Lead: This article is the article written by Dr. Li Kai Fu, Dr. Li Kai Fu, Microsoft Corporation. Li Kai Fu analyzed Microsoft's experience in success, and made recommendations for China's high-tech enterprises.
As one of the most successful companies in the world, Microsoft provides countless outstanding software products for hundreds of millions of users around the world in the past two decades, and revealing the power of the software industry with their own practical experience. Vitality and huge business value.
Microsoft's current market value is $ 310 billion. In the fiscal year 2005, Microsoft's sales revenue will reach approximately $ 40 billion to achieve $ 16.5 billion profit. After sending $ 33 billion in dividends last year, Microsoft still has $ 35 billion in cash reserves.
I believe that Microsoft's reasons why Microsoft continues to success, there are four points: (1) Technology: use innovative spirit to grasp the pulse of technology development, with reasonable research and development system to ensure the efficiency of enterprises, with persistent attitude towards the development of software industry; (2) Leadership Art: The highest decision makers have excellent talents, clear division of labor and perfect cooperation; (3) Talents: multi-channel discovery and hiring talents, effective talent screening mechanisms, sustainable training for talents; (4) Corporate culture: It is not afraid of challenges, self-criticism, flexible equality and the attitude responsible for customers have formed a tradition in Microsoft, and has been systematically guaranteed. Below, I will introduce Microsoft's operations and management experience from these four aspects, I hope to help China's high-tech enterprises.
Technology: Microsoft's hope
(1) Advance with the times, constantly innovation
Three or four hundred years ago, knowledge was slowly accumulated in a long time. However, since the industrial revolution, the progress of science and technology is no longer relying on the accumulation of history, but more importantly, relying on constant innovation. After the information revolution, the growth of technology will often present the trend of exponential growth. In terms of information technology, the knowledge and experience gained in the past decade have no doubt have far more than the accumulation of the past 100 years.
Microsoft has deeply understood that the importance of technical direction is grasped in such a large environment. When Microsoft successfully succeeded in early Basic products, it began to invest in DOS. After the success of DOS, Microsoft immediately puts funds and man more in research and development, and successfully launched Office Series Software Products. Subsequently, Microsoft used the accumulation of software such as Office and other software, started the development of new generation operating systems such as Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP. When the tide of the Internet arrived, Microsoft lost in the field of online research and development, and continued to launch new products. Today, Microsoft puts a lot of resources into the core direction of "seamless calculation", and continues to innovate in the development of MSN, mobile software, digital TV, Xbox, high credibility calculation, natural user interface and other aspects.
Under the promotion of technical wave, Microsoft always puts technology research and development, and the technology is considered as the company's unique wealth and advantage. For example, Microsoft puts approximately $ 8.5 billion in R & D in the R & D field in the 2005, exceeding one-fifth of its turnover. This ratio hits the first place in the "World Fortune 500".
(2) The "Chief Architect" of the operation
Pay attention to technology, and companies must have a maximum technical decision maker. Now, Microsoft's decision maker is Bill Gates, Microsoft's "Chief Architect". The establishment of this special position is because, whether in Microsoft or other companies, the CEO does not have time management technology, and many so-called "Chief Technology Officers" are unintentional scientists, and decided not to have the direction of technology. However, in a technical leading industry, a company does not have the highest decision maker in the technical direction.
As the chief architect, Bill Gates' work is to develop the company's long-term technology roadmap and confirm that the research plan of each administrative department of the company is complementary rather than overlapping. Therefore, he asked for every product and technical department of the company to do technical reports, which mostly a "brainstorm" discussion meeting. Do this report, in addition to getting Bill Gates feedback, each project team can also benefit from the preparation process. Because the project team must completely investigate the market, technology, competitors and other information before the report, and therefore avoiding the risk of closed doors. In addition, Bill Gats will take two times a year, think of the problem alone with "closed" way, which is called Bill Gates' "thinking week". Before "Thinking Week", Gats will askian elites to provide a large number of reading materials and technical recommendations in their personal expertise. In "Thinking Week", Gates usually work is to bury the screening of materials and technical advice, and write down their thoughts, quietly think, and ultimately make some important decisions on the company's technical strategy.
(3) Continuous R & D mechanism
For faster, better future technology into reality software products, Microsoft has not only put a lot of resources in technology research and development, but also establishes a sound technical management system. Bill Gates set up the "Excellent Project" department, which is responsible for confirming that the company's R & D mechanism is energetic. The development process is the most efficient, and the developed software is safe and reliable, and the overlapping development between different departments is avoided.
This department has the implementation of the management company engineering process, so that the entire company will walk in the front end of the software industry.
Microsoft's investment in technology research and development is unswerving. Microsoft has long since found its famous basic research institutions (such as Microsoft Asian Research Institute), and fully recognizes that there is a huge difference between scientific research and product development work. The research work encourages adventure and not afraid of failure, encouraging researchers to have long-term goals and planning, do long-term investment; product development work more considering the interests of the eyes, the purpose of only one is to meet the needs of customers. Research institutions develop science and technology, production sector manufacturing products, and researchers are usually "thinkers", and more product developers are more "practical home." The difference between these two types of work and two technicians is very obvious. If we want to better promote the transfer of research results to actual products, we must create a good environment for their collaboration on the basis of maintaining their respective characteristics. And conditions.
In order to promote the transfer of research results, Microsoft encourages researchers to act as new technology sales, to promote scientific and technological achievements to the product department, and encourage product sectors to promptly feedback to the research department in time for users' needs and industrial development. Bill Gates recently said in a speech that Microsoft has two types of things, one is to meet the needs of users, and the other is to meet the future needs. This shows that Microsoft has considered scientific research and development as two main lines developed by the company. In fact, Microsoft has developed a common goal for two types of different institutions, and has established communication channels, which also strictly divides the boundaries of the two, and has developed different assessment systems for different types of institutions. At the same time, Microsoft also allows and encourages talents to transfer and flow between two types of institutions. Now, the Microsoft Research Institute will output a large number of research results to the product department each year. Most of these achievements have been applied to various successful software products of Microsoft.
(4) Focus on the most good software business
Microsoft is a company that focuses on software technology and software products. Although Microsoft also invests in content services such as MSN and hardware products such as Xbox, the ultimate goal of these products is to promote software and software platforms. Microsoft's main body is always software, and most of Microsoft's sales revenue is also created by software. Microsoft's position is, in the entire ecosystem of the information industry, focusing on the role of pure software providers, other characters are played by companies such as Dell, HP, Accenture. Only in this way, Microsoft can do its own expertise to keep the leading position in the software field. "Focus" is important to the company because a company's success also comes from the care of managers or leaders. Many companies leaders may lead the company to many different directions because of the urgent development. For example, some large IT companies will put funds into hardware, service, or other industries such as hardware, service, or other industries. This is spreading the company's attention, and the company's leadership does not have the ability or passion to manage these newly opened companies. But Microsoft's leadership always puts the focus on seven basic business sector software services. These seven departments are committed by development software, with software platform as the core, with Bill Gates as the total architect. In this way, the leaders of the seven seven seven seven seven seven seven seven sectors can have a common language, common management methods, common to software's focus and enthusiasm, can do not have to distract on things that they are not good at or not, they can get water like fish, and play personal potential in Microsoft.
Leader: Source of Microsoft's Success
The success of Microsoft has a large extent, benefited from Microsoft's own leaders: Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Before 2000, Microsoft's only leader is Bill. In January 2000, in order to better grasp the technical direction, Bill handed the CEO's work to Steve and did "Chairman and Chief Architect".
Later, Steve divided the company into seven commercial sectors, and each department is responsible for a series of products and users (for example: large enterprise departments are responsible for server software and tools such as Windows, SQL Server; the home entertainment department is responsible for Xbox, TV software Platform and game software, etc.). Since 2000, Bill and Steve have become the best partner, and the two lead the seven departments have grown steadily in the economic storm, which is one of the biggest reasons for the company's success.
(1) Chief architect Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the technical leader of Microsoft. He is good at learning the company's development direction through its own vision, and constantly develops strategic goals for the company's new product development. Through the "Thinking Week", "Brainstorming Conference" in the previous introduction, Bill Gates is brainstormed in the entire company, collecting the latest information to ensure the correctness of technical decisions and prospective.
Another job of Bill is to coordinate the company's investment, and avoid overlapping investments in the seven business sectors. He will understand every important technology, hand over the development task to a certain department, and ask the department to regard six sectors as an important customer, as well as other six departments should not overlap investment. For example, although seven departments require voice technology, Bill is handed over to my department. This arrangement makes me don't have to worry about the competition within the company, and the employees in my team will also have a sense of accomplishment because of their own products.
Bill Gates also is responsible for determining the technical resource allocation of the seven business sectors of the whole company in various research and development directions. Most companies may assign the most resources in the most profitable departments. But Microsoft is not doing this. For example, Microsoft is responsible for the number of people developed by Office products, but the server and tool sector have the most technical staff. This is mainly because Microsoft faces a more fierce market competition in the background service area, and more resources need to be investing more resources as soon as possible to develop the heavyweight products such as IBM, Sun and other competitors. Microsoft puts a lot of resources in the mobile product department, but also because Bill Gates is optimistic about the huge market prospects in mobile communications. Because the seven business sectors in Microsoft are not completely independent, Bill Gates can make limited resources to the most potential or competitive technical field according to their own judgments in the technical direction. (2) CEO Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer is the header of Microsoft's number one cheerleadie. He is a very passionate person, the voice is very strong, very powerful, and very sensible, very penetrating. He is a versatile leader, both commercial minds, and strategic vision, can encounter, passion, and technological. Microsoft's people often say that Steve is as an assessment to the lower level, just like "Olympics", it is very high as it is not allowed to make mistakes. When the summary report is submitted, Steve only looks at each other and even more than ten inappropriate places. Through this evaluation, lower-level employees can harvest a lot of experience and knowledge, which can be better in the future work.
When Microsoft integrates all companies into seven commercial sectors, Steve Ballmer retreats from the front desk. He no longer makes specific managers, but transforms back to supporters behind the supervisors of the seven sectors. He no longer makes the final determinant of each major event, but supports the growth of seven sectoral supervisors. He no longer be the most inciting cheerleader, and becomes a behind-the-scenes coach. Steve supports the seven departments of the supervisor to let go of its own management talents, and he will spend more time in the company's values and talent construction.
(3) Best partner
Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are two most important people in Microsoft. In the high-tech companies I have experienced, employees always love to complain about the company's top leaders, but in Microsoft, almost all employees have admired to Bid and Steve.
And they have worked for many years, I think two people are very talented, they can set up humility, brave and perseverance, and bravely learn from failure. The three most special advantages of them are:
1. Courage to change, strong adaptation: Bill and Steve are people with strong adaptability, can adjust their work roles and work mode according to the changes. Both two people are constantly learning, constantly improving their work. For example, after the failure of the speech, Bill is brave enough to learn speech skills; 2000, in order to develop better, Bill handed the CEO to Steve; set up a seven business sector, Steve from cheerleaders Long turn type has become the behind-the-scenes coach ... These are examples of Microsoft employees.
2. Full of love and passion on the company: Bill and Steve are not working for making money, but for the company, for users, in order to enjoy passion and happiness. They have not taken stocks and sharing in many years, and hundreds of millions of wealth will give employees. It is precisely because they have dyed all the employees' enthusiasm, Microsoft can bring together the wisdom of all companies, and create the greatest value for the company.
3. Trust each other, support each other: The most rare to Microsoft is that Bill and Steve have trust each other, jointly promoting Microsoft's forward development, and completed the perfect position of 2000 to today's perfect job handover, common Responsible for creating the company's future. They have never had a power struggle, and there is a problem with political disputes. This is the most cost-effective thing in this reality today, selfish society is also the best in Microsoft's success. Although Bill and Steve are still young, energetic, it is still early retirement, but they have begun to work in successors. In this way, even after they retire, Microsoft can continue their management style and management philosophy and have been successful.
Talent: Microsoft's business
Microsoft puts the management philosophy of emphasis on talents as the core wealth of the company. In the information age, the value of talent is particularly important. In the industrial era, an excellent mechanic and an efficiency difference between a general mechanic may be 30%, but in the information era, a senior programmer and a normal programmer can be as high as 10 times.
For example, Microsoft has a programming master. Once he said to a manager, your product is still an important function. That manager said, I also want to do this, but at least 50 people are half a year, now I have no time. The programming masters did not say, when he was meeting, he said to the manager, the features you want, I have finished doing it. Because such a programming master may know the shortcuts of many other programmers don't know, he can do 50 people for half a year in a week. It can be seen that such talents have special significance to the company, the company must be good at tracking, excavating, interview, hiring, evaluation, training, paying attention to and retaining such talents, and should regard talent related work as the company's most important One of the tasks.
(1) Xu Xiangrui: Track and excavate talents
Another direct reflection of talents is that managers must be good at hiring high-level talents, while Microsoft's managers are very good at discovering and hiring talents. Whether the other party is a master's talent, still a graduate or have already People who leave the company.
For example, Microsoft's most important leaders and master Jim Allchin currently be responsible for platform product development in Microsoft. In that year, Bill Gates would like to ask him to join Microsoft, and contact him for many times, Jim Allchin is ignored. Later, after Bill and then three invitation, Jim finally agreed to interview. As a result, Jim saw that Bill said, Microsoft's software is the most bad world, and I don't understand what Bill asked him. Bill Gates not only does not mind, but said to him, it is because Microsoft's software has a variety of defects, and Microsoft requires you. Bill Gates's virtual valley touched Jim Allchin, finally invited him to Microsoft. For example, the designer of IBM's famous dark blue computer, Xu Feng Xiong, who has also joined Microsoft. Dr. Xu Fengxiong is my good friend, I tracked him at least five years. At the time of the festival, I will always call the doctor, talk about him, talk about his current situation, and explore his thoughts. Years of year, I finally touched Dr. Xu Feng Xiong, and fortunately invited him to work to Microsoft. Although he is not my team, I will be proud of them. In Microsoft, many people are actively engaged in discovering talents, tracking talents and attracting talent.
In addition to working hard, tracking Xu Feng Xiong, Jim Allchin, Microsoft is also very good at employing college students who have just graduated from school. Every year, I will go to two three universities to personally interview the best graduates. We have done a statistically employed talents from schools, which must exceed the more experienced talents hired by society. We also found that most of Today's Vice Presidents of Microsoft are directly entering Microsoft after graduating from college. There are many benefits from school employment and cultivate talents: talented plasticity, and higher levels of loyalty, and most willing to do things all right, not afraid of risk, and willing to accumulate multi-sectoral experience. In addition, Microsoft has tracked outstanding employees who left the company. We don't think that employees are hopping is a bad thing. For outstanding employees who leave the company, Microsoft will carefully analyze the reason why the employee leaves the company in order to further improve work. At the same time, Microsoft will also track the working conditions after they leave, ready to return them to Microsoft again in the right time. This mechanism that encourages talent flow can better stimulate the enthusiasm of talents, and can truly work trust and support.
(2) Ren Yin: Interview and hire talents
Microsoft's interview mechanism is well known. Microsoft has adopted a rigorous attitude towards interviews, using a well-designed interview process. Each applicant's interview has multiple Microsoft employees to participate, and each employee who participates in the interview has allocated the task of the interview in advance. In addition to confirming expertise and experience, we will also have a lot of topics to test applicants' independent thinking and facing the performance of difficulties. We don't just hire those technical experts, and we should also hire smart, strong learning skills, and teamwork. Therefore, in the interview, these aspects should be inquirable. Every time you interview, the interviewers will give his opinions and below the issue below to give a subsequent interview. Finally, Microsoft will only hire the applicant only when the consent of the interviewer is agreed and the result of the advice of the unintended visit.
Ann Yin Yin is the concept of employers who have consistently follow Microsoft. We are convinced that two sentences: (1) First-class people hire a first-class person, the second-class person hires three-flow person. Therefore, when a team hires the first second-run person, it is when it goes down the slope. (2) Employed talents should be based on increasing the current overall quality of the organization. We must require the quality of each new employee to exceed the average of the entire team, to enhance the average quality of the team, not to reduce the quality of the team. Therefore, Microsoft's managers always want to hire talents than their own. If you hire talents that eventually become your boss, you should not be ashamed, but you should feel very proud.
(3) Human exhausted: assessing and cultivating talents
After hiring employees, the company will regularly evaluate and analyze talent conditions. Every year, Steve Ballmer will ask the seven business sectors to report the detailed number of 50 to 150 talents of this department, Steve puts a total of about 600 people into a unique "Talent Report", then spend a full two weeks to assess the development prospects of these talents, and 20 people in these people will be invited to further understand these talents every day.
Such work can be the best path for advanced talents in the company, or quickly find the right candidates when the company has a free position. Steve expects yourself to know each of these 600 people. He put this book in front of his bed, read a few pages carefully before going to bed.
Microsoft is convinced that "people do their best", so the "double track" mechanism is designed, allowing both excellent employees to develop on management tracks, and allow them to develop on the technical orbit according to their own will. On each track, Microsoft provides opportunities for employees are equal, and employees do not necessarily do management work to promote the development of personal careers. In Microsoft, a maximum-level engineer may be senior than Vice President. Such "Double Track" policy guarantees the diversity of talent development paths from the system, which is beneficial to attract talents and retain talents.
Microsoft encourages the flow and development of the company's internal talents. Managers at all levels will give every outstanding talent development space. Managers at all levels also understand that "the best people don't belong to me, and belong to the company", they will not take people to have it, but give the best talents better development opportunities, no matter what this opportunity is not Provided by the organization you manage. Under such a system, most of the talents can find a way of development for themselves. In addition to cultivating excellent talents, companies must also discover and urge those employees with poor performance, give them an opportunity to improve, otherwise they only ask them to leave. In order to achieve this, Microsoft has established a sound grading assessment system and regularly assess the work performance of employees. In each annual assessment, each vice president must divide all the employees of his department into four levels: (1) Before expected, (2) reach most expectations, (4) did not achieve expectations . Each level must have a reasonable proportion, and there will always be a considerable number of employees being rated as the third or fourth. Among them, the employees who got the fourth class (about 5%), etc., equal to the information that "not improved".
Steve Ballmer deeply understands that if such a system is not as a matter, it will not be able to support the support and conviction of employees. Therefore, even at the vice president or general manager, Microsoft also implements strict elimination system. Once, Steve called the company's most recent 100 people meeting, and told us to say, "I ask you to find the worst 5% of employees, regardless of your qualifications, you have to give them a non-improvement. Warning. 'Whether the qualifications are' already left the job.
(4) Take all use: pay attention to and retain talents
Many people think that the key to retaining talents is to be treated. Indeed, everyone should be properly treated, but for a software practitioner, he value is a working environment. Compared with the treatment of employees, Microsoft pays more attention to providing an environment that can attract, retain people, including:
- There are numerous products that make employees to play talents and potential and make the greatest contribution;
- Full resource support, let everyone don't have worries;
- The best team and open, equality environment, let everyone learn to learn from each other, learn from each other;
- Attractive research work, let everyone love their work;
- The leader understands and supports the study of employees, so that everyone can have enough space and freedom to develop their talents, pursue their own dreams while they are in the big direction of the company.
Culture: Microsoft's operation
A company's cultural and values are its spiritual, thinking and behavioral way. It is a kind of behavioral norm and value concept formed by all members of the enterprise in the production and business activities.
Microsoft's values are both the company's more than 20 years in practical work practice, from the development process.
The spiritual wealth is also the result of continuous adjustment and continuous improvement of the company's needs of the competitive environment.
Microsoft's today's values mainly include: honesty and trustworthiness; public exchange, respect others, and make progress together with others; courage to face major challenges; Commitment, responsible for the results; good at self-criticism and self-improvement, never complacent.
These values are more than just paper on paper, but Microsoft is always paying attention to reminding employees to comply with these basic work guidelines and require employees to convert these values into specific goals that can be put into practice. With these values, Microsoft's employees can further enhance the identity of Microsoft's corporate culture and can play a greater potential at work. In Microsoft's cultural and values, I think the following five points to Microsoft's success is most helpful: (1) full of passion, greet challenges, (2) free equality, morality, (3) self-criticism, pursue excellence, (4) Responsibility first, good start, (5) Vigor, serve customers.
(1) Full of passion, meet challenges
Microsoft's business tenet is constantly changing with the development of the times. The same reason, Microsoft's corporate culture is constantly improving and developing. But the best reflects the essence of Microsoft's corporate culture, or a sentence of Bill Gates, this sentence is still so appropriate after many years: "When you wake up every morning, it will develop the development of technical progress and its development. And the improvement is excited. "
That is, such ambusity makes Microsoft once again challenged the most difficult goal again. When DOS just succeeded, Microsoft decided to replace its successful products and began to develop Windows. When Windows is far from being shaped, Microsoft determines a lot of resources to do Windows version of Word and Excel. At that time, DOS version of Word and Excel were far behind the competitor, and Microsoft put more investment in Windows, which is more than the bet on Windows. Review such a big hand, big challenge, one manager said: "If Windows fails, there is no Microsoft's company." After Windows, Microsoft is coming at Office, Windows NT, Internet, .NET, once again, once again "Take the company as a bet" and bring new vitality to the company again and again.
The company is not afraid of challenge, it can be seen from the evolution of Microsoft foreground. 28 years ago, Microsoft's prospects is "Let each table have a personal computer". It seems that this goal is not unstoppable; but in 28 years ago, this is an unimaginable thing. Today, in today's goal, Microsoft has a new foreground target, that is, "through excellent software (at any time, any location, any device) help people play potential." Microsoft believes that people's potential needs to use effective tools to play, and computers and excellent software products that represent modern social informationization processes can help people fully demonstrate creativity and work enthusiasm.
The company faces a major challenge again and again, launched a successful product again and again, and changed the life of human life again and again. All of this greatly encourages the company's morale, bringing them to the high satisfaction, so that every employee has brought about the development and improvement of human life, "" To help people play the potential ", it is excited.
(2) Free equality, take morality
Microsoft is a company I have ever seen, there is no bureaucratic style. The company is decentralized to everyone's work. The company does not have a "card" system, and every time you get off work basically determine yourself.
The company supports everyone equal, and senior people basically do not have "privilege", and still have to go back to email, with yourself, find parking spaces, everyone's office is basically the same. Once, some professor from China visited Microsoft waiting to listen to Jim Gray (the famous scientist of the invention database, the winner of the Tu Lian, the dean of the California Research Institute), saw a head of the old man on the ground Tap the wire, I thought he was just an old worker. When he stood up, everyone was surprised to find that he is the speaker Jim Gray. These professors were shocked, and they did not expect people such as Jim to handle the computer. Microsoft is such a company that advocates technology, everyone equal. The company advocates "opening the door policy", that is, anyone can find anything about any topic, of course, anyone can also send an email to anyone. Once, a new staff who hit Bill Gates when I was driving to work. She was scared to ask the boss, the boss said: "You have sent an email to apologize." After the email is email, within one hour, Bill not only replys, don't worry, as long as you have not hurt people Ok, I also welcome her to join the company.
An equal company can reduce the information inside the company, increasing the spirit of all employees, and can also find the problem encountered in development earlier. Equality companies can say that it is a must platform for Microsoft's development.
(3) Self-criticism, pursue excellence
A large feature of Microsoft culture is self-criticism. Today, the technology is expirated, it is not willing to criticize ourselves, not recognizing his mistakes, and does not pursue excellence companies will face destruction.
I know a market manager just join Microsoft, who represents our products to participate in an item.
After returning, he quickly sent an email to the entire product team. He said: "I am very happy to tell you, we have got exciting results in this exhibition. In the ten awards, we included nine. Let's celebrate!" But he didn't expect it, within an hour. He received more than ten reply. Everyone asked him: "Why didn't you get it? Why not tell us? Why didn't you get that award? What lesso we get? How can we get this tenth award next year?" He told me, at that moment, he I understand why Microsoft succeed.
Self-criticism has already been systematically systemized in the company. After each product is launched, there will be a special time empty to give the product team "post-mortem", which is the systematic "self-criticism". All group members will be asked, where they can do better, every action and decision will be analyzed, and the results will be announced in the company to help other groups to avoid the same problem, let the company's projects can do more and better.
Bill Gates encourages employees to speak freely, the development, existence of the company, and even the shortcomings of the boss, there is no reservation to criticize, suggestions or proposals without reservation. He said: "If everyone can make suggestions, it will explain that everyone is concerned with the company, the company will have a future." Microsoft has developed satisfaction survey software, at least one employee satisfaction survey, let employees are anonymous Way feedback to companies, leaders, bosses and other aspects. Among them, there is a choice (for example: "I have confidence in my vice president. The following choice one: I have a very agreed, agree, unintentional, disagree, very disagreement), there is also a question answer (for example: What is your suggestion for the company's strategy .). Each manager will get multifaceted feedback and objective points. Bill, Steve, other high-level leaders and personnel rooms will carefully study the results of each group and manager, how to improve.
In addition to self-criticism, there must be a thoughtfulness that can accept others, and change their strength. In 1995, when Bill Gates announced that it was not involved in the Internet field products, many employees made against opinions. Among them, several employees have sent the letter to Bill, you are a wrong decision. When Borde Gates found many of his respected people, it took more time to meet these employees, and finally wrote the article "Internet Wave", and admitted that his fault is reversed. The direction of the company. At the same time, he tested many excellent employees to the Internet department and canceled or cut many products in order to transfer resources into the Internet department. At that time, some employees were going to work on a certain day: "Our products are canceled, because the company needs us to do more important IE browsers. From tomorrow, our entire department will join the Internet department." Those criticism Bill · Gates people not only have a dispute, but also reuse, today has become the leadership of the company's important sector. In the field of software market, it is extremely important to adjust the corporate direction. From this example we see: Equal environment, direct communication, big mind, a grand power saved the company. (4) Responsibility first, good start
After the company and the leader have the goals of attention, there must be enough responsibility to do things well. Microsoft requires every department, each employee has its own clear goals, and these goals must be "smart", that is,:
· S - Specific (specific, scope, not broad)
· M - measurable (can be measured, not blur)
· A - attainable (achievable, not ideal)
· R - result-based (based on results rather than behavior or processes)
· T - time-based (has time limit, not far from now)
Only everyone has a clear goal and can be checked at any time to reach a predetermined goal, and the company's employees can reflect a strong sense of responsibility and work enthusiasm.
Microsoft requires the goals to be able to share, that is, everyone should publish their goals through some channel, such as the company's internal website (especially, except for certain work objectives required for confidentiality) . In this way, when an employee does not understand the way of working or other employees, you can go to see the other party's work goals to seek the best communication and understanding.
In addition to the target, the result is responsible, the company needs a framework for decision-making. Under the Microsoft's "Decision Formation Framework", each important decision has certain formulation processes and personnel roles. The promoters of every decision-making process are naturally the responsible person of decision making. People who have supported and recognized rights to this decision are approved by decision-making. The person who verifies the decision, and the person who supports or oppose opinions is the review of the decision. In the entire decision-making process, although reviewers can make objections, the approval of the approvers still have final decision. With such a framework, the company's decision-making process is clearer, and the responsibility is more clear. The decision will not be easily delayed or overturned, and the efficiency of decision-making is also greatly improved.
(5) Vali Valley, serving customers
Microsoft has attached great importance to technology, and also pays attention to partners and customers. As a software platform company, partners and customers are the company's lifeblood. Microsoft emphasizes the values that all employees must be committed to the commitment of customers and partners, but in the process of product research, not only the technical characteristics of the product are not only concerned about the most important features of customers and partners.
Microsoft's large corporate product department encourages every employee to join the company's first few weeks to the technical support center to help customers solve problems. No matter how deep the qualifications of an employee, the company hopes that he can understand the difficulties of our customers through the workout of the most basic technical support. Nearly 10,000 employees in the Big Enterprise Products Department, if they have not done technical support, there is no opportunity to promote a certain level in the company. In addition to requesting employees to listen to customer comments, Microsoft's software will automatically collect feedback from customers. Many years ago, when the Office developer could not decide which functions should put in the common toolbar, Office's programmers make a special Office software. This set of profidences records the user's most commonly used functionality in the case of users, and transmits to Microsoft. Finally, with these statistics, developers can decide what kind of user interface will benefit most users. Today, Microsoft made this technology all products. Any Microsoft software hits the problem (such as downtime) and then transmits these data to the headquarters of the server under the allowance of the user to help developers diagnose and test software. With such a technology, WINDOWS XP launched a month, Microsoft solved half the problem that users touched, and then automatically helps all the method users upgrade software through the network. This type of work reflects the company's innovative spirit and the goals of software technology to solve problems, of course, the company has also reflected the determination to listen to customer opinions.
Message China Software Industry
In this article, most of them are my personal understanding of Microsoft's successful experience and recommendations for software corporate managers. Microsoft is a successful company that hides many valuable things behind its success. Although Microsoft's corporate culture and management methods are not necessarily suitable for other companies, it is at least an excellent example for reference.
Below is refined in this article, I personally recommend China's high-tech enterprises:
· Management:
- Actively study and develop mechanisms for the company's long-term goals. Understand the importance of grasping technology, rather than only paying attention to the interests of the eyes, repeating low-level labor. It is also important to recognize that market and user demand decisions technology and product development, not.
- Don't do the work outside the ability, not for "face" to do useless research. Effectively study and find the most favorable location in the industrial value chain to enhance their long-term business strength and shareholders' interests as the fundamental starting point.
- Focus on companies, do not eager to develop managers' attention. Only enough large scale can reach higher efficiency, but the scale is not equal to the simple merge of unoccupied business. China's software companies have too many (nearly 10,000 households), need to be integrated. The president of China's software company needs to give up the idea of "Ning as Chicken", and actively merge.
- Use SMART's goals to measure the work of everyone is responsible; quantify these goals and disclosed. The frameworks and processes of decisions are settled, and everyone must understand the roles you play in a decision-making process.
- Require product developers to contact customers directly to really understand the difficulties and pain of customers. Use the latest techniques to further understand customer needs and satisfaction.
· Supreme leadership:
- Understand the importance of leading people. China needs more humbial, bravely changing, and the company is full of enthusiasm, trusting, and supporting people supported.
- There is a selfless style of "I hope to hire a talent than yourself", "the best person belongs to the company, supports them to leave their own 麾麾" selfless style.
- Advocate the management method of as us, do not allow leadership to have "special" treatment, do not allow leaders to freely travel outside the company's regulations and measures.
- There is enough consciousness. If the company's management work is beyond your own ability, there must be a sages.
- To recognize that China Software Enterprises are managed with multinational companies, they must boldly introduce overseas talents and professional managers, and actively create the environment that makes them fully function.
· Talent:
- Really people-oriented, to explore talents with the spirit of San Gu Mao, and cultivate talents with long-term vision. It is understood that "first-class people hire first-class people, second-class people hire three-flowers." - Introduce talent management, assessment, and cultivation. Track, promote the best talents. Actively improve talents to the loyalty of the company.
- Introduce professional management talent mechanisms, using professional talents who have been managed in regular enterprises in the fields of corporate strategy, marketing.
- Really attaches importance to technical talents. Use the "Double Track" mechanism to make technical talents pay attention to and improve.
- Provide good environment, support and training, so that excellent talents have no worries.
- Implement the true meaning of the staff of the staff.
- Establish talent incentive mechanism. Use the mechanism such as stock options to link employees with the long-term benefits of the company.
· Cultural and values:
- Develop good cultural and values, and instill them into every part of the company, require employees to guide all work with corporate culture and values.
- Stimulate the enthusiasm and fighting spirit of the employee with an exciting future goal and huge challenge. Let each employee are excited because of its own development and improvement of our products.
- Entry to bureaucratic style, create flexible, equal cultures. Let the company's information freely, so that every employee has the sense of responsibility.
- Company, leaders and employees consciously pursue excellence culture; have a criticism, acknowledging the wrong courage and the power of torsion.
- From the top to the next concept, the financial statements of listed companies are honest and accurate.
I hope that domestic software companies can draw nutrition from Microsoft's successful experience, and create their own outstanding corporate culture and management models to achieve maximum business value.
