IBM Redux: Lou Gerstner and the Business Turnaround of the Decade (Wiley Series in Neuroscience) by Douglas Garr

by Doug Garr

When Gerstner took the helm at IBM in 1993, it was in a death spiral & lost $8 billion that year. One of the nation s industrial giants seemed destined to die in bankruptcy. Six years later, after a miraculous recovery, IBM was thriving once again. Here is the first in-depth look at Gerstner, the man who led IBM s recovery & how he did it. Chronicles Gerstner s rise, his arrival as the first steward from outside the company s ranks, & his implementation of new business & marketing strategies. From the complete overhaul of IBM s culture & image to the takeover of Lotus & the development of network technology, Garr vividly illustrates Gerstner s operating methods, management philosophy, & vision.

Genres: Business, Biography

Unknown Binding

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Harish B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting bio of Lou Grestner. A detailed view of IBM CEO's turnaround efforts. But the book seriously lacks management insights.

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read company profile for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.

[Mohamed Zahran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice assessment of the first part of Lou Gerstner's tenure at IBM. The book spans the years from 1993 to 1998 (Lou retired from IBM about 2002. The book did a good job describing the culture pre-Lou and afterwards at IBM and the major players.
I think, to get the full picture, you may also want to read:

"Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?" by Lou himself. He wrote it by the time of his retirement.

"A View from Beneath the Dancing Elephant: Rediscovering IBM's Corporate Constitution" which gives a different perspective at what happened at IBM after Lou.