微软重组隐现“苹果梦”

    不过，人们在讨论鲍尔默及其团队意欲成功实施这项重组计划可能遭遇的困难时，一个可能未被充分重视的部分在于，采用一个统一的组织架构管理一家大型公司需要无与伦比的领导才能。斯坦福大学（Stanford University）商学院教授查尔斯•奥赖利在接受我采访时（我当时正在撰写那本关于苹果公司的著作）坚称，乔布斯管理苹果的独特方式只对他一个人适用。只有一位像乔布斯那样专制、令人畏惧、充满魅力、受人尊敬、具备多种才能的工作狂也有能力直接监管这家公司的所有重要方面。这种管理方式也适用于苹果公司，因为乔布斯无情地追寻简洁性。他每次只想专攻几件事情——就引领苹果走出深渊和随后十多年的发展而言，这是一个巨大的美德。但当苹果成为一家巨无霸公司，更重要的是，当那个无所不能的天才离开我们之后，这种行为就变得更加艰难。

    我们可以将苹果最近因电子书价格问题而陷入的麻烦视为一个小小的文化例证。当蒂姆•库克治下的苹果拒绝就电子书价格操纵一案与司法部达成和解时，它所坚持的正是乔布斯式风格。苹果认为它是对的，而苹果的合作伙伴、联邦政府、竞争对手和批评家都是傻瓜。它拒绝向任何人道歉，因为相信自己永远都不会错的苹果是不会道歉的。所有这一切都非常适用于伟大的史蒂夫•乔布斯。但对于蒂姆•库克治下的苹果而言，这或许就是一个不同的命题了。

    近些年来，许多人希望微软公司或多或少地重现昔日辉煌，这种几乎是出于怜悯的愿望已经成为一种时尚。如今这个世界已经被傲慢无比的苹果、才华横溢的谷歌（Google），以及制造、营销和模仿速度都无与伦比的三星（Samsung）所掌控，恢复少许霸气的微软公司将有助于促进竞争，从而给消费者带来好处。

    一种类似苹果的组织方式能否帮助微软找回专注，重现神气活现的风采呢？倘如此，苹果公司是否会遭遇另一个小小的挫折？一个完美整合，领导有力的微软是否会减弱谷歌的大胆创意和愿景呢？

    希望“一个微软”能够做到。（财富中文网）

    译者：任文科

    The under-appreciated part about how difficult this will be for Ballmer and his team to pull off is that taking a unified structural approach to a massive company requires inordinately good leadership. The Stanford business professor Charles O'Reilly was adamant with me when I was researching my book that the unusual way Jobs ran Apple would only work for him. It works when a dictatorial, feared, charismatic, respected, multi-talented workhorse like Jobs is able to more or less directly oversee every important facet of the company. It also worked for Apple because Jobs ruthlessly insisted on simplicity. He wanted to attack only a few things at a time -- a tremendous virtue for building Apple back from the abyss and for more than a decade after. But the act gets tougher when the company grows gargantuan and, critically, when the all-powerful wizard is gone.

    As a small cultural example, consider the pickle Apple is in over e-books. In refusing to settle its price-fixing case with the Justice Department, Apple under Tim Cook adhered to its Jobsian principles. It believed it was right and that its partners, the government, its competitors and critics were fools. It apologized to no one because, well, Apple doesn't apologize because Apple is never wrong. All this worked marvelously for the great Steve Jobs. For Apple under Tim Cook, it's an understandably different proposition.

    In an almost pitying tone it has become fashionable in recent years to wish that Microsoft would return to some aspect of its former glory. In a world of Apple's arrogance and Google's (GOOG) brilliance and Samsung's shocking dexterity (manufacturing, marketing, emulating), some of Microsoft's old bullying would be great for competition and therefore great for consumers.

    Could an Apple-like organizational approach help Microsoft focus and regain some of its swagger? Would such an occurrence bring Apple down yet another small peg? Could a well-integrated and well-led Microsoft blunt some of Google's hoarding of bold ideas and vision?

    One (Microsoft) can only hope.