4 ms·
> Even a fingerless man could hold up the correct number of digits needed to express the number of times a reorg has solved a problem. I couldn't disagree more
by TomVDB 6y ago
> Even a fingerless man could hold up the correct number of digits needed to express the number of times a reorg has solved a problem.
I couldn't disagree more.
As companies grow/change, existing structures that used to work at some point, can start to break down and a reorg can (and often does) solve that.
A typical example are smaller companies that start with centralized services that support all BUs, but that break up these services as they grow, because per-BU needs might diverge too much or because the distance/sense of ownership of a central group doesn't always align.
It doesn't always work, but I've seen it done right multiple times.
- kilo_bravo_3 6y agoSuccessful reorgs are done in response to growth, changing markets, and new lines of business. Just like the examples you gave. This is either a desperation or punitive reorg. There are also boredom and “make my mark” reorgs and this ain’t them.
- TomVDB 6y ago> Successful reorgs are done in response to growth, changing markets, and new lines of business. > This is either a desperation or punitive reorg. One could very well characterize the reorganization of IBM in the mid nineties as a desperation reorg and a punitive one (100K employees laid off.) It was also a very successful one.
- toohotatopic 6y agoWas it? It could have been IBM who invented the smartphone or hardware as a service.
- pm90 6y agoThey survived.
- toohotatopic 6y agoSurviving cannot be the ambition of IBM.
- pm90 6y agoClearly you haven't worked at IBM.