蓝色巨人领导者的秘密

    问：在IBM公司担任领导者需要具备哪些特质？

    答：我们对执行力的追求近乎极致。如果你说能完成任务，那就要负起责任，说到做到。领导者还需要创造一种创造和创新的氛围。我想我们做到了这一点。很多人来我们公司就职并选择留下，那是因为我们从事的事业与众不同。公司提出的“智慧地球”战略令世人关注。我们正在开发的科技将会让这个世界变得更加智能：智能电网、智能交通、智能环保以及人们所能想到的任何方方面面。

    IBM认为自己注重价值而非个性。那么IBM的价值何在？

    对IBM人来说，最重要的不是产品线，不是职责，不是团队，不是个人，而是我们的企业。这种价值观的核心是我们的客户、围绕公司及社会所进行的创新、彼此的信任及个人责任感，以及我们对待彼此的方式。

    未来的IMB领袖拥有哪些标志性特点？

    首先，也是最重要的一点，他必须通晓业务。第二，我们想要的人才必须有进取心，能积极创新，不落俗套而又善于合作。我们需要他们具备情感和智力方面的耐久性。当今世界的商业领袖必须做到24小时连轴转。他们是否愿意这么做？他们是否有勇气提出自己的观点？他们是否能始终如一？我们在早期就会考察这些态度方面的因素。

    过去人们对IBM的刻板印象是一位身穿蓝色制服的文化巨人。现在有什么变化吗？

    我们都是IBM人，这一点从未改变，我们因此而与众不同，我们为此深感自豪。从人力资源的角度出发，我们公司曾经在雇佣保障、工作保障、工资福利和其他方面具有领先优势。然而这些不得不随着当今世界的发展而变化。我们的确发生了改变；但同时，我们也在远距离办公、弹性工作安排以及雇用模式方面占据了领先地位。

    公司的人员流动率怎么样？

    据我所知，我们公司的人员流动率在高科技行业内是最低的。最近几年我们进行了大量收购，尤其是在软件和服务领域。经常阅读报刊杂志的人就会知道，收购常常导致员工流动率，尤其是管理层的流动率提高。但是，我们留住了被收购公司的大约92%的人才，这非常罕见。对于我们来说，收购不止是为了获得产品，还有被收购企业员工们未被开发的天赋和领导力。

    Q: What does it take to lead at IBM?

    A: There's a maniacal focus on execution. If you say you're going to deliver, you're held accountable. Leaders also need to create an atmosphere of creativity and innovation, and I think we do that here. We find that a lot of people come here and stay because we do unique things. Our Smarter Planet strategy makes a very interesting statement. The technology that we're creating will help the world become smarter: smarter grids, smarter transportation, green -- whatever examples you want to use.

    IBM says it's a company of values, not personalities. What are those values?

    Being an IBMer (IBM) is not about a line of business, it's not about a function, it's not about a team, it's not about you. It's about the enterprise. Those values are built around the client, around innovation for both the company and society, around trust and personal responsibility and the way we treat each other.

    What are the signs of a future IBM leader?

    First and foremost, you've got to understand the business. Two, we look for people who are aggressive in wanting to create new things and do different things and collaborate. We need people with emotional and intellectual stamina. Being a business leader in this world today is 24/7. Do people aspire to that? Do they have a sense of courage about their point of view? Are they persistent? Those are attitudinal things that we see early on.

    In the old days IBM was stereotyped as a cultural monolith, the man in the blue suit. What's changed?

    What hasn't changed is that we're all IBMers. There's a sense of pride and of being able to distinguish yourself based on that. In the old days we were also known as leading edge, from an HR standpoint, in employment security, job security, paying benefits, and all that. Those things had to change as the world evolved. We changed, but we became leading edge as it related to things like telecommuting, flexible work arrangements, and employment models.

    What kind of turnover do you have?

    To the best of my knowledge we have the lowest turnover in the tech industry. We've been acquisitive in recent years, especially in software and sometimes in services. If you read most journals, you'll find that acquisitions tend to create a lot of turnover, especially at the leadership level. We retain about 92% of the talent that we acquire. That's unheard of. We acquire not only for the product, but also for the raw talent and leadership that people bring.