Good relationships
purge a knowledge-creation process of distrust, fear, and dissatisfaction, and
allow organizational members to feel safe enough to explore the unknown
territories of new markets, new customers, new products, and new manufacturing
technologies.[1]
In my last paper, I interviewed someone who worked with technology in the school system. For my second interview, I decided to go outside of the school environment. I wanted a business’s point of view of technology. So, I went to the Intel Corporation located in Riverton, Utah. There I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Bagley.
Jason Bagley is the Community Relations Manger for Intel in Utah. He is in charge of handling all of the public affairs within the state of Utah. This includes government relations, community relations, media affairs relations and the management of Intel’s Education Program. Intel works with and supports school districts, municipalities, legislators and the governor’s office.
The development of technology is very important to Intel. Technology is a tool that will help us in the advancement of mankind. In order for technology to have a productive effect, there must be a change in curriculum and teaching styles. While this change is in progress, technological support and education on the change must be present. Granted it will be a slow process. “Effective leaders have the right kind of sensitivity to implementation. They know that change is a process, not an event.”[2] Intel believes that in order for change to occur good relationships must be established.
Intel is very proactive in the support of Educational Initiatives. They invest a lot of time, energy, money and resources into education. In the same manner, they consider education as an extra curricular investment. They realize that the investment in education is a crucial part of their future success. Intel works with the school districts to provide them with support that they may need. They have established the Intel Innovation In Education Initiative. This program involves a global effort to try to drive change in education. Jason stated that reading is an important concept in the education curriculum. Math, Science and Engineering are also equally as important to the education curriculum. Intel would like to see more emphasize placed on these areas of the curriculum.
The Intel Innovation In Education Initiative is set up to promote several things. The first one is to broaden access to technology for people in general. The second is to help teachers better integrate technology into their already existing curriculum. This particular process will help enhance the students learning abilities, provide more self-guided learning and make available more educational resources for the students. The third thing this initiative will provide is the expansion and improvement in education. The areas that will be affected by this are Math, Science and Engineering. Each of these areas involves technology. This initiative will also focus on getting more women and minorities involved technological careers.
Intel has established a number of programs to help meet these three goals. The first one is Teach To The Future. This is a worldwide effort to promote professional development. This program was designed for educators to help them develop a better understanding of technology. The goal is to have the teacher feel comfortable with technology. Once this is accomplished then the teacher will be more inclined to integrate technology into their daily curriculum. Intel has already trained more than 4000 teachers under this program in the state of Utah. Their goal is to educate 4,800 teachers statewide. On a worldwide basis, they are very close to reaching their one million teachers trained goal. They hope to accomplish this goal by the end of this year. “Leadership, if it is to be effective, has to have an explicit making-a–difference sense of purpose. Leadership needs to be ultimately assessed by the extent to which it awakens people’s intrinsic commitment.”[3] Intel could not have accomplished this goal without the dedication, collaboration and cooperation of its employees.
The second program that Intel has is the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This is the preeminent science and engineering fair in the world. This is a weeklong yearly competion. The participants are winners from the regional science fairs in Utah, other regional science fairs around the country and regional science fairs around the world. The types of science projects that are entered into this fair are remarkable and very innovative. The participants are given a chance to interact with one another. This provides them with a chance to share ideas and make connections. Intel also brings in Noble Peace Prize Winners to come and spend time with the students.
They also bring in a team of teachers usually five in a group. They hold an Educators Academy. This academy is in relation to Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. They develop projects that are related to the grants in their districts. For example in the Jordan School District, there is the Middle Math and Science Initiative. This initiative involves buying equipment and cash for professional development. So the team that went last year and the team that is going this year are all tied into this initiative. On a local level, Intel works with the Utah Education Network. The Utah Education Network has the grant to administer Intel Teach To the Future Of The State. Renae Willingson is the coordinator up at the University of Utah who manages this program. Her job entails attending conventions and connecting with the school districts in Utah. She helps school districts to see what is resources are available to them. The network helps select and train master teachers on the benefits of technology in the curriculum. The master teachers are responsible for training other teachers on the benefits of technology in the curriculum. They can accomplish this by conducting classes and workshops.
Intel also sponsors a student talent search. This involves seeking out the smartest high school students in science. The winners win tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship money to continue with education and provide professional opportunities. Intel has also set up a web site that contains a lot of web-based curriculum. They have a lot of other educational programs within the state of Utah set up to enhance the curriculum. They have scholarships set up to promote and encourage studies in engineering and science. Although most of their programs are geared toward the middle schools and high schools, they feel that using technology needs to begin on the bottom level. Elementary schools are where it really needs to begin. They realize teachers have a lot to teach in an eight-hour day. They would like to see technology used as an enhancement to the already established curriculum. Intel believes the investment they make in education will benefit their corporation in the future.
“Leaders must be consummate relationship builders with diverse people and groups-especially with people different than themselves.”[4] Jason stated that building relationships is a big part of his job. This is a challenging process. They build relationships by building coalitions. It is through the coalitions that they provide support, resources and collaborations on projects. Jason also spends an enomourous amount of time keeping his contacts informed about what Intel is doing. He helps them to understand what is going on in the Intel business. He is also helping the contacts understand the changes that the corporation is experiencing. He educates them and works with them to help them understand things from the Intel perceptive. This type of communication helps in developing a good working relationship. Sometimes, this perceptive is not agreed upon. This is part of a relationship. They may not agree with the idea, but at least they will understand it. Jason admits that there is a small amount of persuasion, but it is really knowing how to put the communication skills together to ensure that they understand. The ability to develop meaningful relationships is to be able to admit responsibility for one’s action. It is about developing trust. He never lies with anything in his relationships with the government, media, and with the community. He is very upfront and tries to do things in a way that builds a meaningful base of trust. “They must try to build good relationships (be affiliative even with those who may not trust them.”[5] This type of quality becomes very beneficial in the long run.
Jason sees himself as a situational leader. A leader needs to have the skills to understand what motivates a person, business or corporation. “ Leaders should have good ideas and present them well (authoritative element) while at the same time seeking and listening to doubters (aspects of democratic leadership)”[6] Jason states it is very important for a leader to identify how to speak, so that people will listen. Once the motivation is discovered then the communication can began. When the lines of communication are open then a working relationship can be established. There are times in the relationship when you are called upon to help others solve problems that they may have. He must help them because it will help strengthen the relationship between partners. A leader must know how to manage issues. They bring their skills with them to help manage an issue. This all goes back to identifying the motivation. It is like a big circle.
A leader must know how to communicate to various groups or persons. Everyone is treated differently because no two individuals are alike. A leader needs to be able to adjust and know what is important to the situation. A leader must know how to be calm when chaos is going on around them. According to Jason, an effective leader needs to have the ability to listen, the ability to act calmly and deliberately in situations. An effective leader thinks things through. They reason and consider a lot of different angles to a situation before a decision is made. A leader needs to be able to use the correct terminology in any given situation. This is part of getting to know your audience. An effective leader allows people to take ownership, gives input and acts as a guide.
Intel is a company that that leads. It is a company that is made of leaders and it producers leaders. Jason states that they are a top tiered world-class organization. The people who represent this company to the outside world have to be in this category. Intel goes through a rigorous selection process. It is very behavioral based. The company needs people that embody the same values as they do. A company will thrive if the people working for them believe in them. “Businesses are realizing more and more that having moral purpose is critical for sustainable success.”[7] Jason believes that you cannot be a leader without having moral purpose. Moral purpose is critical. “Moral purpose means acting with the intention of making a positive difference in the lives of employees, customers, and society as a whole.”[8] He would never work for a company who did not have the same values as he has in everyday life. He states that a leader has to ready to make decisions based on moral conviction. In today’s climate where there is so much uncertainty vacillating around, you will be so much more successful if you have a moral compass. This compass will dictate how you will interact with your customers, people you are trying to build relationships with, the people you interact with and organization within your business. This is one of the reasons why Intel was never caught up in the corporate scandals that have plagued corporations recently. Intel has operated in a moral way. He states Intel is not perfect, but they do have a moral purpose. A leader must know when to walk away and take responsibility for their actions. “Moral purpose is concerned with direction and results; understanding change, building relationships, and knowledge building honor the complexity and discovery of the journey; and coherence making extracts valuable patterns worth retaining.”[9]
I really enjoyed interviewing Jason Bagley. I was a little gun shy to do another interview because some lady in the Jordan School District yelled at me for even asking her for an interview.
Intel is a company with a lot of vision. They have a lot of educational programs set up to promote technology. Personally, I have never even heard of some of these programs. It was nice to see that they are actively involved in education. However, I do feel that education in technology needs to begin on the elementary school level. You need to establish a basis for the students to build upon. A lot of Intel’s involvement is in the Middle Schools and the High Schools. Intel’s focus is on Math, Science and Engineering. Jason stated that they would like to see more focus on these concepts. I agree that they are very important. On the other hand, I am thinking, “Here we go again! Another thing to change in our curriculum, when do I have time to teach it all?” It all sounds good on paper. However in reality, there needs to be provisions for time, proper training, technology support, hands on exploration time, resources and money to fund the necessary changes.
Fullan,
Michael. (2001). Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey –Bass: San Francisco.
Jackie Rubalcava
An Interview with Jason
Bagley
Community Relations Manager
[1] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
[4] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco
[5] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco
[6] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco
[7] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco
[8] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco
[9] Fullan, Michael. (2001) Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco