Setting Leadership Foundations @ Uber
Company
Uber Technologies, Inc. provides ride-hailing services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco and operates in approximately 70 countries and 10,000 cities around the world. The company was founded in 2009.
Problem to Solve
The company has grown rapidly, and the leadership development efforts in the Community Operations department (one of the largest at Uber) so far have been somewhat fragmented. Previous programs were rolled out in silos across different regions and teams, lacking a unified strategy. The decentralized nature of leadership development programs has not only led to a lack of consistency but also hindered the sharing of best practices and collaborative learning across teams. As a result, there was a potential for duplication of efforts, inefficient resource allocation, and a missed opportunity for cross-pollination of ideas and approaches.
Additionally, the urgency of the situation was heightened by the fact that a significant portion of the line management team in the network consisted of first-time managers. These individuals, while bringing fresh perspectives, lacked the foundational people management skills crucial for effective leadership.
Moreover, the diverse geographical locations and team structures within the Community Operations department presented a unique challenge. Different regions had distinct cultural nuances and operational demands, requiring a leadership development strategy that was not only cohesive but also adaptable to these variations. The question became not only how to create a unified approach but also how to tailor it effectively to the specific needs and contexts of different teams and locations.