A Review of Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s "A Business and Its Beliefs"
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Date Published: June 26, 2021
Date Modified: January 9, 2024 |
A Business and its Beliefs: The Ideas that Helped Build IBM, is a collection of speeches (A Lecture Series) given by Thomas J. Watson Jr. to the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. It was published in 1963.
There is no better book than this one to understand where IBM's Basic Beliefs originated.
There is no better book than this one to understand where IBM's Basic Beliefs originated.
A Review of "A Business and Its Beliefs: Ideas that Built IBM" by Tom Watson Jr.
- Reviews of the Day: 1963
- Selected Quotes from "A Business and Its Beliefs"
- This Author’s Thoughts and Perceptions
Reviews of the Day: 1963
"In this brief book ... Watson, attributes the firm's growth to respect for employees and customers, and recounts IBM's progress in 50 years from a 4 million dollar manufacturer of butcher scales and tabulating equipment to its present 2 billion dollar a year stature."
Gene Graff, The Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1963
Editor's note: There were no reviews other than notifications that the book had arrived in multiple libraries and brief overviews of the details in the work.
Selected Quotes from "Ideas that Built IBM"
On the origin of Respect for the Individual
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"This belief was bone-deep in my father. Some people who start out in modest circumstances have a certain contempt for the average man when they are able to rise above him. Others, by the time they become leaders, have built up a unique respect and understanding for the average man and a sympathy for his problems. They recognize that in a modem industrial nation the less fortunate often are victims of forces not wholly within their own control. This attitude forms the basis for many of the decisions they make having to do with people.
"T. J. Watson was in the latter category." |
On why fundamental basic beliefs are a necessity
"I believe the real difference between success and failure in a corporation can very often be traced to the question of how well the organization brings out the great energies and talents of its people.
"Consider any great organization-one that has lasted over the years-and I think you will find that it owes its resiliency, not to its form of organization or administrative skills, but to the power of what we call beliefs and the appeal these beliefs have for its people."
- What does it do to help these people find common cause with each other?
- How does it keep them pointed in the right direction despite the many rivalries and differences which may exist among them?
- And how can it sustain this common cause and sense of direction through the many changes which take place from one generation to another?
"Consider any great organization-one that has lasted over the years-and I think you will find that it owes its resiliency, not to its form of organization or administrative skills, but to the power of what we call beliefs and the appeal these beliefs have for its people."
This Author's Thoughts and Perceptions
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A Business and its Beliefs: The ideas that helped build IBM, is a collection of speeches (Lecture Series) given by Thomas J. Watson Jr. to the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. It was published in 1963. There is no better book than this one to understand where IBM's Basic Beliefs originated.
The basic beliefs of Respect, Service and Excellence were founded in Watson Sr., and the book reflects Watson Jr.'s drive to also build a corporation that would "go on forever." Forever meant a workforce that was engaged (Gallup), passionate (Deloitte) and enthusiastic (Watson Sr.). If you are only going to read one book to understand the 20th Century IBM, this is the one must-read book. And it isn't an onerous read either, it is an easy, short, one hundred pages. |
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One of the best quotes of Watson Jr. in this book is, "I believe the real difference between success and failure in a corporation can very often be traced to the question of how well the organization brings out the great energies and talents of its people. What does it do to help these people find common cause with each other? How does it keep them pointed in the right direction despite the many rivalries and differences which may exist among them? And how can it sustain this common cause and sense of direction through the many changes which take place from one generation to another?"
... Is the new IBM bringing out the great energies and talents of its people?
This is a question that its two-decade-long, falling sales and profit productivities seems to answer: Its 21st Century leadership has failed.
Cheers,
- Pete
... Is the new IBM bringing out the great energies and talents of its people?
This is a question that its two-decade-long, falling sales and profit productivities seems to answer: Its 21st Century leadership has failed.
Cheers,
- Pete
