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Microsoft reorganizes

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21–30 of 283 posts

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#21

What look like complex failures in organizations are often rooted in simple causes. In Microsoft, it's stack-ranking and Enron-style (that is, visible in transfer packet) performance reviews. When you have stack-ranking, you never get harmonious teams and "all-star" sub-organizations are out of the question. When performance reviews are part of the transfer process, people become largely immobile and teams become per…

BTW, Wikipedians considered Microsoft's stack ranking notorious enough to provide the date they started doing it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitality_curve#Microsoft): "Starting in 2006 Microsoft has used a Vitality Curve despite intense internal criticism." Which I've noted elsewhere is the year in which Bill Gates stopped his day to day roles at Microsoft.

I could talk about how Ballmer himself is a significant problem, but then again these "simple fixes" would surely require removing him from an position of direct power in the company.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#22

What look like complex failures in organizations are often rooted in simple causes. In Microsoft, it's stack-ranking and Enron-style (that is, visible in transfer packet) performance reviews. When you have stack-ranking, you never get harmonious teams and "all-star" sub-organizations are out of the question. When performance reviews are part of the transfer process, people become largely immobile and teams become per…

This seems simplistic to me. Doesn't Valve, your favorite poster boy for open allocation, also stack rank? There seem to be several sub-organizations at Microsoft that are harmonious, at least to an outsider's view (e.g. Azure since Scott Guthrie's involvement). As I understand it there's not too much pressure to hit the stack ranking curve until you get up to the several-hundred-report levels.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's talking more about Windows Phone, the Windows 8 apps, and Xbox.

Is Windows Phone more of a walled garden than than iOS? Is the Xbox more of a walled garden than the Wii U? The argument is still complete hyperbole.

Windows Phone is more of a walled garden than Android.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#24

What look like complex failures in organizations are often rooted in simple causes. In Microsoft, it's stack-ranking and Enron-style (that is, visible in transfer packet) performance reviews. When you have stack-ranking, you never get harmonious teams and "all-star" sub-organizations are out of the question. When performance reviews are part of the transfer process, people become largely immobile and teams become per…

Stack ranking seems, to me, to be an incredibly bad idea for Microsoft as a whole. Do you know if they are considering moving away from it?

I think Stack Ranking can work in some situations, like mechanical (ie. non-heuristic) work, but for Engineers? I've never understood why they even considered that it would work.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#25
Interesting that the guy that said, "Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers", didn't mention where the developer tools end up in the re-org...

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#26

Is there a reason CEOs cannot use normal English but have to dilute the language so much? For me the TL:DR after struggling to read it was - full steam ahead to the biggest walled garden on earth. We are still the Borg. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

I think it falls into the category of "Marketing speak" which is a sub heading here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_jargon

It's not surprising coming from the salesman/CEO who thinks that a loud voice and throwing chairs makes sense. While CEO's with real vision innovate, Ballmer thinks rearranging the furniture is the answer.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#27

Is there a reason CEOs cannot use normal English but have to dilute the language so much? For me the TL:DR after struggling to read it was - full steam ahead to the biggest walled garden on earth. We are still the Borg. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Playing the devil's advocate:

Shareholders want reasoning behind such large changes. It's really nothing more than describing where MSoft has been and what its strengths are

We will do this by leveraging our strengths. We have powered devices for many years through Windows PCs and Xbox. We have delivered high-value experiences through Office and other apps. And, we have enabled enterprise value through products like Windows Server and Exchange. The form of delivery shifts to a broader set of devices and services versus packaged software. The frontier of high-value scenarios we enable will march outward, but we have strengths and proven capabilities on which we will draw.

and what it recognizes as it's weaknesses

It is also clear to me and our leadership that we must do an extraordinary job to succeed in this modern world. We have delivered many great products and had much success in market, but we all want more. That means better execution from product conceptualization and innovation right through to marketing and sales. It also means operational excellence in cloud services, datacenter operations, and manufacturing and supply chain that are essential in a devices and services world. To advance our strategy and execute more quickly, more efficiently, and with greater excellence we need to transform how we organize, how we plan and how we work.

It then proposes the solution: the reorg. It gives benefits as to what it sees are possible with such a realignment.

Vagueness is related to the wide-reaching scope of the business, and high-level, long-term goals that they don't want to give metrics for, because they'll be held to them. It's also the description of the vision people see in the future when they think of MSoft (and in turn, how valuable shares will be).

I get that there's a lot of negative feelings towards corporations around the startup scene, but if they just said "Hey guys, we're completely restructuring so our teams can focus more", people (people important to Microsoft, i.e. shareholders) would want to know why the decision was made, how they see it playing out, when it will happen, and what the potential impacts could be in the future.

TL; DR: It's a press release, not a white paper.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Windows Phone more of a walled garden than than iOS? Is the Xbox more of a walled garden than the Wii U? The argument is still complete hyperbole.

Windows Phone is more of a walled garden than Android.

"bigger walled garden than Android" I would agree with.

Re: Microsoft reorganizes

#30
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Windows Phone more of a walled garden than than iOS? Is the Xbox more of a walled garden than the Wii U? The argument is still complete hyperbole.

Together they are.

I'm not sure I understand your point - can you please elaborate?
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