商界老掌門復(fù)出成風(fēng)
????人們總是說要給高管團(tuán)隊(duì)注入新鮮血液,但一些像JC Penney、寶潔(P&G)這樣步履蹣跚的大牌公司卻正在寄望于前高管的拯救。請(qǐng)回這些知根知底的老將或許看起來有失遠(yuǎn)見或缺乏人才儲(chǔ)備,但商界歷史表明,啟用老將確實(shí)有它的意義。 ????“如果公司需要一個(gè)人能迅速有效地解決非常具體的問題,這樣做就能奏效,”哈佛商學(xué)院(Harvard Business School)企業(yè)管理教授、歷史學(xué)家南茜?科恩表示。著名的案例包括史蒂夫?喬布斯重振蘋果(Apple)、霍華德?舒爾茨拯救星巴克(Starbucks)等。 ????科恩說:“他們?nèi)诤狭司薮蟮募で榕c旁觀者清的理性,因此能說砍就砍,只要確實(shí)有必要——像霍華德?舒爾茨,先是關(guān)店,然后是裁員,不再發(fā)布同店銷售額數(shù)據(jù)?!?/p> ????“他可以迅速行動(dòng),因?yàn)樗宄Y結(jié)在哪里,也可以直接跳過新官上任三把火樹立威望的階段。這個(gè)階段是人性使然,但它的確很費(fèi)時(shí)間?!?/p> ????總部位于辛辛那提的寶潔為了重振消費(fèi)品業(yè)務(wù),請(qǐng)回了現(xiàn)年65歲的前CEO雷富禮。但為了平息由此引發(fā)的外界對(duì)其高管更替計(jì)劃失敗的指責(zé),寶潔接著又很快宣布將現(xiàn)有的4位高管升任新職。 ????雷富禮在執(zhí)掌寶潔近10年后于2009年退休,他選定的繼任者麥睿博在動(dòng)蕩的經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境下勉力把穩(wěn)這家消費(fèi)品巨頭的航向。以往寶潔一直是從內(nèi)部人員中挑選CEO,但沒有公開保證過會(huì)繼續(xù)這么做。 ????哈佛商學(xué)院領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力、策略與創(chuàng)新教授羅莎貝絲?M?坎特指出,“雷富禮的回歸將延續(xù)一項(xiàng)成功的策略,”,麥睿博“不得不應(yīng)對(duì)金融危機(jī)和很多的動(dòng)蕩,而雷富禮回歸后將加速重組,應(yīng)對(duì)動(dòng)蕩”。 ????坎特說:“這樣做是有意義的?!笨蔡匾彩枪鸫髮W(xué)高級(jí)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力計(jì)劃負(fù)責(zé)人,出版過多本專著。自麥睿博時(shí)期以來,寶潔一直在推進(jìn)一項(xiàng)100億美元的重組計(jì)劃。 ????前CEO重新出馬不一定就馬到成功——已故的肯尼斯?萊就是一個(gè)例子。杰夫?斯基林短暫領(lǐng)導(dǎo)安然(Enron)一段時(shí)間后,肯尼斯就被重新請(qǐng)了回來,希望能重振安然。結(jié)果很糟。施樂(Xerox)的情況不同,但結(jié)果也令人難堪。曾任9年CEO的保羅?阿萊爾在2000年被董事會(huì)召回,服務(wù)了一段時(shí)間。 |
????For all the talk of new executive blood, some big, but flailing, companies like JC Penney (JCP) and P&G (PG) are looking to former top executives for their rescue. Turning to the tried-and-true can seem like a failure of vision or lack of a talent net but corporate history shows that grabbing the familiar old ring actually makes sense. ????"When the company needs someone who can fix very specific things quickly and effectively, it can work," says Nancy Koehn, a historian and professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Famous examples include Steve Jobs at Apple (AAPL) and Howard Schultz at Starbucks (SBUX). ????"It's a combination of great passion and detachment, so they are able to cut what needs to be cut -- like Howard Schultz who first closed stores, then laid off people and stopped reporting same-store sales," Koehn said. ????"He could move quickly because he knew where all the bodies are buried, and was able to move past that jungle posturing that always accompanies a new executive and the people around him. It's necessary anthropology, but it's very time consuming." ????To revive its consumer products business, P&G brought back former CEO A.G. Lafley, 65, but the Cincinnati-based giant quickly moved to quell any criticism that it failed at succession planning by making known that four current executives would be moving into major new roles. ????Before retiring in 2009 after nearly a decade at P&G's helm, Lafley chose his successor, Robert McDonald, who struggled to right the giant goods purveyor in the unsettled economy. In the past, P&G has chosen its CEOs from its own ranks, although there is no public guarantee that will continue to be the case. ????"Lafley is coming back to continue a successful strategy," noted Rosabeth M. Kanter, a professor of leadership, strategy and innovation at Harvard Business School. Johnson "had to deal with the financial crisis and a lot of volatility," and Lafley's return will see him "accelerating restructuring to respond to that volatility. ????"That makes sense," said Kanter, who also is director of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative, and author of several books. P&G has been undergoing a $10 billion revamp, begun under McDonald. ????Recycled CEOs don't always work out - the late Kenneth Lay being a major case in point. He was brought back to revive Enron after a brief stint under Jeffrey Skilling's leadership. That ended badly. A different, but embarrassing, scenario beset Xerox, when nine-year veteran CEO Paul Allaire was called back, by the board, in 2000 for a stint. |
-
熱讀文章
-
熱門視頻