The Goals of Research
How should Research define its strategic goals? In what ways do we provide value to the IBM corporation? The characteristics of our coupling to the company depend on many factors, including the pace of technological evolution, the competitive environment and the expectations of our customers. All are changing rapidly.
If anyone doubts that we are living through a profound transformation, consider that at the beginning of the 1990s, the Internet was just beginning to become commercialized, the World Wide Web did not exist and the implications of a networked world were only dimly perceived. Today, as a result, the signposts to future growth in IBM are pointing in a new direction. The demand for greater, faster, more intuitive access to information, coupled with the tremendous desire of companies and entrepreneurs to find ways to capitalize on global connectivity, is creating enormous opportunities in all areas of our business - and for our competitors. IBM has unique advantages in the breadth and depth of its technology and product offerings, but, in a world of rapid change, the winners are often those who are first to market with creative solutions.
What does all this mean for the Research Division? The answer is clear: we must focus our efforts on activities that are vital to IBM and that will significantly contribute to its success. At the strategic level, we must define our goals in the sharpest form possible and we must execute them in the fastest possible way.
When we seek to create the technology, products and solutions that will lead to success, we must remain constructively self-critical of our efforts, willing to entertain new ideas and ready to change directions when it is clear we are not meeting our goals. It is also imperative that we focus on our productivity by doing more with our resources, by duplicating less what is available elsewhere in the company and by ensuring that we attract and retain the very best people in the world.
Looking outward, our task is equally demanding. We must leverage our global presence, collaborating with IBM teams around the world to create leading-edge solutions and standards for an international marketplace. And, when it is smart to do so, we must adopt what we do not invent. We cannot fully implement these initiatives without increased involvement with our partners and our customers; so we will actively seek to expand those relationships.
These are the strategic directions, I believe, that Research must follow if it is to lead. We must measure ourselves not merely by the excellence of our technology, but by how well we satisfy the needs of our partners and of our customers. In doing so, we will fulfill our mission of contributing to the success of IBM.
Paul M. Horn
senior vice president
Research
