Jim Lawler of TASC: Faster, nimbler, more entrepreneurial culture ahead
July 26th, 2010 by Lisa Singh
When it comes to entrepreneurial spirit, most people think small companies have a monopoly on that beat, large organizations less so.
It’s a perception that Jim Lawler (left) is helping to change. As Chief Human Resource Officer of TASC, Inc., Lawler is helping steer the Chantilly, Va.-based advanced engineering and advisory services firm toward new growth.
A reinvigorated corporate mission is a key part of that strategy.
“We’re going to be faster, more nimble, and more entrepreneurial,” says Lawler. “We want people across the organization to take more initiative to act on their own without running it up the ladder.”
That focus comes at an “exciting time,” as Lawler puts it. In late December 2009, TASC went independent from its former defense contractor parent after the government adopted new organizational conflict of interest federal regulations — a move that’s since opened the door to new opportunities in technical assistance, advanced systems engineering, and other services on behalf of defense, intelligence and other federal customers.
A robust HR strategy underpins those efforts. With nearly 5,000 employees, in 38 locations, TASC is slated to hire more than 1,300 additional employees this year.
Talent-driven business
Lawler is characteristically low-key about his role (“I’d like to keep a relatively low profile for the HR team and a high profile for TASC and the company,” he says.) Still, this much is clear: He brings a pretty fresh perspective to the job.
Before coming on board in March 2010, Lawler saw a diverse range of experience: everything from six years in technology and engineering environments, to 13 years at PepsiCo. More recently, Lawler served as chief HR officer of Royal Ahold, the parent company of Giant Foods.
“The common thread,” says Lawler, “are businesses that are very much talent-driven.”
Up to and including TASC. Lawler puts it best. “We don’t make products. We don’t sell systems. We provide talent — our product is our people,” he says.
True to form, Lawler has been busy raising TASC’s profile as a “talent-driven” business. Which means tapping into its entrepreneurial spirit. From the ground up.
“We’re going through the process of translating desired attributes into specific behavior for people in key positions,” says Jim Lawler. “Over the course of time,” he adds, “we’ll ask what barriers exist and what changes need to be made.”
That introspection is already underway, fueled by several top priorities. First and foremost, says Lawler, is offering a competitive employment proposition. “We don’t want to benchmark against the median, we don’t want to do the same thing as everyone else,” he says.
So far, that push has translated into an employee retention rate above industry standards. Senior-level employees — that highly sought-after pool of talent — is of particular focus.
“People care, particularly as they look at the last few years of their career, whether they’re in an exciting place, a place that practices good ethics and integrity — I think, in that respect, people like to stay with us,” says Lawler. “To make it a little easier,” he adds, “we just rolled out a great retirement plan … we did that very deliberately, so people can reap the benefits.”
As its former association with Northrop Grumman fades into memory now that the decoupling is complete, Jim Lawler is focused on building up core business functions: tax, treasury, audit, investor relations, IT, compliance, ethics, and legal.
“We have to build out those functions to provide lean, efficient, but very effective support, for the company — and culture — we want going forward,” says Lawler.
It’s a “great agenda,” adds Lawler. Certainly one that requires a tricky balancing act between support and growth objectives. Lawler concedes as much. Maintaining that balance, he says, comes through leveraging the right people.
“We are very, very clear that our business unit VPs and our HR directors are driving the retention and staffing efforts with support from corporate,” says Lawler, adding, “We are focused on building the corporate functions that need to be built in parallel with that.”
What makes the job easier is that TASC is not a new company; its longstanding roots, reputation and solid infrastructure stretch back to 1966. “We have a very healthy core business,” says Lawler. “Where in a typical start-up you might be worried about making payroll, we are pretty comfortable in that regard … we still get the chance to take a well-resourced company and build it up further.”
Meanwhile, Lawler is keeping a pulse of the industry. Especially, the fierce competition for talent that perpetually dogs companies in this space. The key, says Lawler, goes back to that focus on entrepreneurial spirit, from the ground up.
“A lot of that recruitment and retention comes down to leveraging the professional network and relationships that people, in these highly specialized technical fields, have,” says Lawler. “Typically, our strongest source of great candidates is employee referrals … we’ll continue to work that channel, particularly to draw the best in the world, in a given space.”
“Once in a lifetime opportunity”
Surveying his own role in the process, Lawler calls this time at TASC a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” “It’s not like work, there’s just so much good stuff to do,” he says.
And if TASC stays focused on several fronts — a steady inflow of talent, a more creative, empowered workforce, among them — the company should continue its ascent.
Lawler seems confident of that. “If we do those things,” he says, “I think that we should feel pretty good about where we’re going.”
