Preview

who says elephants can't dance book review

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1060 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
who says elephants can't dance book review
HOW DAVID TAUGHT GOLIATH TO WIN
Title: Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?
Author: Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
I choose this book before the assignment was given. This was referred by a friend of mine. Introduction:
The book speaks about the historic IBM turn around by Louis V. Gerstner,Jr. (the Chairmen and CEO from 1993 to 2002)
The book is divided into five parts, in which he did not miss out even a tiny factor that happened at IBM in his tenure.
We have to learn a thing before going into the part 1. Gerstner took the job only when he believed that he can do it. One has to believe himself, to succeed.
Part 1: Grabbing Hold
In this part, the author talks about key things he did after joining IBM. He didn’t take any major decisions immediately after joining. Instead, observed the things around him by meeting all the stake holders and noted the things he has to do and acted accordingly and in time, to stop the bleeding.
Some critical decisions are:
Keep the company together: He considered the size and breadth of IBM as a distinct competitive advantage. A leader should know what are their competitive advantages and cash upon it, rather than mulling over new policies or decisions.
Creating leadership team: This shows that a leader should always have a longer vision for the company. He should build a team of talented people who can lead the company with passion.
Communication with the employees: communication is a very important part in any organization. The employees should know what’s happening in their company to make them feel partners in their strategies to achieve goals.
Right sizing and reengineering: IBM is the most complex organization. Gerstner believed that IBM needs to become a customer oriented. That is possible only by changing the way it operated by right sizing and reengineering.
Advertisements for reviving the brand: With the financials falling down daily, IBM Brand also fell apart in the crisis. Gerstner recognized the importance a brand

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Effective communication is an essential tool is obtaining high productivity, a strong working team at all levels throughout the business and a business that operates smoothly. If a leader spends time in developing clear and effective communication then trust with employees will build. I believe that there is a link between communication and motivation with staff. Good communication is an important part of my role as a leader to ensure staff feel motivated and valued in their job. This in turn can lead to increased productivity, output and staff morale. If employees feel they are valued this is empowering and leads to job satisfaction and a highly motivated employee. If an employee feels undervalued then this will lead to lack of motivation and no drive.…

    • 4610 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Communication is key in any business, it keeps the productivity of the business high and all colleagues feel part of the team as well as the company if they are being communicating with properly.…

    • 2773 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Under the management of Thomas Watson Jr. IBM was able to put its label on 70% of the worlds computers and as a result dominated the industry. However before he achieved his success, Watson Jr. was a very Hedonistic…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Communication is important in every aspect of our lives. This is also true for the communication used in our professional lives. When at work we “depend on cooperation with others to accomplish our goals, and communication is the critical human process we use to promote such cooperation.” (Kreps, 2011; sec. 1.1) Understanding communication is the best way to make sure it is being used effectively correctly. When communication is effective then organizational components will run smoother and efficiently. Smoother and effective communication means that an organization has a greater chance of following its mission and achieving its…

    • 2348 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    HRM 531

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Way for an organization to communicate to their employees is to be open and honest and let what is going on see the best. Good communication throughout a business remains an integral part of a company's culture. Effective communication skills keep a strong running smoothly and strengthen relationships with employees.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Any organization large or small depends on the hard work of its employees to be successful. This is why communication is vital to the organization. With communication, employees can coordinate their efforts with other employees and managers to make their hard work seem almost effortless. One of the biggest reasons a company fails is ineffective communication among employees as well as supervisors and upper management. If the staff has not been made aware that there is a goal to attain, they certainly cannot contribute to accomplishing it.…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Heatlh N Social

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages

    1.1 Communication is key in any job, reasons for this is to ensure that individuals needs are met and so that people understand what is going on. reason for commuincation:…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Communication Process Nvq

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Within our organisation communication is essential for providing the best service for our guests and to profit the business. The cooperation between the departments, between managers and our suppliers/service providers is key. Well informed staffs are motivated staff and everyone benefits.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    pride in IBM as an institution, not merely to be following a leader: “To have a culture that connects…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Steve Jobs Bib

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Henson, Ramon. "Faculty Insight: The Leadership of Steve Jobs." Rutgers Business School. N.p., 1 Nov. 2011. Web. 06 Sept. 2012. .…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    diversity as strategy

    • 7044 Words
    • 29 Pages

    the turnaround of IBM, we see a great business story. A less-told but integral part of that…

    • 7044 Words
    • 29 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Also the legacy that Jobs left to a millions of people, as well as, the author describe Steve jobs characteristics and how the people think about him? Moreover, the author covered Job’s early life. This blog captured to me the path of Jobs leadership.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Steve Jobs - Leadership

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A: There have been many different companies in the past which have suffered from internal / external problems. However they have also recovered because of critical decision-making and also because of strong leaders who have also the skill of being potential visionaries and mavericks. Steve jobs had been replaced by John sculley (who was previously CEO of PepsiCo) this was because the shareholders in Apple disagreed with jobs’ vision for the company ahead. He was fired but later returned in 1997 to the struggling apple to lead them to becoming one of the most successful companies in the current world. Steve jobs had essential skills and qualities, which made him a great leader and a visionary. Although he came from a struggling background, he had the passion and the drive initially which gave him the boost to become very successful and he also received help from a great workforce. He recovered the business by restructuring the company’s production line. This shows that he had to take critical and essential decisions which might have seemed risky, however all great leaders have been renowned to be risk-taking and optimistic.…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    During the 1970s and ‘80s, IBM was one of the most successful companies in the world. The company had experienced strong growth in both revenue and profits and had a virtual stranglehold on the market for mainframe computers. In fact the company was often referred to as “Big Blue,” a nickname derived from its massive blue mainframe computers. For four consecutive years in the 1980s, IBM held the top spot in Fortune magazine’s annual list of the most admired companies in the United States. However, by 1993 the quintessential “Blue Chip” company had reached its nadir. Over the three previous years, IBM had lost a total of $15 billion and its stock price was at an 18-year low. The brand had fallen below number 250 in Interbrand’s annual survey of the most valued brands with a brand value, estimated at a negative $50 million dollars. The explosive growth of personal computer networks threatened IBM’s lucrative mainframe and minicomputer business and the company was struggling to turn the situation around. In the late 1980’s and early 90’s, the drivers of innovation and change in information technology were smaller, nimble companies like Microsoft, Compaq, Dell, Oracle and others who offered less…

    • 5739 Words
    • 164 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    James Sire, the author of the book Naming the Elephant Worldview as a Concept, is a Christian author and philosopher. This interesting book shares an interesting view of worldview. Sire defines a worldview as: “A worldview is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously or inconsistently) about the basic makeup of our world” (Sire, 2004). It does not matter who I am, where I come from, or what I believe in. Everyone has their own worldview. Consciously, I probably never even thought about it. Nor have I even realized it, till now, but I have…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays