I used a few blog posts to acquaint you with the Xerox-HP maneuvering. Reminding you one of the best way to learn management concepts is to study how existing businesses deal with their operations and strategies.. Today, I will discuss another way to learn the “new ways” of business.
Most of you know that Amazon is in the process of transforming a dying business community- Crystal City (part of Arlington, Virginia), and the contiguous portion in Alexandria (Potomac Yards). Where they will be assembling some 50000 tech workers and transforming the two ‘neighborhoods’ (of what was once Alexandria, DC) into what will be known as “National Landing”. (What used to be called Amazon HQ2 even includes a pedestrian bridge to Washington National Airport.)
But, the real news is that over the past decade or so, Amazon has become the sine qua non of American management. (The other management syste held up as a standard has been Berkshire Hathaway and its head, Warren Buffet.) From the moment I attended college until recently, the management system considered to be the best in the world was that manifested by General Electric. It was the breeding ground for corporate chieftains, and if those folks didn’t reach the upper echelons of GE, they were found at 3M, Home Depot, and a slew of many other firms.
GE’s process became known as the GE Way. It ran a multidivisional structure that was the envy of the world. And, it’s values and cultures were taught to MBA’s and engineering managers to help them lead enterprises for the future. The GE culture demonstrated in the chart below was the “golden rule” to follow.
But, now it’s ‘big tech’ that rules the roost. And, as that developed, Amazon became the place to be, to learn how to be a CEO, a manager, an entrepreneur. Because Amazon is now a driver of innovation, constantly attacking the status quo to reach new heights.
And, the Amazon way is very different. Instead of boisterous discussions, it is not atypical for a meeting to start in stark silence- as folks read the document that is the basis for the meeting. Like GE when Welch (by the way, he is a PhD Chem E) was CEO with his pet phrase (fix, close, or sell) and axing the lowest performers, folks are lapping up things Jeff Bezos (the head of Amazon) says and does- like “It’s always Day 1 at Amazon” . (That means one should keep innovating and never be complacent.) Or, the “six-pager”, the narrative that is used to propose any new idea. (Yes, it does mean Powerpoint is passe!)
But, that doesn’t mean Amazon is infallible. (Not by a long shot.) One of the biggest criticisms of Amazon is their marketplace is not well policed. There are “fake” reviews, it has sold below-par and dangerous goods (even trash!) through its marketplace.
There’s one key consideration for everyone. Whether it was GE in its heyday or Amazon now, folks may have had the best training ground in the world- but there’s no guarantee that everyone adopting and learning their practices is going to succeed. Consider the fact that GE taught folks how to handle big, domineering industrial entities- ones that relied upon research and/or manufacturing excellence- or they grew by acquisition. Those practices weren’t ideal models for retail enterprises, where those bedrock components are either lacking or of no utility.
OK. School’s out for today.
I’ve been an Amazon customer since almost day one. I am rethinking that even as I ordered something this week. Fraudulent reviews, purchased reviews. When I needed curtain tie backs recently there was something so odd about multiple stores with strange names all selling the same item. I ordered from someone else I have actually unknowingly purchased one counterfeit item. The vendor actually contacted me and made good. I don’t buy from them that much. But I trust Amazon less and less.
I think that’s the issue Amazon better address of their business mode will be kaput.
As for GE, a lot has changed with them since the 60’s. Will the Amazon deal be a good thing for Virginia?
If they provide the jobs they promised- you bet. Otherwise, it will yield a lot of short-term pain with little gain, Martha.
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