The Academy of Management meeting in Boston was the first since the passing of Steve Jobs. A session was devoted to discussions of Jobs's life and entrepreneurship. Amy Elizabeth Hurley-Hanson of Chapman University wore a black turtleneck and jeans in homage. John Kimberly of the University of Pennsylvania, co-author of The Soul of the Corporation, talked about the stages of Jobs life.
Kimberly suggested that a large part of Jobs's gift was his innate sense of his organization's identity. He grew Apple the first time with a clear vision of what kind of company he wanted it to become. In the early 1980s John Sculley took over, brought a more traditional business perspective, Jobs was out, and research and development decreased.
When Jobs came back in the late 1990s, he still had that same strong sense of what Apple was. He could answer the question, "Who are we really?" He made outsiders wonder "Who are they?" At its core Apple was about design and innovation. Jobs was a master of projecting the identity of Apple. In 2008 when he realized that his life might be shortened, he worked to insure that organizational identity continued as Apple transitioned to a future without Steve Jobs. He hired Joel Podolny from the Yale School of Management to head Apple University. "Joel, you are designing the transition", said Jobs according to Kimberly.
Do you know what your organization is really about? Can you state that identity is just a few words? Some organizations and their leaders lose their way because they forget who they are. Everyone in an organization should understand those core values. Steve Jobs understood this.
Kimberly suggested that a large part of Jobs's gift was his innate sense of his organization's identity. He grew Apple the first time with a clear vision of what kind of company he wanted it to become. In the early 1980s John Sculley took over, brought a more traditional business perspective, Jobs was out, and research and development decreased.
When Jobs came back in the late 1990s, he still had that same strong sense of what Apple was. He could answer the question, "Who are we really?" He made outsiders wonder "Who are they?" At its core Apple was about design and innovation. Jobs was a master of projecting the identity of Apple. In 2008 when he realized that his life might be shortened, he worked to insure that organizational identity continued as Apple transitioned to a future without Steve Jobs. He hired Joel Podolny from the Yale School of Management to head Apple University. "Joel, you are designing the transition", said Jobs according to Kimberly.
Do you know what your organization is really about? Can you state that identity is just a few words? Some organizations and their leaders lose their way because they forget who they are. Everyone in an organization should understand those core values. Steve Jobs understood this.
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