HP Turnaround As Orchestrated by Essay

Excellence at the assigned roles and having high accountability for results measured and reported periodically quickly transformed the culture from one that sough to avoid responsibility to one that embraced it.

In conjunction with these decisions to drastically cut back the duplication of positions that were seen once the matrix team management structure was done away with, Mark Hurd looked at how disjointed the internal new product development processes and supporting systems were. Ironically for a computer technology company, Mark Hurd found many of the financial management systems had grown balkanized and separate from each other, with many of them not capable of sharing information and being integrated together (Fortt, 2008). He immediately began programs to gain greater control over these systems and the it processes that had allowed this level of disconnected development to happen over the long-term. Mark Hurd and his team analyzed all it projects and decided that the 85 data centers globally could be trimmed to just six state-of-the-art facilities running HP systems and software solutions (Burrows, 2006). He also found that over 1,200 it projects had been approved and competing for the same development resources. Hiring Randy Mott away from Wal-Mart, a CIO who has rockstar status in the it community to help sort out the systems challenges and problems led to rapid gains in information management strategies and system use as well (Veverka, 2007).Randy Mott was able to trim 784 separate databases to a single data warehouse while also assisting HP to attain their goals of attaining sustainability and green computing (Veverka, 2007). Randy Mott was also able to trim the separate projects, many based on political agendas instead of market needs, down to 500 (Veverka, 2007). Clearly the Mark Hurd way of management was settling in.

Conclusion

Mark Hurd is known for his continually mentioning the strategic goal of Hp is profitable growth (Veverka, 2007). Mark Hurd is an unusable CEO because he does not mince words or try to double-speak, he tells it like it is and works to under-commit and overdeliver in all his reporting of financial results internally and externally (Veverka, 2007). Mark Hurd has also transformed HP through his intensive reliance on measuring results and holding managers accountable for performance. His lack of willingness to tolerate excuses of a lack of interdepartmental coordination has also drastically changed the pace and level of motivation in the company to excel as well. Now HP sees they can win because they have the numbers to prove it; accountability gave HP back confidence.

References

Steven Burke. (2008, February). Hurd's Next Move. CRN,(1260), 16.

Burrows, P. (2005). HP Says Goodbye to Drama. Business Week, New York, September 12, 2005,.....