Publications
Publications
- August 1988 (Revised April 1998)
- HBS Case Collection
IBM 360: Giant as Entrepreneur
By: Joseph L. Bower
Abstract
Presents the ingredients that went into a major entrepreneurial shift by IBM--investing $5 billion into a new product line that would obsolete any existing computer product line offered by the competition, or by IBM itself. The economic and technical challenges of this new line, the System/360, are examined first, the human and organizational shifts at IBM follow. Exhibits include a summary chronology of the decision, four organizational charts reflecting new structures, and a financial summary.
Keywords
Change Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Financial Management; Investment; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology Industry
Citation
Bower, Joseph L. "IBM 360: Giant as Entrepreneur." Harvard Business School Case 389-003, August 1988. (Revised April 1998.)