Before being named CEO in August 2011, Tim was Apple's Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.
Apple itself is experiencing a change of leadership. Not knowing both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook or their leadership styles but rather their experience and current roles, I can imagine Tim Cook has big shoes to fill. This is interesting to me because they probably have different leadership styles. If I were in Tim Cook's shoes, there would be a lot of things I would have to consider. One of the things I would consider is the employees' personal feelings. I'm sure as soon as Steve Jobs stepped down, there was a lot of uncertainty within the company. If I were Tim Cook, I would address everyone's concern and let them know that you are going to motivate them to take this company to even higher heights than it is now.
What do you guys think? What other things does Tim Cook need to consider?
-Alec Bettenhausen
I definitely agree with your assessment of the current situation. Steve Jobs has essentially been the only authority figure associated with Apple Inc. since its rise to prominence, so any new face in that position is going to face many challenges. One thing in Tim's favor is that he has been with the company for awhile, so he knows how Steve Jobs ran the operation to a certain extent. The first thing that he has to do is motivate the employees as you mentioned earlier, but he also has to quickly gain their trust and confidence. Those two core qualities are essential for the companies success in the near future.
ReplyDeleteCliff Gordon
I also agree with what you're saying Alec, but even more importantly than employees, I think Tim is going to have to gain the trust of all the organization's stakeholders. People believed that Jobs knew what he was doing and most backed him 100% of the way; to keep the company successful Tim has to work his way to the same respect and trust that Jobs had.
ReplyDeleteI don't know exactly how he's going to do this, but I know Microsoft plans on releasing Windows 8 to the public in about a year so Apple will have to compete with their own operating system. Hopefully Tim will make some changes or release big products before then but competing with Microsoft will be a good measure of how he plans to continue running the company.
Overall I think Tim's main issues right now include his employees, stakeholders, and competitors. It's a lot to handle but like Alec pointed out, he's been with the company for a long time and should know the ins-and-outs by now.
Daniel Changelon
Another aspect of Job's leadership that you have to consider compensating for his extraordinary creativity. Jobs has been such an effective leader because his incredible ideas for change and new products work. Not only do they work, but they sell. Job's has made this company so successful because of his ability to think outside the box and integrate new and state of the art ideas in a booming market. Technology is always changing and if you are going to be the head of the largest technology companuy, you are going to have to have a mind that not only keeps up with the competition, but is always one step ahead. That is how Apple has been successful in the past but how they are going to be successful in the future.
ReplyDeleteNatalie Hess
In one of my other classes we were discussing R&D and how vital it is even though there's no guarantee that what you find will work. Apple used their R&D very wisely when they looked into what people liked appearance wise. They came up with a sleek looking system that appealed to a ton of different groups of people and this is one of the main reasons why they've become so successful.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the iPod isn't the best tablet on the market right now if we're just discussing features. There are other tablets out there that can perform more functions and operate at a faster rate, but iPods have the "cool" look that everyone wants; well that and the brand name.
There's a lot to be said about what Jobs found most important to consumers and if the new CEO is going to have the same approach for running the company. I still want the company to keep changing, but they need to change for the better and hopefully Tim will be able to balance his new ideas with what Jobs has already found to be successful.
Daniel Changelon
I have to respectfully disagree with you Dan. I feel that the iPod has a dominate strong hold on the tablet environment. HP actually just announced how they are going to be selling their personal computer section of the company. HP feels that personal computers are actually becoming irrelevant and laptops will soon be vanished like so many desktop computers. Apple has such a strong hold on the tablet market that i feel it's going to be its strongest asset in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think the future of apple is safe, as long as they do keep inviting their projects. If Apple keeps topping their own products with new/ more efficient projects then they can never be beat. Apple's only weakness is if they slow down and let someone else get on top because if that's the case then its possible that Apple might sink again.
Brian Gabriel