????李艾科重組公司的激進計劃最悲慘的殉葬品之一就是WebOS,。近一年前,，惠普以12億美元的價格收購奔邁公司（Palm），將這款廣受好評的操作系統(tǒng)收入囊中,。如今，Touchpad平板電腦和Veer手機這類依托WebOS的設備已經(jīng)停產(chǎn),，這一系統(tǒng)的未來變得撲朔迷離。起初,，它被宣布壽終正寢。隨后卻又傳來消息,，稱惠普正在考慮合作伙伴及授權方案。打那以后呢,？無聲無息。知名信息技術分析公司Forrester的分析師弗蘭克?吉列特確信,，惠普應該就WebOS的發(fā)展方向給出清晰的計劃，即使是拋售亦可,。他說：“這項資產(chǎn)正在迅速老化。如果這個系統(tǒng)還想保住一點價值的話,，惠普就得加快處置的步伐?！?/p>
了解員工
????惠特曼曾說：“我已經(jīng)在董事會任職八個月了，但我確實需要深入公司內(nèi)部,，和員工交流?！奔刑卮_信，在這樣一家擁有近325,000名員工的龐大公司里,，這么做是防止任何可能發(fā)生的內(nèi)部混亂或士氣不振的關鍵所在。他說：“她最不希望看到的就是員工大規(guī)模流失,，管理人員或關鍵技術人才的大規(guī)模流失會讓她的開局變得更加困難?！倍偁帉κ秩绱鳡柟荆―ell）和甲骨文公司（Oracle）的招聘人員可能已經(jīng)在致電惠普員工詢問跳槽意向了。
????眼前的例子就是：去年領導收購奔邁公司的執(zhí)行副總裁托德?布拉德利的動向,。據(jù)科技博客Boy Genius Report的一篇報道稱，布拉德利認真考慮離職事宜已有數(shù)月之久。不管此事是否屬實,，失去像布拉德利這樣的高管對惠普而言將是一次重大打擊，尤其是在目前這個轉(zhuǎn)折關頭,。顯然，惠特曼對此心知肚明,。
贏回信任
????萊維克戰(zhàn)略溝通公司（Levick Strategic Communications）位于華盛頓特區(qū),。該公司副總裁邁克爾?羅賓遜稱：“就信任而言,，惠普的‘銀行’赤字十分嚴重?！睂嶋H上，在經(jīng)歷了眾多亂局之后,，惠普亟需的是能夠贏得華爾街信任的領導班子,?！敦敻弧冯s志首次報道李艾科被逐出惠普后，公司股價立刻急劇飆升，這對任何公司的管理層而言都不是好兆頭,。而據(jù)羅賓遜稱，幸運的是,，惠特曼在這一領域的公眾形象幫了大忙,。他說：“惠特曼的個人品牌非常優(yōu)良,。人們信任梅格?惠特曼，她的大名人盡皆知,。而惠普則多多少少屬于品牌效應不足?！?/p>
擺脫過去陰影
????最后,，惠特曼需要徹底擺脫過去的陰影,。多年來，惠普一直失誤不斷,。飽受爭議的并購，頻發(fā)的管理層丑聞和戰(zhàn)略的不斷反復已讓客戶,、員工和股東都精疲力竭。羅賓遜認為,，惠普這幾年麻煩不斷,，惠特曼需要找出這段歷史的某些縮影,，并證明老一套必將一去不復返。他補充說：“與過去訣別需要在沙地上畫出一條線,，此前是過去，從此開始是現(xiàn)在,?！被萏芈趺床拍苷页龇线@種要求的東西呢,？如果未來的幾個月惠普能夠保持風平浪靜,，或許就是個良好的開端,。
????譯者：清遠 |
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????One of the worst casualties of Apotheker's aggressive plan to retool the company is WebOS, the critically acclaimed operating system HP inherited when it acquired Palm for $1.2 billion nearly a year ago. The discontinuation of WebOS devices like the Touchpad tablet and Veer phone puts its future in doubt. First, it was dead. Then came news that HP was debating partnerships and licensing options. Since then? Not a peep. "That asset is aging fast," says Forrester analyst Frank Gillett, who believes HP should have a clear story with where they're going with WebOS, even if it means a sale. "If it's going to have any value, they have to deal with it quick."
Get to know the employees.
????"I have been on the board for eight months, but I really need to get in there and meet its people," Whitman has said. Gillett believes doing so is crucial to stem any potential company turmoil or morale issues among the company's nearly 325,000 employees. "The last thing she wants is any kind of exodus, a management or key skills exodus that would make her start more difficult," he says. Recruiters from competitors like Dell (DELL) and Oracle (ORCL) are already likely making calls.
????Case in point: Executive Vice President Todd Bradley, who led the acquisition of Palm last year. According to a report from tech blog Boy Genius Report, Bradley has been mulling over his departure from the company for months. Whether that's true or not, losing an exec like Bradley would be a major blow for the company, particularly during this transition and, clearly, Whitman realizes that.
Bring back the trust.
????"In terms of trust, HP's bank is in serious deficit," says Michael Robinson, a senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications based in Washington, DC. Indeed, after so much turmoil what HP needs badly is leadership that Wall Street, in particular, feels it can trust. The stock jumped radically when Fortune first reporter news of Apotheker's ouster; that's a bad sign for any company's executive management. Luckily, Whitman's profile is a big help in this department, according to Robinson. "The Whitman brand is sterling," he says. "People trust Meg Whitman; hers is a name you know. HP has more or less been brandless."
Break with the past.
????Finally, Whitman needs to make a clean break with the past. For years, HP has been plagued by stumble after stumble. Hotly debated mergers and acquisitions, executive scandals and reversals of strategy have worn on customers, employees and shareholders alike. Robinson argues that Whitman needs to find symbols of the troubled past and demonstrate how they will persist no more. "Breaking with the past requires [drawing] a real line in the sand to say that was then this now," he adds. What could Whitman find that might fit the bill? A few drama-free months might be a good start. |
