The Apple Way: 12 Management Lessons from the World's Most Innovative Company
2007; Volume: 12; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2326-3709
Autores Tópico(s)ICT Impact and Policies
ResumoThe Apple Way: 12 Management Lessons from the World's Most Innovative Company Jeffrey L. Cruickshank McGraw Hill, 2006 206 pages, Hardcover, $24.95 Reviewed by: Mattew Kenney, Franklin University The Apple Way chronicles the amazing and often turbulent history of Apple Computer and provides readers with insight into the unique culture responsible for their success and failures. The author highlights the role various leaders have played in the 30-year history of the firm with particular emphasis on the role of company co-founder (and current CEO) Steve Jobs. This book is a must read for MBA candidates and/or scholars who are interested hi the role entrepreneurs play in the formation of a corporate culture, and the ramifications of replacing a founding entrepreneur with a more traditional CEO. The author provides an honest and well researched assessment of Apple's strengths and weaknesses, and offers succinct lessons in leadership at the end of each chapter. Although this book focuses on the evolution of a technology company, the lessons offered by the author are applicable to managers, leaders, and small business owners in every industry. While most of the text focuses on events after 1985, the author does a good job of discussing key moments in the company's early days. For example, in 1983 Steve Jobs unveiled a crude mock-up for an idea he had for a new product. It was a keyboard combined with a flat screen, or what customers would eventually know as a laptop computer. While Apple was not the first to launch a laptop, the story illustrates the vision and innovative nature of Mr. Jobs. Innovation and creativity were the hallmarks of Apple and resulted in the company having, up until that point in time, the most successful IPO in history. By 1984 Apple was riding high and its marketing seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Their 1984 Super Bowl ad, positioning IBM as the Orwellian Big Brother of the computer industry, was highly successful and preceded the launch of Macintosh, which was very well received in the marketplace. However, by 1985 the company began to run into problems. Co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs left the company after separate disputes with new CEO John Scully. The company's high-profile computer offering, Lisa, was a disaster and soon scrapped. Also, their 1985 Super Bowl ad, entitled Lemmings, alienated prospective corporate customers by suggesting that people who don't use Apple's Office solutions are not too smart (in reality Apple's competitors were offering far superior products hi this space). The year 1985 began a prolonged period of poor employee morale and reduced innovation, which ultimately threatened the company's very existence. While Apple revenues grew from $800 million to $8 billion during John Sculley's tenure as CEO (1983 - 1993), the author places a great deal of emphasis on the management blunders committed by Mr. Sculley, and the two subsequent CEOs who preceded Steve Jobs' return to Apple in 1996 and ascension to the CEO position in 1997. Among these blunders was Mr. Sculley's focus on the Newton, the famously flawed hand-held computer. Unfortunately, Mr. Sculley didn't have a technical background and was unable or unwilling to see the product's limitations. He compounded problems when he appointed himself Chief Technology Officer in 1990, further antagonizing company engineers. Additionally, the author shares a cautionary tale based on Mr. Scully's insistence that Apple maintain unrealistic gross profit margins. Apple maintained its high gross margins, but did so by raising prices, which corroded market-share. The author points out that while Apple could justify a higher price-point due to a cult-like consumer base, a firm needs to be more market-oriented if it hopes to attract new customers. The author's lessons in leadership are presented using four primary themes: 1. Make the product king. 2. Make the customer king. 3. …
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