Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer has to be one of the most charming executives in all of techdom. But as Arthur Miller taught us, a smile and a shoeshine go only so far.
Remember this quote?: "You can take iPod and beat us over the head with it, but it's only one product. And we have a thousand products. Apple has two or three."
Oh boy. I'm sure Stringer winces whenever that quote gets trotted out. Now Stringer, who has been CEO since 2005, is reportedly mulling what the U.K.'s Times suggests will include "job cuts and sweeping changes to management and manufacturing processes."
The Times' sources say the changes likely will get announced after the Consumer Electronics Show and will "abolish or fundamentally alter many of Sony's long-established business practices."
If you think you've heard that before, well, you have. Sony's been hampered by internal bureaucratic rivalries for years. Inconclusive fights over formats and digital rights management have put too much distance between Sony and its consumers. The upshot: Products that are good, not great. That title has been passed along to Apple.
That's left Stringer exhorting Sony to get more imaginative. Last May, he reportedly urged his minions to "get mad." Jawboning only got Sony so far. If the Times' report is correct, the company's about to go to Defcon 1.
I'm not sure how much to get excited about all of this. If Stringer's as capable an executive as he's been portrayed--and the guy definitely is a blue-chip talent--this is the point where he must prove his super hero cred. Anything less, and he's going to wind up as toast. Will the same also be said of Sony?
I've always admired Sir Howard Stringer. Any ex-journo who can finagle a knighthood (honorary or not) from the queen obviously has a lot on the ball. When he took over at Sony three years ago, he knew he was walking into a mess. The fact that this historically very insular company was willing to put its trust in a gaijin spoke volumes about a willingness to change.
He carried out the mandatory reorganization and promise to break down the famously high walls separating divisions and product groups. Stringer wanted to get the creative juices flowing again so Sony could be more...well, like Apple. And after tripling profit for the fiscal year ended March 31, you can make the case that Sony's heading in the right direction.
But I'm not sure what to make of his charge to managers to "get mad" (as reported in Friday's Wall Street Journal). Reading between the lines is always risky, but Stringer's got to be frustrated that everyone thinks Apple's the cooler company. (Not to mention that Nintendo's kicking butt in the gaming business.) Maybe Stringer's looking at the numbers and sees that revenue--though up--rose just 7 percent for the year. So it was, according to the Journal:
"I'm asking you to get mad," Mr. Stringer said in one of his most strongly worded speeches, according to those people. He also asked them to be more "energetic," "bold" and "imaginative" in running their businesses.
A Sony representative declined to comment on the speech.
The meeting is an annual event in Tokyo attended by more than 1,000 Sony managers from around the world, and is meant to set the direction for the coming year. This year was particularly important because it came after the company had completed a turnaround plan, and before it sets a growth strategy for the next three years. Sony says it will unveil this plan in June.
Sounds like Howard Stringer is channeling Howard Beale, the fictional mad news anchor in the movie Network. Getting mad is one thing. Getting "imaginative" is quite something else. I can get as imaginative as I can, but don't expect me to crank out War and Peace anytime soon. Stringer's an awfully smart guy and he's made progress since taking over. He's entitled to take a victory, but he still hasn't revived Sony's reputation as the last word in cool gadgetry. I wonder whether that has less to do with motivation than with the talent at his disposal. Anyway, what's your take?
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