Microsoft Asian Institute of Management Equations
Zhang Yinqin, Dean of the Microsoft Asian Institute
Typically, large-scale software companies will form an research institute, laboratory, or similar institutions to accumulate their core technology and the pre-research work of future products. Unlike government research institutions, the research institutions of the enterprise must also think of the company's long-term development of enterprises while engage in basic research work, in order to improve the core competitiveness of the enterprise. It is summarized, which is the three major cars that the Enterprise Research Institute needs - first, helping enterprises to develop technology's long-term development strategy, making the company's technical strategy of think tanks; second, attracting first-class talents, creating new Knowledge, becoming the birthplace of enterprises "research results"; third, grasp technology trends and market development trends, bold innovation, and incubators in the future "core technology".
What kind of basic research should we do? On this issue, we have reached a high degree of consensus. We recognize that the basic research must have the latest ideas and the latest philosophy. It is a world-class; it must meet the development of technology development and market regularity; it is mainstream; it must be the development of the IT industry. To real promotion, it is useful; it must be based on the company's business situation, combined with the company's strategy development to design research direction and projects, and create value for the company in the near future, it is related.
Recently, the SARS epidemic in Beijing has made many people have the opportunity to re-examine their value and significance of their lives, and they will appreciate their respectable family and friendship. In this day, in addition to getting along with the family, there is also a chance to share with Shen Jingyang, Zhang Hongjiang and other research institutes, and to review the development history of the Microsoft Asian Research Institute for more than four years. The characteristics of various aspects of management, culture and talents have conducted some summary. Here, there is of course Microsoft's cultural accumulation, and there are also some innovative experiences and experience in the development process of the Research Institute. I call it "Microsoft Asia Institute Management Equation".
Law 1: IT = IQ (Talents) IP (Intellectual Properties)
Compared to competition participants in the traditional industrial framework, IT companies do not have factory buildings, pipelines and a large number of property entities, but the value of its creation may be higher - if Microsoft, General Electric and Wal-Mart The highest global market is placed together, we will find that Microsoft is far lower than the last two from all aspects of the company, the total amount of real estate, and the number of employees, but this does not hinder Microsoft to continue to improve under existing conditions. Investor's confidence index.
Therefore, the competitive advantage of IT enterprises is more embodied in "smart resources" rather than "material resources" - Douglas C. Engelbart is the inventor of the mouse, which is the first to drag a tail. Wood Box and Computing Control Technology Establishment - When the mouse is convinced of a consensus as one of the most important inventions in the 20th century, Engel Bat also won the "von Nuoman award" and The US National Technical Awards, this is absolutely said to be realized, because we can't even use substance standards to measure the value of the "father of mouse".
Just as Dr. Li, Dr. Li, Dr. Li, formerly, the information technology era, the value created by a person, it is likely to transcend the value of thousands of people in the past century; the value created by a genius, very It may exceed the value contributed by the same era and the 10,000 engineers. It is the most important thing for many IT companies (especially software companies) at the center of change, especially software companies, is the most important, and is the wisdom of people.
Another "ladder" that IT companies leading to success is intellectual property rights that constitutes the core of the company. Taking software companies as an example, intellectual property consisting of source code, patents, Know-how and processes can be said to be IT companies (especially software companies) dependent the source of energy.
In terms of software companies, its development model is roughly seeking investment, then mobilizing the strength to develop research, then pushing the product to the market, resulting in profits and preparing for the ultimate list - only in the entire industrial chain Under the premise of state, the environmental development of the industry can achieve the healthy development of the company. However, in the digital era, the lossless copy of wisdom results is a very easy thing. If the ignore of intellectual property is a common phenomenon, it will have to make the law-abiding software companies to accumulate core technology and store smart energy. It can be seen that there is an IQ strategy with technology-based IT companies, and there must be an IP strategy. Enterprises want to continue to be more high, and must take measures to attract the first-stream talents, giving them a space, protect and respect their knowledge and create their knowledge and create their knowledge, so that the value of wisdom is fully reflected.
Law 2: E = MC2
Einstein derived this quality conversion equation from his relativism. The physical meaning of this equation is clear: energy (e) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by the square of the radius (c) - but if we use to explore the management and culture of IT companies, then E = MC2 can be understood as : IT companies have a large number of talent (M) with excellent potential, but more important - as a leader of the company, need to find or create a rapid development mechanism (C2), so that these talents are completely freed. In this process, advanced management methods, infectious corporate culture will produce a series of positive chain reactions between talent individuals, talents and talents, and create energy (e) for the company to maximize the company.
Can IT companies break through the "Regular Speed of Enterprise Development", the key is whether I can find and create such a mechanism for chain reactions. How to create such a environment that can generate "wisdom fusion"? This is a big problem that managers must think about cautious. First of all, it should be a brand effect of existing talents. The former Dean of the Research Institute has developed a computer (1985) who defeated the human world championship (1985) in the University of Carnegie Mi Long, after the apple, sgi, or in Microsoft, he has shown a pleasing Professional talents and operational management capabilities; our two deputy dean sink Yang Yang and Zhang Hongjiang, the former is the top masters in the field of computer image processing research, the latter is a world-class expert in the technical field of multimedia video retrieval processing. Li Kai Fu, Shen Jingyang and Zhang Hongjiang have a very high visibility in their respective research - by their "brand", research institutes have gathered a large number of technologies in China and the United States in a relatively short period of time, thus forming Size today. Recently, Dr. Xu Fengxiong, who is "deep blue project", returned to Beijing to join Microsoft Asia Research Institute, once again proved the correctness of our strategy. Second, outside the talent, we also need to cultivate talents under the existing conditions, so that they can play the potential that they have contained. As we all know, study, engage in projects, writing articles not only need IQ, but also need EQ (Chinese). At the Institute, we have a talent training program called "Tomorrow Star", which includes a series of courses airamid to improve researchers work skills and professional quality, covering research, development and corporate culture. . It turns out that this talent training program has indeed ranking it, and our researchers generally reflect these courses to let them "find a half-time pathway", and "the view is clearer". Finally, attract talents, create talents just complete the "energy reserves" of the company, how to use these "energy", make it the biggest "energy"? This requires managers to provide "energy" environment, process, and "stimulation" of "energy". The inventor of Digital Ink Analysis Technology Wang Jian Jian Jianyuan teaches psychology in college. He has said that the research institute has no barriers to the level concept, no customary convention, which is a place where the researchers can do their own "big things". However, "I can freely do myself to do what I want to do" is just one aspect. There is no pressure in the Research Institute. For those who are accustomed to "sitting thinking", we chase me between our project groups. This atmosphere behind will definitely make him unable to adapt. In general, a company can have much "energy" depends on the quality of the talent and the mechanism of all the potential of talents.
Law three: ΔV x ΔP ≥ α
Hesensibao's income principle is one of the most important theories in quantum mechanics. When we study the management methods and cultural connotations of IT companies, if the two variables of "undue theory" is changed to the accuracy and risk of corporate goals, they will learn that companies are accurate and risky. It is impossible to completely accurate, which leads to two distinct cultural and management models.
One is that enterprises perform extremely cautious in determining development goals or a research institution in assessing research topics, accurate, and control the risk of risk in minimal, so although some "perfect constant", it is often Because of the mid careful, solid self-sealing, the development of the lead - IT industry can be described in "rapidly change", so-called "only fast fish eat slow fish, no big fish eat small fish", do not want to take risks, do not want to make mistakes, Enterprises are in a passive position in competition.
Microsoft's management and culture belongs to another. When determining the development goals / assessment research topics, we emphasize "encourage innovation, allowing failure." Even if the risk is big, it is not possible to make an adaptation. People who understand the calculation history know that in the 1980s, when the Windows transition from the character interface DOS, the situation was: If Microsoft hugged DOS, the ending was eager to die; if you choose to adventure, The transformation process may be very painful, and the result is not necessarily successful, but Bill Gates loves it. I am imagined now, if Microsoft doesn't have this kind of "putting the whole company", I am afraid that I have already been there. .NET is another big "bet" of another company. Successful, Microsoft will once again be in the position of the lead; fail, it may also be lost. But as of now, it is seen that Microsoft's upper and lower employees have no fear of unbearable future. Microsoft Asian Institute also carries this management and cultural characteristics of Microsoft. The research institute does not welcome the "do not do, less mistakes" - when choosing the topic, everyone prefer to dig the difficulty, risk, but may give the company to bring huge benefits to users, Large, big risk, success after success - I don't involve it for those who have difficulty research difficulties, there is no risk but also there is no impact.
Various local high-speed development will inevitably make the entire enterprise operates to maintain high efficiency. The research groups have continuously created new technical results under the mechanism of "innovation and do not follow". In recent years, Microsoft Asian Research Institutes have obtained in terms of technical achievements, or in terms of technical achievements conversion. Achievements attached to this, this is in innovation with us, and the risk is not open.
When the research institute has just been established, it is only constructed by one of the topic groups; today, in addition to the topic group, we also set up a new technology development department and special project group - the former is the bridge of the topic group and the company's product group, which helps to open The barriers between high-profile technologies and customer needs; the latter hopes to become a new technology of Microsoft, the product's incubator - our expectations are: 5 to 10 years, it can be studied and developed like windows, office, impact, impact huge New product line.
Of course, encourage adventures that do not equal encouragement failure, allowing mistakes to make mistakes to be stupid. Whether companies identify the development direction, or research institutional assessment technology issues, some basic principles should be grasped - this is of course another topic.
Law 4: EC ò ∞ thermodynamics second law
In 1850, German physicist, Rudolf Clausius, proposed the qualitative expression of "The Second Law of thermodyology"; 15 years later, he introduced the concept of "entropy" in the first time. As one of the greatest scientific discovery in the 19th century, the second law of thermodynamics: Over time, the state in the closed system is gradually inclined to no order, entropy tends to be unlimited, and the energy available is unlimited. Small, ultimately to entropy the dead chaos.
It is also the same IT company. On the one hand, enterprises need to build an open environment. Today, global technology is shared, any move that may cause occasional and blocked consequences will make companies or institutions unable to identify the opportunities and crises in the far away, thereby delaying the pace of advancement. From the first day of its establishment, Microsoft Asian Institutes have always implemented the principles of opening, and communicate frequently with well-known academic institutions at home and abroad, inviting the Nobel Prize, Tu Leizhu's world top experts come to China, and also encourage Our researchers go out to exchange research experience with peers of universities and research institutes at home and abroad. Open research environment is conducive to researchers to learn about the latest academic achievements in R & D fields, open up their eyes, enhance their academic literacy - in such an environment, the speed of talent is naturally faster.
On the other hand, it is to share technical results with Chinese and international academic colleagues. So far, the research institute has held four research results open day activities, and invited experts from domestic and foreign teachers and students to visit. The topic group also actively participates in the first-class academic conference and puts new research experience. The famous journals; the research institute has also funded the students in computer related academic fields, and open it to the Institute to experience the rich academic atmosphere to the Institute ... open research environment, shared research results have won the Microsoft Asia Research Institute. The academic recognition and even praise, and it is also a great encouragement for our researchers. Experience tells us that the technology update of IT industry is extremely fast, and the company is open, which means more vitality, more possible, regardless of management, operation, and culture.
Law 5: 1 1 ≥ 3
This law is the internal and external cooperation of the company. The premise of cooperation first must be a win-win situation. In addition, when consolidating the necessity of cooperation, it should be noted that a benign cooperation should be able to achieve nonlinear value. If a cooperative, the substantive benefits brought about by cooperation are less than the investment in cooperation, such There is no meaning and physical basis for cooperation. I call this law for the full necessity of cooperation between enterprises.
Let me talk about the internal cooperation mechanism of the Microsoft Asian Institute. The research staff of the Institute mainly came from China and the United States. Chinese scholars and American scholars have commonality in terms of risks, have ambition, learning and adaptation of different environments, but Chinese scholars have commonality, but due to the different academic backgrounds and life experiences, the talents of the two countries have their own characteristics: Chinese talents often insist Seeking truth from facts, overcoming difficult perseverance, theoretical foundation, especially mathematics foundation, the programming ability is different, and the discipline, the conviction is from the initiative, independence is slightly weak, sometimes clearly thoughts Dare to say it. American talents are rich in innovation, passionate about their own problems, active, independent engaged in research, the topic is far, do deep, communication, always able to express their opinions Even in order to adhere to your own yourself, you will not hesitate to criticize - just a relatively different part of the complexity when needed. After a short-lived, the research institute's Sino-US talents have fully realized "cooperation in order". This is because our research team has a clear research objectives and strict evaluation criteria in our work. We don't exclude any working methods for reservation targets. So our researchers can inspire the greatest enthusiasm, play the biggest potential, and the results of cooperation are often more than our expectation.
In terms of foreign cooperation, these years, research institutes and academia, with peers, and even compete in research on scientific research issues; In order to dedicate the best products to customers, it is close to our -wing -wate XP, Tablet PC, Windows MovieMaker 2.0 and other products, is the product of this "1 1 ≥ 3" cooperative mechanism.
However, "good at cooperation" must not be equivalent to "unproductive cooperation". Microsoft Asian Institute attaches great importance to the "assessment" of cooperation. We insist that any cooperation should bring a win-win, "1 1 ≥ 3" results. Therefore, in choosing partners, establishing a cooperative mechanism, monitoring cooperation, research institutes will adhere to extremely careful and highly responsible attitude. Objectively, suggesting that the research institute is successful in collaboration within and outside, to a large extent, we must adhere to our principles of "1 1 ≥ 3".
