We want IBM to be known for its excellence. Therefore, we believe that every task, in every part of the business, should be performed in a superior manner and to the best of our ability.
IBM's Basic Belief: The Pursuit of Excellence |
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Published August 4, 2021
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Too many individuals reading this basic belief, substitute perfection for excellence—the pursuit of perfection. As a form of alliteration it is tempting but please, do resist … because within IBM it is traditionally wrong. One of the major inhibitors in pursuing excellence is perfectionism. Individuals will just never meet a perfectionist’s standards; processes will never be implemented because they aren’t flawless; and products will never be good enough to ship.
In the spring of 1962, Watson Jr. spoke at Columbia University about the basic belief of “striving for perfection,” and in June 1962 he wrote about the “pursuit of perfection” as one of the basic beliefs of IBM. Apparently, though, he tired of addressing the downsides of an “obsession with perfectionism,” because by 1964 he was writing not about perfection but about excellence – by 1969, the word “perfection” had evolved into the word “excellence.”
Although Watson Jr. believed a corporation’s most basic of beliefs could not be changed, it seems quite appropriate that this word itself evolved to remove possible negative attributes.
It seems only fitting that the very belief of pursuing excellence was a belief subject unto itself.
In the spring of 1962, Watson Jr. spoke at Columbia University about the basic belief of “striving for perfection,” and in June 1962 he wrote about the “pursuit of perfection” as one of the basic beliefs of IBM. Apparently, though, he tired of addressing the downsides of an “obsession with perfectionism,” because by 1964 he was writing not about perfection but about excellence – by 1969, the word “perfection” had evolved into the word “excellence.”
Although Watson Jr. believed a corporation’s most basic of beliefs could not be changed, it seems quite appropriate that this word itself evolved to remove possible negative attributes.
It seems only fitting that the very belief of pursuing excellence was a belief subject unto itself.
The Pursuit of Excellence: The Agent of Change
We want IBM to be known for its excellence. Therefore, we believe that every task, in every part of the business, should be performed in a superior manner and to the best of our ability. Nothing should be left to chance in our pursuit of excellence. For example, we must:
- Lead in new developments.
- Be aware of advances made by others, better them where we can, or be willing to adopt them whenever they fit our needs.
- Produce quality products of the most advanced design and at the lowest possible cost.
To the Best-of-the-Best the Pursuit of Excellence Was the Agent of Change
A crisis can initiate a needed change. It has been proven multiple times in corporate history that a crisis heightens a corporation’s awareness of its weaknesses and prompts action: In 1914, C-T-R faced its financial crisis and Charles Flint changed its leadership—hiring Tom Watson Sr.; in 1921, C-T-R confronted its bankruptcy crisis and reduced its organization by resorting to layoffs; and similarly, General Motors because of the Recession of 1920−21 changed its leadership and organizational structure—Alfred P. Sloan Jr. rose to power with his concept of controlled decentralization.
Too many executives believe that change only happens in a time of crisis. One of IBM’s chief executives wrote in his memoirs that “If employees do not believe a crisis exists, they will not make the sacrifices that are necessary to change. Nobody likes change. Whether you are a senior executive or an entry level employee, change represents uncertainty and, potentially, pain.” [emphasis added] This is a condescending, paternalistic attitude emanating from a corner office. Nothing could be further from the truth. An executive who thinks this way may be a great crisis manager but would be a questionable choice to inspire a culture of continuous, evolutionary change.
Implementing necessary change is a basic responsibility of every person within a corporation, and if an organization is full of individuals who need a crisis to start thinking about change, it has been hiring and promoting the wrong type of individuals—automatons who have shut down their thinking processes.
John H. Patterson, President of NCR, was known for his terseness of thought and expressed himself on this fact of business life quite succinctly: “If you do not care for [new] ideas … it might not be a bad scheme to quit business and go bury yourself.”
Too many executives believe that change only happens in a time of crisis. One of IBM’s chief executives wrote in his memoirs that “If employees do not believe a crisis exists, they will not make the sacrifices that are necessary to change. Nobody likes change. Whether you are a senior executive or an entry level employee, change represents uncertainty and, potentially, pain.” [emphasis added] This is a condescending, paternalistic attitude emanating from a corner office. Nothing could be further from the truth. An executive who thinks this way may be a great crisis manager but would be a questionable choice to inspire a culture of continuous, evolutionary change.
Implementing necessary change is a basic responsibility of every person within a corporation, and if an organization is full of individuals who need a crisis to start thinking about change, it has been hiring and promoting the wrong type of individuals—automatons who have shut down their thinking processes.
John H. Patterson, President of NCR, was known for his terseness of thought and expressed himself on this fact of business life quite succinctly: “If you do not care for [new] ideas … it might not be a bad scheme to quit business and go bury yourself.”
Service Underpinned Success
Exceptional individuals welcome new ideas. They expect change to be a way of life; they value the empowerment to confront workplace bureaucracy, and this basic belief of always pursuing excellence supported by the ever-present story of wild ducks conveyed the corner office’s expectation of continual change. The best employees ran with this empowerment. They bypassed processes that didn’t work, and their local management team—composed of individuals who were pushed up through the organization—encouraged them and watched their backs.
The pursuit of excellence demanded a continual evaluation of every person, process, and product. This made change a corporate way of life that prevented many crises, rather than awaiting a crisis to force a change. The pursuit of excellence encouraged a corporate-wide mindset to expect, seek and embrace change, not just accept it. In a very large organization such as IBM, it was most often used to overcome bureaucracy, which grows in direct proportion with the size of a corporation. Rules and regulations—in the name of expediency—are necessary to streamline an organization, but too many times the laws themselves are used to overrule thinking and common sense.
The only way to achieve consistent organizational excellence is to encourage individuals to cross, if necessary, difficult corporate terrain in its pursuit. At IBM, that encouragement came straight from the corner office, and that is where we got our name: The Wild Ducks … Geese!
Fly hard, fly fast, fly straight … no looking down because that is where the tame ducks—geese—waddle.
The pursuit of excellence demanded a continual evaluation of every person, process, and product. This made change a corporate way of life that prevented many crises, rather than awaiting a crisis to force a change. The pursuit of excellence encouraged a corporate-wide mindset to expect, seek and embrace change, not just accept it. In a very large organization such as IBM, it was most often used to overcome bureaucracy, which grows in direct proportion with the size of a corporation. Rules and regulations—in the name of expediency—are necessary to streamline an organization, but too many times the laws themselves are used to overrule thinking and common sense.
The only way to achieve consistent organizational excellence is to encourage individuals to cross, if necessary, difficult corporate terrain in its pursuit. At IBM, that encouragement came straight from the corner office, and that is where we got our name: The Wild Ducks … Geese!
Fly hard, fly fast, fly straight … no looking down because that is where the tame ducks—geese—waddle.
Roam Around the IBM Wild Duck Information with the Links Below
or [Return to the Wild Ducks Home Page]
or [Return to the Wild Ducks Home Page]