IBM to lay off over 100,000 USA employees

[gator]

A good reputation no way restricts innovation and thinking-out-of-the-box - infact, it boosts both.

That's 20th century thinking.

The world has changed in some quite dramatic ways since then.

So you mean that a if a company has to survive today doing new, innovative stuff, a good reputation is a hindering block? The world and the way we do business (and the way we measure success) has changed a lot, I agree - but I don't think any company will forego reputation at the cost of financial success. Just look at what Lenovo is trying - it is clear that amidst thier goals of selling more thinkpads, they are also trying to maintain the repuation of thinkpads.

[bill bolton]

Reputation is one of the known inhibitors to "outside the box" thinking in terms of Corporate Governance, particularly in the Systems Thinking and Modelling domain, and the Organisational Change Management domain.

So you mean that a if a company has to survive today doing new, innovative stuff, a good reputation is a hindering block?

<Sigh>

survive, good, new, innovative????? You are creating a "meaning" solely based on your own preconceptions!

Cheers,

Bill B.

[Kyocera]

billbolton wrote:
Reputation is one of the known inhibitors to "outside the box" thinking in terms of Corporate Governance, particularly in the Systems Thinking and Modelling domain, and the Organisational Change Management domain.

billl bolton<sigh>

<sigh>?

Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many players involved (the stakeholders) and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principal players are the shareholders, management and the board of directors. Other stakeholders include employees, suppliers, customers, banks and other lenders, regulators, the environment and the community at large.

Corporate governance is a multi-faceted subject. An important theme of corporate governance deals with issues of accountability and fiduciary duty, essentially advocating the implementation of guidelines and mechanisms to ensure good behaviour and protect shareholders. Another key focus is the economic efficiency view, through which the corporate governance system should aim to optimize economic results, with a strong emphasis on shareholders welfare. There are yet other sides to the corporate governance subject, such as the stakeholder view, which calls for more attention and accountability to players other than the shareholders (e.g.: the employees or the environment).

It seems nice to be able to quote things from textbooks, but what this still has to do with the reputation of a company being overrated, or prohibitive to innovative thinking still escapes me. I read nothing in the above definition directly, indirectly, perceived, or otherwise that speaks toward reputation, good bad or indifferent effecting anything within the corporate governance model of a company. Unless you are saying that companies in the 21st century are including thinking outside the box to protect or enhance their corporate governance, and possibly build or expand upon an already well known reputation of thier own.

[anthean]

When I first mentioned reputation as a corporate characteristic that took years to build but could be destroyed overnight, I did not expect this discussion to get hung up on reputation alone.

Reputation is one of the known inhibitors to "outside the box" thinking in terms of Corporate Governance, particularly in the Systems Thinking and Modelling domain, and the Organisational Change Management domain.

Actually, by reputation, I was thinking of the "satisfied, repeat customer domain".

But I seriously question whether reputation is a primary obstacle to good corporate governance. In my experience, the inability of management to admit that their pet projects are failures is the top problem. The fact that these failed pet projects build up a vested constituency adds to the difficulty.

Note that this is inability to admit failure is not just a problem in corporations, but also government.

[bill bolton]

But I seriously question whether reputation is a primary obstacle to good corporate governance.

primary obstacle? What was it about "one of the inhibitors" that wasn't clear?

This is really getting very silly!

Cheers,

Bill