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2011年，IBM計劃慶祝其誕生100周年之際，我忽然想到，該公司在過去一個世紀的改變與同期全球經濟的變化極為相似。兩者都受益于經濟增長，以及人類歷史上前所未見的生活水平的大幅提高。而這一進步主要得益于全球社會融合以及信息技術的普及。
如今，全球經濟一體化為企業和社會的未來帶來巨大機遇。對企業而言，在全球市場上買賣商品和服務，可節約成本、增加收入，同時還能將全球的人才及其見解收為己用。社會也將受益匪淺：人們將得以提高自身生活水平；政府將找到新的合作途徑。雖然很多人指出一體化存在風險，但更迫切、更務實的問題是：我們如何面對未來？我們是欣然迎接未來？還是執著于過去？
上述問題對于美國乃至全球的企業都相當重要。我們正處在人類歷史上首個真正的全球化時代，在全球流轉的信息、人員、產品、服務以及理念，其數量之大、速度之快都前所未有。在這個時代，企業面臨著新的挑戰。優質服務將通過云式平臺交付，而股東回報是必須的。這個新時代需要新的商業模式、新的企業結構、新的投資者參與以及新思維。
全球整合企業（globally integrated enterprise, GIE）在這個全球化時代必不可少，同時，此類企業特別適合從全球化時代中受益。我所說的全球整合企業，是指其管理和經營實現真正全球化（而不僅僅是“跨國”）的企業。在該模式中，工作的組織方式完全不同。這要求減少層級，同時需要技能和行為多元化，增加合作和透明度，財務管理更加嚴格，且更加注重文化差異的多樣性。
舉例來說，決定在何處進行經營，將取決于如何使客戶、員工以及生意伙伴實現價值最大化。人不再跟著工作走，相反，工作將跟人走。因此，不同的市場不會有獨立的供應鏈，而是只有一條全球化的供應鏈，不僅對產品是如此，對服務、資本、創意和知識產權而言都是如此。
同樣，考慮人力資本時，不再囿于國家、地區和業務部門的限制，而是考慮如何將其作為全球性資產來管理和部署。我在IBM擔任首席執行官時發現，IBM的未來將專注于創新，這意味著我們未來不是資本密集型企業，而會是人力資本密集型企業，提供軟件和服務。因此，雇傭和留住最優秀的人才，比以往任何時候都更重要。但是，與從前不同的是，這些人才身在何處、來自何方并不重要，我們只希望他們在IBM工作出色，而且我們希望盡我們所能，幫助他們脫穎而出。
就我們的全球員工而言，我們認識到有必要建立共同的文化，以確保整個公司有統一的價值觀，無論我們的員工在何處工作（這正是全球整合企業中“整合”一詞的含義）。為此，我們在全公司進行調查（即我們所說的“ValuesJam”），使IBM所有員工都有機會暢所欲言，探討公司應該主張什么，以及公司員工應當如何運作。調查最終產生出一套不斷更新的價值觀，成為聯系全球IBM員工的紐帶。
一家公司要成為全球整合企業，其領導者必須懷有一種特定的心態，我在IBM擔任首席執行官時，致力于向我的同事們灌輸這種心態。這種心態關注的重點是，企業如何作為單獨的有機整體實現無縫運營：通過橫向并在全球范圍內整合內部操作，與外部合作伙伴協作，在全球最佳地點經營，以便從全球視角最大限度地創造價值。
采取了全球整合企業關鍵原則和做法的，遠不止IBM一家公司。來自不同國家、不同行業的許多企業都實施了與IBM所采取的做法類似的措施。這些企業包括水泥及其它建材龍頭企業墨西哥水泥集團（Cemex）、全球最具活力手機供應商之一印度巴帝電信（Bharti Airtel）、以及正憑借創新性產品和管理在全球汽車行業風生水起的中國吉利汽車（Geely）。這些企業所采取的措施，都是自身經驗的副產品，它們由此得出了與IBM同樣的結論：公司要保持競爭力，必須全球化，但在全球化的同時，必須緊跟客戶，同時強調促進靈活、創新以及生產力的價值觀和原則。
全球整合企業以及企業面對的新全球化時代，是我目前工作的重心。我在今年早些時候發表了名為《重新思考：未來之路》（Re-Think: A Path to the Future）的書作。這些領域代表了全球企業中心（Center forGlobal Enterprise）工作的基礎。全球企業中心是我在去年創建的一家研究機構，致力于解讀我們生活的這個時代，同時記錄新的管理科學如何興起，領導者如何運用該科學，以及所有利益相關方應如何努力使其效益最大化。（中國進出口網）
In 2011, as IBM was planning to commemorate its 100th anniversary, it struck me that therewere dramatic parallels between the company’s transformation over 10 decades and the wayin which the global economy had been transformed over the same period. Both had benefitedfrom an expansion of economic growth, and an increase in living standards, that was withoutprecedent in human history. This progress had been greatly enabled by the integration ofglobal society, and through the power and prevalence of information technology.
Today, global economic integration presents enormous opportunity for the future ofbusiness and society. For business, buying and selling goods and services in a global marketcan lead to cost savings and increased revenue, but also the ability to draw on the talents andinsights of a global workforce. Society can also benefit in a myriad of ways, from individualsrealizing higher living standards to governments realizing new avenues for cooperation. Andwhile many point to the risks of integration, the more pressing and more pragmaticquestions are the following: How do we deal with the future? Do we embrace it? Or do we clingto the past?
These questions are particularly important for companies in the United States and throughoutthe world. They face new challenges as they navigate what is the first truly global era inhuman history – an era in which the volume and speed of information, people, products,services and ideas being circulated around the world is greater than ever before. wher qualityservices will be delivered via cloud-like platforms and consistency of shareholder returns will bemandatory. This new era calls for new business models, new corporate structures, newinvestor engagement and new thinking.
Fundamental to the global era, and uniquely suited to benefit from it, is what I call the globallyintegrated enterprise (GIE), which refers to companies that are truly global (as opposed to“multinational”) in their management and their operations. In this model, work is organized infundamentally different ways. It calls for different skills and behaviors, more collaboration andtransparency, more disciplined financial management, greater focus on a multiplicity ofcultural differences, and less hierarchy.
As an example, decisions about wher to locate operations are based on how to maximizevalue for customers, employees, and business partners. Instead of taking people to wher thework is, you take work to wher the people are. Thus, rather than maintaining separate supplychains in different markets, there is one supply chain, and it’s global — not just for products,but also services, capital, ideas, and intellectual property.
Similarly, human capital is thought of not in terms of countries and regions and business units,but rather how to manage and deploy it as one global asset. While CEO, I saw that IBM’s IBM-0.02% future was going to be focused on innovation, which meant that rather than beingcapital-intensive, we were going to be human capital-intensive – delivering software andservices. So it was even more important than in the past that we hired and retained the bestpeople. But unlike earlier eras, it didn’t really matter wher these people were or wher theycame from – we simply wanted them to excel in their work at IBM and we wanted to do whatwe could to help them excel.
In connection with our global workforce, we recognized the need to create a common culturethat would ensure consistent values throughout the company, regardless of wher ouremployees were working (that’s the “integrated” part of GIE). To that end, we conducted acompany-wide survey – what we called a “ValuesJam” – that gave anyone working for IBM theopportunity to weigh in on what the company should stand for and how our employees shouldoperate. That exercise culminated with an updated set of values that became the connectivetissue for IBMers throughout the world.
For a company to become a GIE, its leaders must embrace a particular frame of mind – onethat I worked to imbue in my colleagues while I was CEO of IBM. This frame of mind is focusedon how to operate seamlessly as a single organic entity – by integrating internal operationshorizontally and globally, collaborating with external partners, and operating at the bestlocation in the world, to maximize value creation from a global point of view.
IBM is far from the only company that has adopted key GIE principles and practices. A numberof companies, operating across a diverse set of countries and industries, have implementedmeasures that resemble those we adopted at IBM. They include CemexCX -0.16% of Mexico, aleading producer of cement and other building materials; Bharti Airtel of India, one of theworld’s most dynamic cellular telephone providers; and Geely of China, which is making majorinroads in the global car industry thanks to innovative products and management. Themeasures they’ve implemented are a byproduct of their own experiences, which led them toreach the same conclusions we did at IBM: that companies need to be global in order to staycompetitive, but need to do so in ways that keep them close to their customers while alsoemphasizing values and principles that foster agility, innovation, and productivity.
The GIE, and the new global era for business, are at the center of my current work. My book,Re-Think: A Path to the Future, was published earlier this year. These areas represent thefoundation of work being undertaken by the Center for Global Enterprise (CGE), which is aresearch organization I launched last year. Its work is being devoted to explaining the age inwhich we are living, while also documenting how a new management science is emerging, howleaders can apply it, and how all stakeholders should strive to maximize its benefits.
