At the signature event commemorating IBM's 100th anniversary, held at IBM's research center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., IBM CEO Sam Palmisano said IBM's culture kept the company going for 100 years.
YORKTOWN
HEIGHTS, N.Y.--To celebrate its
100thanniversary IBM threw
itself a party and, oh, what a bash it was.
In
attendance at the signature event here were former IBM
CEOs and chairmen, IBM Nobel laureates, IBM
board members, CEOs and representatives of IBM's
major customers, former top IBM executives
and engineers, more than 20 IBMers who helped pioneer space travel working with
NASA, 2,000 lucky IBM researchers and one
lucky stowaway reporter.
As
IBM CEO Samuel J. Palmisano put it, it was
"like a coming home party or college reunion." There were some who, bent with
age, had to be helped to their seats. But they came, nonetheless. Former IBM
CEOs Lou Gerstner and John Akers made the trip and were recognized by
Palmisano, who thanked them for their service. Former IBM
CEO John Opel was scheduled to attend, but later notified Palmisano that he
would be unable to come.
The
celebration was aptly held at IBM's Thomas
J. Watson Research Center--named after IBM's
founder and initial CEO-because research and innovation has been such a
driving factor for IBM over its 100 years.
And more than 30 members of the Watson family were in attendance at the event.
Reflecting
on IBM's 100 years, Palmisano wasted no time
in getting to what he and many observers believe to be the crux of what has
enabled IBM to withstand change and to last
so long as a company: Its culture.
Thomas
J. Watson Sr. instilled a set of core beliefs or values into IBM.
Of those values, Steve Hamm, co-author of the new book on IBM's
100 years in business, "Making the World Better," wrote: "Since its early days,
IBM has been operated based on a set of core
beliefs. IBM would distinguish itself with
its respect for the individual, its pursuit of excellence in all things and its
commitment to providing the best customer service. These values were baked into
the core DNA by Thomas Watson Sr., who built
the near-failing organization of 1914 into an industrial giant with staying
power. And that DNA has taken hold in
millions of employees over the course of 100 years."
At
the event, Hamm reiterated his
position. He said IBM's is "an intentionally
created culture. For any company to survive for 50 years, you have to have a set
of beliefs you hold dear. And you have to be willing to change everything else
in the company."
Palmisano
said IBM owed much to one family, especially
one father and one son-Thomas J. Watson Sr. and Jr., who ran IBM
for its first 57 years. Palmisano noted that the Watsons are credited with
recognizing that future economic value would lie in the information age, "But
as bold and as visionary as both were, their greatest innovation or contribution
was a culture or a way of doing things," he said. "You hear of the IBMer. You
don't hear the Googler, or the Facebooker or Mr. Softie..."
Meanwhile,
Kenneth Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express and an IBM
board member, was on hand to talk from a client's perspective about the
difference IBM has made. Chenault spoke of
how after 9/11, Amex's headquarters were damaged and the company had to operate
for months out of several dispersed locations, IBM
worked with Amex to ensure that their operations remained up and running.
"IBM
was right behind us the whole time," Chenault said. "The ultimate test of any
company's values happens during time of crisis. You walked the walk with us.
You helped us recover."
Chenault,
who has been on IBM's board of directors for
12 years, said IBM (known as C-T-R at the
time) was founded in 1911 and American Express made its first purchase from the
company in 1912 - a clock. But as the financial services giant's needs evolved,
IBM has always been able to deliver. The
relationship between IBM and Amex has
existed for so long because the companies share a common culture that involves
respect for customers and for colleagues alike, Chenault said.
"The
greatest invention ever created by IBM is
the IBMer," Chenault said. And he noted that IBM
is marked by "Reinvention and constant values - unchanging change. It may sound
like an oxymoron but it's at the heart of IBM."
Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.
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