Front cover image for Who says elephants can't dance? : inside IBM's historic turnaround

Who says elephants can't dance? : inside IBM's historic turnaround

In the history of modern business, many companies have gone from being industry leaders to the verge of extinction. Through the heroic efforts of a new management team, some of those companies have even succeeded in resuscitating themselves and living on in the shadow of their former stature. But only one company has been at the pinnacle of an industry, fallen to near collapse, and then, beyond anyone's expectations, returned to set the agenda. That company is IBM. Who says elephants can't dance? tells the story of IBM's competitive and cultural transformation. In his own words, Gerstner offers a blow-by-blow account of his arrival at the company and his campaign to rebuild the leadership team and give the workforce a renewed sense of purpose. In the process, Gerstner defined a strategy for the computing giant and remade the ossified culture bred by the company's own success. The first-hand story of an extraordinary turnaround, a unique case study in managing a crisis, and a thoughtful reflection on the computer industry and the principles of leadership, Who says elephants can't dance? sums up Lou Gerstner's historic business achievement. Taking readers deep into the world of IBM's CEO, Gerstner recounts the high-level meetings and explains the pressure-filled, no-turning-back decisions that had to be made. He also offers his hard-won conclusions about the essence of what makes a great company run
Print Book, English, ©2002
HarperBusiness, New York, NY, ©2002
Case Reports
xi, 372 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
9780060523794, 9780060523800, 0060523794, 0060523808
50422905
pt. I. Grabbing hold : The courtship ; The announcement ; Drinking from a fire hose ; Out to the field ; Operation bear hug ; Stop the bleeding (and hold the vision) ; Creating the leadership team ; Creating a global enterprise ; Reviving the brand ; Resetting the corporate compensation philosophy ; Back on the beach
pt. II. Strategy : A brief history of IBM ; Making the big bets ; Services: the key to integration ; Building the world's already biggest software business ; Opening the company store ; Unstacking the stack and focusing the portfolio ; The emergence of e-business ; Reflections on strategy
pt. III. Culture : On corporate culture ; An inside-out world ; Leading by principles
pt. IV. Lessons learned : Focus: you have to know (and love) your business ; Execution: strategy goes only so far ; Leadership is personal ; Elephants can dance
pt. V. Observations : The industry ; The system ; The watchers ; Corporations and the community ; IBM: a farewell
Appendices : A. Employee communications ; B. The future of e-business ; C. Financial overview
Includes index