".. is nice person" or ".. asked me to do task in the evening and I did not like that" vs tangible ".. is most technically competent and productive in the team by xxx bugs fixed or code or features implemented". Character is necessary as needed, but primary result comes from tangible merits which should central place in feedback. Microsoft had 360 and was following it more to the letter than Intel does and they changed it couple years back. Key reviewers and manager have to be technically competent and trained to properly judge, that is how it is done in majority of successful companies.

External threats are approaching while intel continues on with ever going reorganization and internal war.

@ tyl - you've been at Intel so long you don't know how to think out of the box. Take a look at Google, Valve, Netflix, disqus and Zappos. The whole team approach is the lastest trend in corporate culture. It's all about collaboration and competing with other teams instead of each other. The customer votes with their wallet. If they want your product they pay for it. That's how you know if the project is succeeding. The team lives and dies together so they learn to rely on each other.

@Hd0cKly-wly Could you be any more contradictory? Advocating 360's by the team is exactly what pitts employees against one another. 360's should only go to customers of the output delivered by the employee to their customers. That's the best way to understand the value of what that employee provides in the value chain to our external customers. It has to be connected that way or the feedback is useless.

OP is f---ing unbelievable with this nonsense.

"By the way, number of Intel managers told me when I brought up Intel Values card to them that ~2/3rds of those values are guaranteed to get you fired."

Stirring up total nonsense makes the rest of your post shrill and incredulous.

Why not get rid of all middle management and let focals be determined strictly by your 360 and your teammates. Meritocracy contribution is determined by your teammates. If you don't like your project, go find a new team but the team is responsible for hiring and firing. The team is responsible for winning and losing. No more pitting employees against each other.

Well said. Best post!

Please pass this to BK (brian.krzanich@intel.com)