Books about IBM and American Leadership |
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Published June 1, 2021
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Updated June 2, 2021
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THINK Again!: IBM CAN Maximize Shareholder Value |
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IBM developed unusual techniques to not just survive but thrive during economically, politically, and socially difficult times. Many of its unique leadership practices have never been captured in any business book about IBM.
Most books focus on the eccentricities of Thomas J. Watson Sr., the transitionary leadership of Watson Jr., or the company’s technological advancements. The chapters in THINK Again! cover all the chief executive officers from Watson Sr. to Rometty, and their interactions with their stakeholders: customers, employees, shareholders and societies. IBM's great leaders quickly identified needed changes, did not hesitate to change the policies of their predecessor when necessary, and made mid-course corrections as needed. Lesser CEOs maintained a foolish consistency—even of obviously misguided policies of their predecessors. This is a study of how a CEO's actions can maximize or minimize shareholder value. IBM's history documents that it isn't the goal of maximizing shareholder value that has been IBM's mistake for the last two decades, but the path or "roadmap(s)" it has implemented to attain that goal.
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A View from Beneath the Dancing Elephant |
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Many individuals believe that Louis V. Gerstner was the savior of IBM—indeed, Lou sees himself that way. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? expresses his perspective quite well. What Lou never realized is that much of his success came from tapping into an eighty-year-old culture that he never understood. IBM’s founders, the Watsons, created this culture around three Basic Beliefs: Respect for the Individual, Service to the Customer, and the Pursuit of Excellence.
A View from Beneath the Dancing Elephant is an IBM employee's perspective of today's IBM and an evaluation of Lou's leadership at the company. If Lou Gerstner’s book is the yang, this book is the yin—that quintessential opposing and balancing force that every academic should put in front of their MBA students. IBM has lost its culture, its constitution and its way. The downhill slide started with Lou. Great leaders do not seek to abolish a people’s constitution, rather they seek a return to its original intent. This book captures how IBM's two-decade-long decline started—A View from Beneath Lou Gerstner's Dancing Elephant. |
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The World's Greatest Salesman |
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The New York Times and Time Magazine called Thomas J. Watson Sr., the founder of IBM, the “World’s Greatest Salesman.” Newsweek wrote that he was a philanthropist, where “none gained more from his beneficence than his own employees.” President Eisenhower said he was a man “marked by a deep-seated concern for people.” The World's Greatest Salesman is an IBM employee-owner's perspective of Tom Watson Sr.'s leadership during the Great Depression. In the midst of today's global economic turmoil, it is time to reexamine the thoughts, words and actions of IBM's founder, who led a good company to greatness during the darkest economic times of the 20th Century.
The World’s Greatest Salesman reveals the business philosophies and idealism of one of America’s greatest industrialists through his speeches and an Peter E. Greulich's commentary on the IBM founder’s leadership during the Great Depression. This book follows the speeches of Tom Watson starting the day after the stock market crash on Black Tuesday and ends three days before Christmas in 1933--nine months after the Great Depression’s trough. It is time to re-examine the thoughts, words and actions of IBM’s traditional founder. He set an example of great leadership during one of the darkest economic times in world history and led a good company to greatness. |
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Thomas J. Watson Sr.'s: Essays on Leadership |
Democracy in BusinessThis first in the series analyzes Tom Watson’s views on "Democracy in Business" and its benefits, individual responsibilities, and the future. It explores the answers to questions such as: Is democracy-in-business possible; Is democracy-in-business inclusive of all men; How does democracy-in-business relate to the individual and the executive; What are the responsibilities of the individual and the executive in democracy-in-business? |
We Are All AssistantsThis second in the series analyzes Tom Watson's views on being an assistant to men. This volume highlights his view on “We Are All Assistants.” It answers such questions as: What is the role of an executive; What is the role of the Chief Executive Officer; What is the best way to teach a man or woman; Where does he turn in late 1932 to make up a revenue shortfall? |
Forgive MistakesThis third in the series highlights Tom Watson Sr.’s handling of employee mistakes during the Great Depression. It answers such questions as: How do you encourage innovation and creativity even during economic recessions; How did Tom Watson Sr., through his stories, create an atmosphere of thought and action; What was Tom Watson Sr.’s advice to corporate controllers during the Great Depression; When a mistake occurred what did Tom Watson look for before anything else; What was his advice to young men entering the business world? |
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Peter E. Greulich's Research Bibliography |
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Here is a short sample of the books reviewed in this bibliography:
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