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Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? Inside IBM's Historic Turnaround
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About this item
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eBay item number:365940191481
Item specifics
- Condition
- Release Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 9780060523794
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
HarperCollins
ISBN-10
0060523794
ISBN-13
9780060523794
eBay Product ID (ePID)
113107735
Product Key Features
Book Title
Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? : inside Ibm's Historic Turnaround
Number of Pages
384 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2002
Topic
Industries / Computers & Information Technology, General, Management, Corporate Finance / General
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Business & Economics
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1.2 in
Item Weight
18.9 Oz
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2002-027523
Dewey Edition
21
Reviews
A well-rendered self-portrait of a CEO who made spectacular change on the strength of personal leadership., "[Gerstner] entertains as he educates." -- New York Times Book Review "A well-rendered self-portrait of a CEO who made spectacular change on the strength of personal leadership." -- Publishers Weekly "Effective, to the point...Louis V. Gerstner Jr deserves his place in the management hall of fame." -- Financial Times "The best business book I've ever read." -- Imus in the Morning "[Lou Gerstner] has the substance of a genuine and ... interesting story." -- Wall Street Journal
Dewey Decimal
004/.068
Synopsis
In 1990, IBM had its most profitable year ever. By 1993, the computer industry had changed so rapidly the company was on its way to losing $16 billion and IBM was on a watch list for extinction -- victimized by its own lumbering size, an insular corporate culture, and the PC era IBM had itself helped invent. Then Lou Gerstner was brought in to run IBM. Almost everyone watching the rapid demise of this American icon presumed Gerstner had joined IBM to preside over its continued dissolution into a confederation of autonomous business units. This strategy, well underway when he arrived, would have effectively eliminated the corporation that had invented many of the industry's most important technologies. Instead, Gerstner took hold of the company and demanded the managers work together to re-establish IBM's mission as a customer-focused provider of computing solutions. Moving ahead of his critics, Gerstner made the hold decision to keep the company together, slash prices on his core product to keep the company competitive, and almost defiantly announced, "The last thing IBM needs right now is a vision." Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? tells the story of IBM's competitive and cultural transformation. In his own words, Gerstner offers a blow-by-blow account of his arrival at the company and his campaign to rebuild the leadership team and give the workforce a renewed sense of purpose. In the process, Gerstner defined a strategy for the computing giant and remade the ossified culture bred by the company's own success. The first-hand story of an extraordinary turnaround, a unique case study in managing a crisis, and a thoughtful reflection on the computer industry and the principles of leadership, Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? sums up Lou Gerstner's historic business achievement. Taking readers deep into the world of IBM's CEO, Gerstner recounts the high-level meetings and explains the pressure-filled, no-turning-back decisions that had to be made. He also offers his hard-won conclusions about the essence of what makes a great company run. In the history of modern business, many companies have gone from being industry leaders to the verge of extinction. Through the heroic efforts of a new management team, some of those companies have even succeeded in resuscitating themselves and living on in the shadow of their former stature. But only one company has been at the pinnacle of an industry, fallen to near collapse, and then, beyond anyone's expectations, returned to set the agenda. That company is IBM. Lou Gerstener, Jr., served as chairman and chief executive officer of IBM from April 1993 to March 2002, when he retired as CEO. He remained chairman of the board through the end of 2002. Before joining IBM, Mr. Gerstner served for four years as chairman and CEO of RJR Nabisco, Inc. This was preceded by an eleven-year career at the American Express Company, where he was president of the parent company and chairman and CEO of its largest subsidiary. Prior to that, Mr. Gerstner was a director of the management consulting firm of McKinsey & Co., Inc. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School., In 1990, IBM had its most profitable year ever. By 1993, the computer industry had changed so rapidly the company was on its way to losing $16 billion and IBM was on a watch list for extinction - victimized by its own lumbering size, an insular corporate culture, and the PC era IBM had itself helped invent. Then Lou Gerstner was brought in to run IBM. Almost everyone watching the rapid demise of this American icon presumed Gerstner had joined IBM to preside over its continued dissolution into a confederation of autonomous business units. This strategy, well underway when he arrived, would have effectively eliminated the corporation that had invented many of the industry's most important technologies. Instead, Gerstner took hold of the company and demanded the managers work together to re-establish IBM's mission as a customer-focused provider of computing solutions. Moving ahead of his critics, Gerstner made the hold decision to keep the company together, slash prices on his core product to keep the company competitive, and almost defiantly announced, "The last thing IBM needs right now is a vision." Who Says Elephants Can't Dance tells the story of IBM's competitive and cultural transformation. In his own words, Gerstner offers a blow-by-blow account of his arrival at the company and his campaign to rebuild the leadership team and give the workforce a renewed sense of purpose. In the process, Gerstner defined a strategy for the computing giant and remade the ossified culture bred by the company's own success. The first-hand story of an extraordinary turnaround, a unique case study in managing a crisis, and a thoughtful reflection on the computer industry and the principles of leadership, Who Says Elephants Can't Dance sums up Lou Gerstner's historic business achievement. Taking readers deep into the world of IBM's CEO, Gerstner recounts the high-level meetings and explains the pressure-filled, no-turning-back decisions that had to be made. He also offers his hard-won conclusions about the essence of what makes a great company run. In the history of modern business, many companies have gone from being industry leaders to the verge of extinction. Through the heroic efforts of a new management team, some of those companies have even succeeded in resuscitating themselves and living on in the shadow of their former stature. But only one company has been at the pinnacle of an industry, fallen to near collapse, and then, beyond anyone's expectations, returned to set the agenda. That company is IBM. Lou Gerstener, Jr., served as chairman and chief executive officer of IBM from April 1993 to March 2002, when he retired as CEO. He remained chairman of the board through the end of 2002. Before joining IBM, Mr. Gerstner served for four years as chairman and CEO of RJR Nabisco, Inc. This was preceded by an eleven-year career at the American Express Company, where he was president of the parent company and chairman and CEO of its largest subsidiary. Prior to that, Mr. Gerstner was a director of the management consulting firm of McKinsey & Co., Inc. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
LC Classification Number
HD9696.2.U64I2545
Item description from the seller
Seller feedback (370,025)
- 0***p (106)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchasePurchased a hardcover book from this seller and not only was the entire purchase experience excellent but also, and more importantly, the book was in even better condition than listed!!! Overall a wonderful experience! Seller was very communicative and responsive, a very fast shipper, and the book was properly packaged for protection. Book was in excellent condition (better than "good" as listed). Will definitely purchase from seller again!! Thanks to the seller!!!
- 3***n (36)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent purchase experience. Item was better than described, an exceptional value for the price. Hardback edition was in outstanding condition and appeared almost new. Mailed in a plastic mailer bag, could have been better protected for shipping, but still arrived without noticable damage. Would purchase from this seller again.
- o***o (2725)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseMy feedback is nuanced, the DVD I received played fine but the cover art was in poor condition. This was not mentioned in the description. Also the shipping was rather slow although free. After three emails I was able to resolve my issue to my satisfaction. Be aware this seller uses a third party shipper with the final delivery being by USPS. This results in slow but affordable delivery, lastly customer service is not very responsive and it’s possible that multiple emails will be necessary.
Seller feedback (370,025)
- 0***p (106)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchasePurchased a hardcover book from this seller and not only was the entire purchase experience excellent but also, and more importantly, the book was in even better condition than listed!!! Overall a wonderful experience! Seller was very communicative and responsive, a very fast shipper, and the book was properly packaged for protection. Book was in excellent condition (better than "good" as listed). Will definitely purchase from seller again!! Thanks to the seller!!!
- 3***n (36)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent purchase experience. Item was better than described, an exceptional value for the price. Hardback edition was in outstanding condition and appeared almost new. Mailed in a plastic mailer bag, could have been better protected for shipping, but still arrived without noticable damage. Would purchase from this seller again.
- o***o (2725)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseMy feedback is nuanced, the DVD I received played fine but the cover art was in poor condition. This was not mentioned in the description. Also the shipping was rather slow although free. After three emails I was able to resolve my issue to my satisfaction. Be aware this seller uses a third party shipper with the final delivery being by USPS. This results in slow but affordable delivery, lastly customer service is not very responsive and it’s possible that multiple emails will be necessary.