IBM news:
IBM in the development process, several generations have inherited the founder and head of the old Watson's values and business philosophy, making the company with a strong "traditional" flavor. Gerstner bite culture, worried, in his view, it is this cultural tradition, limiting the development of IBM. More importantly, this culture, he led the implementation of the strategic transformation of invisible resistance. Therefore, the old Gerstner left IBM Watson to the "cultural heritage" was cleared.
Watson in the old times, he will expand his faith for the entire company's beliefs which ruled IBM for decades. They include: excellence, high quality customer service, respect for the individual. Admittedly, the old Watson's these ideas in a long time pushed the company to the pinnacle of IBM, casting the "Big Blue" of the soul. However, with the spatial and temporal changes in the role of these ideas is also quietly changed. As Gerstner said: "These beliefs are placed in 1962 - Watson has just introduced the world when these beliefs, and it is placed between the world of 1993, they represent an entirely different meaning - at least the way they are changing the use. "
Excellence. IBM has been the "excellence" as one of the company's beliefs. In the slow pace, quality oriented manufacturing times, it is very valuable beliefs. However, fast-paced, high-speed Internet age, this belief becomes an obstacle to decisive action. "Excellence" has become too obsessed with perfection; the action will become stagnation, significantly prolonged the time new products come out. Gerstner asked to break through this pursuit of perfection brought "too far", he stressed that the pursuit of perfection do not have to wait until 100%, as long as 60% to 80% sure to be action. In Gerstner, "action-oriented" thinking led, IBM introduced a new mainframe cycle, from 4 to 5 years was reduced to 18 months.
High-quality customer service. High-quality customer service is always right, in the era of the computer's start-up, customers are not familiar with relevant technical, customer service-oriented guidance prompted IBM to help customers arrange everything for the customer, it is necessary at the time. However, IT industry popularity, resulting in the customer guide enterprises. When customers turn around when the competitors, IBM is still blindly believe that they are better than the customer wise. As Gerstner as criticism: "IBM is mainly defined according to their own imagination to the market." To this end, Gerstner took out the "warm embrace" plan to reverse the direction of IBM. The main content of this program: IBM's 50 senior managers, everyone in the next 3 months to visit the company at least five largest customers of the one to listen to voice of the customer, IBM customers to eliminate bias, and take appropriate action. Some 200 senior executives directly under, the same manner. Under its then, step by step to promote the final formation of a real customer-oriented.
Respect for the individual. The old Watson has an important faith is, "respect for the individual." This is the source of the company's cohesion, but also the source of productivity. This also benefits the formation of a long-standing policy of inertia. But Gerstner said IBM respect for personal beliefs have evolved in a number of factors not conducive to the development of the company, such as foster a well-deserved allowance-type culture and cultivate the opinions of the people above his own company policy on the "no" spirit. Therefore, cooperation and team concept has been greatly weakened. For this to say "no" instead of "yes", describe Gerstner said: "In any organization one level, even if an inter-departmental team took pains to devise a company-wide decision-making, if there is high that the decision undermined the manager of his company's position - or with his departure from the view of the world, then the decision will still be shoveling take away the interest to be uncooperative. "
Cultural change is difficult is slow. However, if there is no cultural change, which conflicts with the corporate strategy will resolve the beliefs and habits of implementation of the strategy in the invisible. Gerstner believes that changing the thinking of hundreds of thousands of staff attitudes and behavior patterns, is a very difficult task. This is not learn from school, sitting in the office can not resolve, but can not rely on one or two speeches delivered, or for the company to write a new motto this simple approach to implementation. Culture change requires a process. Gerstner made, despite the very difficult cultural change, but leaders can create the conditions for cultural transformation, to provide encouragement, clear objectives. There is a very profound meaning of his words: "In fact, the ultimate sense, the management does not allow managers to change the culture, but to invite people to change their own culture."
