Ibm in the 21st Century

IBM in the 21st Century: The Coming of the Globally Integrated Enterprise

Anna Batchler

Boston University, MET AD715

Table of Contents

A. Global Forces

1. Leadership Development

2. Global Corporate Citizenship

3. Training and Professional Development

B. Adaptation

1. Global Services

2. Systems and Technology

3. Software

4. Global Financing

C. Leadership Skills

1. Systems Thinking

2. Initiative Taking

3. Persuasion and Diplomacy

4. Cosmopolitan Outlook

D. Recommendations

E. Lessons

F. References

Global Forces

There are a number of global forces that are driving IBM to become a globally integrated enterprise. Several of these have been recognized and addressed by the organization. They include: “existing efforts on leadership development and international assignments, its array of global corporate citizenship initiatives, and its extensive training and professional development” (Kanter, 2009). Other areas of concern need to be analyzed in terms of a “whole system” (Kanter, 2009). Items that need to be reviewed include the “IBM business model, the implications of global integration, the IBM values, corporate citizenship as an approach and a set of partnerships, how people came to be IBMers and relate to such a diverse global population, and how people did their work in IBM” (Kanter, 2009).

Leadership Development

Let’s focus on leadership development. What does this mean? The leaders who have made it to the top of the IBM ladder were the ones to ask. How did they get there? According to the case, “they were globally-oriented systems thinkers who reflected IBM’s emphasis on innovation” (Kanter, 2009). They made decisions at a lower level within the organization. IBM is focusing...