(From Economist.com) The success of the iPod, launched by Apple in October 2001, sparked
panic among the American company’s competitors. When it became clear
that the diminutive device was far outselling other digital
music-players, Sony, a big Japanese rival that had pioneered music on
the move in the form of the Walkman, scrambled to respond. It convened
several internal teams from its different businesses to work on a
project, named Connect, that was supposed to come up with a product to
counter Apple’s. But after a number of years of trying to produce an
iPod-killer, Sony admitted defeat and disbanded the Connect initiative
in 2007.
Apple’s success with the iPod can be explained by its ease of use,
sense of design and a host of other factors—including the company’s
ability to get different parts of its business united around a common
goal. Sony’s attempts to beat it with Connect were scuppered partly
because its internal teams blew the opportunity to catch up. A
long-standing culture of internal competition confounded Sony’s efforts
to get its computer, personal electronics and music divisions to work
together closely. A couple of units even ended up launching competing
players, neither of which bested the iPod. Since taking over as chief
executive in 2005, Sir Howard Stringer has been trying hard to break
down Sony’s fiefs and stimulate co-operation.
Many other companies are also trying to foster greater collaboration
within their ranks. Some are using web-based social media to help them.
For instance, Lockheed Martin, an American defence giant, plans to roll
out Unity—a software platform that encourages employees from different
areas to connect with one another via blogs, wikis and other online
tools—across its entire business later this year, after piloting it in
one area. But dismantling internal barriers to co-operation is a tricky
business that requires much more than smart software. Unless firms are
careful, there is a real danger that collaborative crusades could do
them more harm than good.
(Read the entire article at The Economist.)
Tags: learning, social networking, collaboration, workplace
Categories: News