> A friend who works at Microsoft tells me they have reinvented themselves
> (yet again) just in the last few days in response, perhaps, to recent
> announcements from Sun regarding Java. He said that even after working
> through several reorganizations and realignments, this one absolutely left
> his head spinning. As a LO they appear to be a "quick study!" Is there
> someone here who can/would discuss that process?
In "Microsoft Secrets: How the World's Most Powerful Software Company
Creates Technology, Shapes Markets, and Manages People", Michael A.
Cusumano and Richard W. Selby, say "We have labeled Microsoft's style of
product development the synch-and-stabilize approach. The essence is
simple: continually synchronize what people are doing as individuals and
as members of different teams, and periodically stabilize the product in
increments--in other words, as the project proceeds, rather than once at
the end."
To me that seems like, free-moving parts yet a controlled system.
Their process has developed through years of increasing success and
complexity and a changing role in the computer marketplace. Their culture
is based on significant intelligence in their workers and management, so
much so that it is noted. It is not easy to supervise the particulars of
that work and keep developers productive, so their processes include some
sense of freedom. Yet requirements are high.
I've heard that the employees tend to be very loyal and the book says they
are motivated to do a good job.
Though the yearly pay is not high (I think Bill Gates' salary is around
$300,000 - not high for billionaires!), because of company stock options,
they may have the highest percentage of millionaires of any company.
Have a nice day
John Paul Fullerton
jpf@myriad.net
--"John Paul Fullerton" <jpf@mail.myriad.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>