In an interview about what moves innovation, IBM’s CEO Sam Palmisano says, “…the biggest breakthroughs are a result of changing the business model and the processes and the culture.”

Convincing CEOs that culture is not an accident, but a reflection of their own MAP (mindset, attitude and philosophy) and requires active effort on their part is often an uphill battle. I have to prove that the payoff can be huge, therefore it’s worth their time and effort—time and effort they feel pressured to put to “critical” tasks, i.e., those with a quicker payoff.

For that reason, when a CEO of Palmisano’s stature says culture matters I get excited; and when it’s IBM, with an historical roster of CEOs whose actions are absolute proof that CEOs must walk their talk if it is to succeed within the organization I want to bring out the champagne.

I like digging around IBM’s website, partly because they have the money to do great studies and partly because when Lou Gerstner took over he didn’t just recognize the need for a cultural change, he made one happen, and the culture is continuing to change under Palmisano!

For some interesting reading, check out how IBM decided on it’s values and think about the courage it takes to ask 319,000 employees to brainstorm openly, i.e., unedited, on the subject for three days. Also, check out the take on Corporate Responsibility.

The CEOs I work with are running much smaller companies and you might argue that they don’t have the time/money/staff to do the same things, but what it really takes is the right MAP to make it happen.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 27th, 2006 at 11:51 pm and is filed under Business info, Communication, Culture, Motivation, Retention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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