Karie willyerd biography of martin

The Path of Dialogue

Karie Willyerd had a problem. In she was the director of people and organization development for a major division of Lockheed Martin, a Maryland-based aeronautics and defense contractor and one of three companies then ramping up for an all-out effort to win the largest defense contract in history.

The Joint Strike Fighter was to be a huge leap forward in military-jet technology and sophistication, including short-takeoff and vertical-landing capabilities. To make a bid, the companies had to develop working prototypes that might cost billions to create and require some 10, engineered systems to interact seamlessly.

Trouble was, Lockheed Martin, like many companies, had plenty of room for growth in employee interaction, which, if not improved, might lead to productivity problems and jeopardize the company&#;s bid for the $ billion contract.

As Willyerd worked with executives on an initiative to improve company performance, a colleague tippe