December 1999
Case
HBS Case Collection

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A5): Solaris 7: Rich Green on Product Strategy and Culture Change

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Jane Roessner

Format:Print
| Pages:5

Abstract

Solaris, Sun Microsystems' version of the UNIX operating system, was an amorphous collection of capabilities that had accumulated over the years, a product the company vaguely wished it could market and sell better. Developing and marketing Solaris 7 would help reposition Sun as a powerful software company, not just a hardware company, but doing so required changing the established culture of the Solaris organization.

Keywords

Digital Platforms; Applications and Software; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Product Positioning; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture; Success; Change; Diversification; Technology Industry; Computer Industry

Citation

Kanter, Rosabeth M., and Jane Roessner. "Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A5): Solaris 7: Rich Green on Product Strategy and Culture Change." Harvard Business School Case 300-079, December 1999.