If you have PowerPoint skills and thrive under the pressure of being laid off, please apply.
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@gy Albany
@h5 it’s Indian and Asian who took the white model and kicked them out
@gy "IBM management was once criticized as an “old boys’ club,” dominated by a narrow leadership circle. "
To be precise; IBM management used to be "old WHITE boys club". In recent years, it became ""old WHITE and INDIAN boys club".
@gx Agreed. Too many bad actors saw an opportunity to consolidate power for their own self-interest. They then surrounded themselves with friends, allies, and loyalists to reinforce their positions. Others watched this succeed and replicated the same approach within their own organizations.
IBM management was once criticized as an “old boys’ club,” dominated by a narrow leadership circle. But replacing one exclusive inner circle with another doesn’t solve the underlying problem—it simply changes who benefits. When advancement depends on being part of the right network rather than on performance, merit inevitably suffers.
This is why hard work, technical excellence, and measurable accomplishments no longer carry the weight they once did at IBM. Increasingly, career progression seems to depend on being recognized and sponsored by the right inner circle rather than on consistently delivering results. It is also why IBM management and leadership does not carry the respect it once did.
@d4 IBM management took a steep nose dive around year 3 of Palmisano. It’s around that time that IBM replaced its simple, core values Executive Leadership Principles with a new, high-falutin, buzzword heavy, but principle light version because execs were scoring too high on the old metrics. Scoring high on them consistently quarter after quarter was the whole idea and it worked until Sam replaced it. At about that same time he went on an executive hiring binge and let the snakes slither in.
That also happens to be the first year that my submission to the ancient IBM executive and technical leadership competency tracking system was rejected for being too honest. I was told the mandatory rating distribution across categories and in which categories I was to be marginally and seriously deficient as a matter of unwritten corporate policy independent of reality. If cooking the books works for finance, why not do it for planning the future high level leadership of the company as well.
Good people do still occasionally get su-ked into IBM executive positions. The acid test in the 21st century is whether they survive for two years. The survivors have black hearts and corrupt souls.
@d4 IBM management is an industry joke now. Stopped being premium in the early 90s. All the managers now are coasting in two decades old reputation that is rapidly running out of runway. The current ones will be remembered as the ones that ki-led a 115 year old blue chip institution
@cf I actually think our managers and their managers are worse. They know better but just let it go and tow the company line. When did IBM management become such a joke? It was once very respectable
The bullsh-t starts from the top and rolls downhill: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/ibm-ceo-arvind-krishna-goes-one-on-one-with-jim-cramer/vi-AA295NFl