Using a tool called the Technical Ladder, Texas Instruments is grooming technical leaders in the company who have the same career growth as their business counterparts. Not surprisingly, in the last three years, over 70% of 200 patents filed from TI India have been contributed by people on the tech ladder.

AT EVERY technology company, those in the technical role—engineers, science graduates and doctorates—have to make a difficult choice at some point in their careers. Should they stay focused on technology or should they move into a managerial role? A managerial role means more opportunities, both within and outside the company, faster promotions and better remuneration.

One company, Texas Instruments (TI), winner of the Great Place to Work survey in 2003 and 2004, seems to have found a solution to solve this dilemma. Through a tool called the Technical Ladder, TI provides a parallel growth track for its engineers who get recognised for their technical contributions and receive mentoring and support to grow into technical leadership roles. TI's technical ladder is not unique, others like Bell Labs, Intel and IBM offer similar career progressions, but it is the best implemented. In the last three years, over 70% of 200 patents filed from TI India have been contributed by people on the tech ladder.

As compared to a managerial role, where the employee has to worry about managing a team, possessing people management skills, resource planning and budgeting, engineers on the technical ladder devote most of their time to solving technical problems. “It’s like being a technology evangelist,” says Santosh Kumar, head-TI India Software Council and a senior member technical staff. “If it weren't for the technical ladder and the opportunities it brings to constantly solve new problems I would have left to work for a startup,” says Kumar. Recently a small team of engineers led by Kumar wrote a piece of software that improves the quality of sound in cinema theatres and helped his company earn several million dollars in revenues.

But even geeks at TI need to possess people management skills and are expected to work in teams. The difference is in the scale. While a manager typically has to work with 50-60 people, a person on the technical ladder could be working closely and mentoring even just 3-4 people at a time. "Being on the technical ladder does not mean that you can burrow your head in the corner, those selected must have mentoring responsibilities as well as leadership qualities," says Nagaraj Subramanyam, Head, TI India Tech Council.

What is the technical ladder?    

TI first started the technical ladder in the 1970s to recognise the contribution of its top employees to the company's bottom line. Although promotions in the company are decided on the basis of job grades, those on the technical ladder get recognition and are chosen for more challenging assignments. The selection process is tough. At any given time, no more than 22% of TI employees can be a part of the technical ladder.

A technical ladder has six steps and the progression moves from a member to senior member, distinguished member, fellow and then finally senior fellow of the technical staff. Only 1% of TI employees are chosen as fellows. Along with the rungs come corresponding status and responsibility.

AfFellow on the technical ladder is the equivalent of a vice president running a business unit worth $500 million to $1.5 billion. A senior member of the technical ladder wields enormous influence. For example, Mahesh Mehendale, the only fellow from TI India, is one of the few people who is involved in deciding the strategic road map of the new products to come from TI.

Selection process    

The Technical Ladder measures the level of innovation and differentiation that the engineer brings to the company. “The distinguishing feature of this tool is that it is not decided by the management, but is a peer evaluation process,” says Subramanyam. So, only senior members of the technical staff can select another senior member and so on.

The technical leadership selection depends on the following three criteria: 1) Innovation in products leading to business impact, 2) how the person helps to grow the technical pool in their team, whether they have mentored and helped others grow technically and, 3) how the person has contributed to enhancing TI's image in external environment like industry and forums. It is not a measure of how good an engineer is technically but how much value he or she creates for the company. So, while publishing papers and patents are important criteria for selection, a bigger criterion is the impact of the technology created by the engineer on the business. For instance, if a chip designer reduces the area of a chip by 10% or if a CAD application developer can reduce the cycle time for simulation from two days to four hours, he earns the right to be on the ladder.

TI does not start the process of identifying its technical scholars till they have finished at least 5-6 years in the organisation. This way the company makes sure that the young recruits have a variety of experience to choose from.

It is also not a one-time measure of a person's contribution, every year the person's status is re-evaluated. If a person cannot devote at least 50% of his time to technical matters then he excuses himself from the ladder and goes to a managerial role. He then has two years to meet the selection criteria to get reinstated on the ladder.

TI allows people to move between the managerial role and the technical role. The finest example of a person who has managed both the two streams is TI India managing director Biswadip Mitra, who started his career as a technical contributor and now heads TI's operations in India.

A motivational tool    

The real rewards of being selected for the technical ladder are not monetary, but flow from the recognition, which makes it so motivational. “It is a highly visible form of recognition,” says Jaggy Rao, Director, SOC Design Technology Center. “Upcoming engineers think of it as the place to be in,” he adds. In fact, so high is the appeal of being on the ladder that those who don't get selected feel left out and bitterly disappointed. In fact, Rao says that he often reminds his team members that the technical ladder is just one of the motivational tools in the company and not the only one.

“It serves as a useful tool to see how you are growing in the company; it provides a reference point when you go out and say that you were on the technical ladder people can immediately understand your contribution,” says Kumar.

In recent years, TI has made the selection process even more rigorous. While earlier only a technical committee selected the members of the technical staff, today the process is done in consultation with the managers of the projects. The names are announced amidst much fanfare at an annual meet held at the TI site in Bangalore every year.

For many like Balaji Horur, director-wireless software, being on the ladder allows him to future-proof his career. Horur, who worked for several years in the US and sold his startup to Cisco before joining TI, says that being on the technical ladder helps him get a strategic understanding of where the company is heading. According to him, “In this business, a company can change direction dramatically. It could be betting big on wireless and then six months later it could be video. India is yet to see a true technology winter. One advantage of the technical ladder is that it forces you to constantly re-skill yourself technically and therefore, saves you from getting redundant and getting the axe.”