Discover the truth of management at IBM

I haven't read a book from start to finish in such a long time. Despite my reservations about author Liu Lan's individual views, I still think it's worth spending five hours reading 10 Facts about Management. In the past 10 years, we have brought in almost all the management ideas and methods that have been accumulated in the world over the past 50 years. Among them, the mud and sand are mixed, and the truth has been covered up under falsehood. We might as well follow the author to lift the veil of falsehood and restore the true face of management.

The author says: "Fake: employees are human resources, or human costs, or human capital. Truth: employees are people." The author asks the question: "What should the verb be when looking at employees as people?"

At IBM, employees are both capital and people. As capital, you have to invest in it to increase its value. IBM has never been stingy in employee development. The annual per capita investment in training is $3,000, and the company's 380,000 people are $1 billion a year. And regarding employees as people, Zhou Weikun, Chairman of IBM Greater China, clearly explained the basic principles for managers at all levels to treat employees, that is, "I Care", I care, I care, and I care.

The author says: "Fake: Leadership is charisma, or power that comes with position. Truth: Leadership is effectiveness, influence learned and earned."

IBM's execution is obvious to all Yes, corporate headquarters has developed a strategic move that can pay off globally within a quarter. However, the word "execution" is rarely discussed at IBM. As Yu Liang, President of Vanke said, "I oppose everyone reading books on executive power. We are resolutely not allowed to read books like "There Is No Reason". This is a bit of a fool for subordinates. 'Execution with thinking'."

IBM also opposes this "flashlight" style, as if I was the leader who figured out everything, and the rest was made by you guys, as long as It is the responsibility of the subordinates to fail to achieve the expected goals. At IBM, we focus on "leadership," and according to IBM's business leadership model, leadership should be reflected in the entire process of strategy design and execution. If the performance is not satisfactory, the leaders and the team review the problem together. Perhaps the leader has not clearly stated the strategic direction and goals, or he may not have provided the entire team with the required resources and tools. Only in this way can subordinates become followers and leaders become leaders.

The author said: "Fake: The world has entered the era of Made in China, and Made in China must be transformed into Made in China. The truth: The world has not yet entered the era of Made in China, so make it in China first." Inspired by the spirit of "The 17th National Congress surpassed Germany and the 18th National Congress caught up with Japan", many regions and industries began to promote the transformation from Made in China to Created in China. At this time, the author's pot of cold water is really timely: the world has not yet entered the era of Chinese manufacturing, before entering the city, don't rush to take off the straw sandals.

Liu Chuanzhi has repeatedly reminded entrepreneurs that running a business is a marathon rather than a 100-meter sprint; Dong Mingzhu, president of Gree Electric Appliances, is also vigorously advocating an industrial spirit and opposes an excessively strong business spirit. She believes that industrial spirit is a practical Real creation is a kind of spirit of daring to suffer losses, and a kind of courage to make Made in China to the extreme. On this basis, there will be world-class Chinese manufacturing. According to IBM's experience, in the future, Chinese enterprises should become "Globally Integrated Enterprises" (GIE) like Lenovo Group and Wanxiang Group. Integrating internal operations horizontally and globally, fully collaborating with external partners, and operating in the best location in the world to maximize value creation from a global perspective that transcends borders.

It is a little regrettable that the 10 Truths of Management does not pay enough attention to information technology.

In IBM's view, information technology not only supports the implementation of management concepts, but also expands the boundaries of management and innovates management methods. Taking centralized and decentralized management as an example, the development and application of information technology has completely changed the opposition between the two. Business activities can be centralized or decentralized according to customer requirements, but business information is always managed centrally. At this time, the focus of managers is no longer on "management". In order to control business information, the efficiency of business activities is affected. The focus of managers is shifted to "management". Based on a comprehensive grasp of business information, the context of business activities is sorted out and optimized. , in order to best serve customers. Through information technology, managers can finally be freed from tedious transactional work and engage in more valuable management activities such as business process optimization.

"Management" may be just a false image of management, while "reason" is the truth of management.

The author of this article is the Chief Consultant of IBM Global Business Consulting Group's Operations Strategy China. "10 Truths of Management", by Liu Lan, the first edition of Contemporary World Publishing House in February 2008, 36 yuan.