戴爾公司是如何進行“硬重啟”的？
REBECCA HOMKES
2024-07-29
邁克爾·戴爾。圖片來源：DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES
以下節選改編自麗貝卡·霍姆克斯的《生存、重啟、繁榮：在動蕩時期引領突破性增長戰略》一書。
不能只顧生存……要努力發展。這是市場動蕩期間領導者經常聽到的一句話。這句話的問題在于錯過了關鍵：僅僅求生存無法確保公司蓬勃發展。在動蕩的環境中執行戰略要直面不確定性，因為要經歷業務穩定、重啟或改變戰略的循環，然后才能將公司重新引入發展的道路上。這一增長循環要跨越三種模式：生存、重啟和繁榮。
如果沒能做好充分準備應對重啟，管理之后的變化，很可能無法實現繁榮。重啟難度很高，因為重啟意味著變化。個人應對變化很困難，組織應對起來尤甚。更困難之處在于，重啟所需并非微觀調整和戰略小規模轉向，而是組織戰略、結構和運營模式根本性改變。那么，如果一切都需要重啟，會發生什么？
這一問題非常嚴肅，但確實會發生。我稱之為“硬重啟”。如果承認要取得未來的業績必須經歷一系列的變化，就需要硬重啟。想推動變化，需要更長時間確定核心的范圍以及如何實現。當以下情況綜合出現時就有必要：情況發生根本性變化，針對戰略環境的大部分信念受到挑戰。目前的競爭優勢受到嚴重損害或削弱，歷史優勢無法提供差異化——或者意識到可能從未真正差異化。之前關于理想客戶，提供的價值主張以及上市和銷售方法的假設已然失效。可能因為相關增長領域找不到機會，或者在相關領域缺乏勝出的能力。當前的重點事項清單不夠準確，也無法反映面臨的情況。
如果出現這些情況，首先要接受。這并不意味著再無機會加速成長；只是意味著在重啟和轉換模式中需要更長時間。采取幾個關鍵步驟后，就能順利完成硬重啟。
調整重點并重啟團隊
重新審視重啟過程中的團隊。硬重啟不適合脆弱的人，高層團隊中很多人都不想繼續領導如此高級別的變革。要求高管團隊每位成員在新現實中重新重視戰略流程，做好準備告別不想繼續的團隊成員。最好先建立希望變革的小團隊。內部小圈子很重要，不過也要積極吸引更廣泛的利益相關者團體協助測試信念審核假設。可以當成努力推動重啟的老虎突擊隊，同時跟更廣泛的委員會合作測試并學習。
循環討論一系列棘手的戰略問題
硬重啟要提問并回答一些關鍵的戰略問題。首先要重新審視自己的信念。就更新后的信念與團隊討論和辯論，制定計劃積極測試不認同或最不確定的信念。接下來要問，如何才能在未來建立防御性的競爭優勢：確定還有沒有競爭優勢（很可能并沒有，不然也不需要硬重啟）。收集可以加強和建立未來優勢的元素。格外關注可以加強的資源，多討論將收購或打造的業務。確保相關信息融入對世界發展的信念。對“在哪開展業務”的選擇要基于未來的優勢來源，所以要對新想法保持開放，也要現實看待哪些客戶會重視產品。不斷測試市場，充分了解并在未來的選擇中更加關注細節，特別是圍繞中期內最重要的任務。
設定里程碑
硬重啟期間，制定三個月里程碑，為六個月后是否成功提供明確定義。將里程碑拆解為不到十個的重點任務。記住，繼續重啟過程和相關討論的過程中，都是在努力實現里程碑，所以要現實看待能實現的目標，避免在里程碑清單中只有操作策略。
主要關注以下里程碑，我將之簡稱為DDD，代表定義（Define）——執行（Do）——交付（Deliver）。針對每個里程碑目標，都要確認以下內容：
? 定義：現在了解到哪些與執行相關的情況？
? 執行：需要做什么？
? 交付：將為組織帶來怎樣的結果，最好是可量化的結果？
每個DDD都應該有負責人和截止日期，目標是在執行時間框架內完成各項“定義”的三分之一。經常見面對標進度。慶祝取得的進展并交流過程，保持高速學習，因為需要更新中期戰略重點時，可將學習成果加入其中。
找到重心
想從艱難的重啟中成功轉型，必須確立明確的重心才能持續推進。轉型重心是關鍵的指導原則或洞察，這些原則或洞察要能概括價值創造所需的過渡措施。這是循環提出重啟問題的重要結果，也是未來各項決策的主要框架。只有對審查測試多種假設后結果才會出現。順其自然，不要強求。一旦確立重心，就要不斷強調，并通過這一視角看待其他選擇。在牢牢把握住重心之前，不要改變戰略，否則只會畏縮不前。
重心明確后，可以圍繞核心做出后續的戰略選擇。
IBM之所以能在郭士納（Lou Gerstner）領導下做出歷史性轉變，關鍵在于承認公司在很多技術領域有所迷失。郭士納成功領導了公司轉型，將IBM的重心重新定位為唯一能為全世界大企業提供集成解決方案的公司，而不再是大型主機公司。郭士納和團隊深知，公司任何單一領域都不是最佳，但比起挑選某一領域的佼佼者，大客戶更看重讓技術包協同工作的信心。
找到重心是硬重啟的關鍵。保持視野清晰，才能做出全面連貫的選擇。
戴爾的硬重啟
行業趨勢突變也可能導致硬重啟。2000年，戴爾還是全世界最大的個人電腦銷售商。然而接下來十年，筆記本電腦的利潤率一路走低。市場被高端筆記本電腦和低利潤Chromebook（Google推出的網絡筆記本——譯者注）瓜分，中端廠商幾乎沒有空間。戴爾的另一塊優勢是服務器和存儲業務，隨著行業向云計算和物聯網（IoT）發展，也變得越發過時。
創始人邁克爾·戴爾回到公司領導艱難的重啟。措施包括將公司私有化，從而在做出重大改變時不用受公開市場審查。由戴爾牽頭的小團隊將重點重新放在技術發展方向，為將來發展達成了交易，包括斥資670億美元收購持有VMware公司8%股份的EMC。利用分拆VMware增加現金和抵押品之后，2018年戴爾重新上市。
戴爾重新上市后更名為戴爾科技集團，之所以能在新的PC行業中成功，主要是認準一些公司會將歷史數據保存在服務器中以實現分散存儲。戴爾核心觀點是未來圍繞數據提供捆綁B2B產品，成為數據中心服務領域最大公司之一，在數據存儲、服務和技術基礎設施方面提供強大的捆綁服務。添加云管理訂閱也增加了經常性收入，從2018年到2022年，IT行業的復合年增速不到5%，而戴爾復合年增長率達到6.6%。
不得不硬重啟并不一定是壞事。對IBM、博柏利（Burberry）、戴爾、Tesco等，以及百思買（Best Buy）等公司來說，硬重啟開啟了快速增長。最糟糕的是忽略重啟必需的洞察力。需要徹底按下重啟按鈕時，就要假設現有預設全都受到挑戰，測試審查自己新信念，做好準備創立新業務。（財富中文網）
本編輯摘自麗貝卡·霍姆克斯2024年出版的《生存、重啟、繁榮》（Survive, Reset, Thrive），已經過Kogan Page有限公司許可轉載和改編。
譯者：梁宇
審校：夏林
以下節選改編自麗貝卡·霍姆克斯的《生存、重啟、繁榮：在動蕩時期引領突破性增長戰略》一書。
不能只顧生存……要努力發展。這是市場動蕩期間領導者經常聽到的一句話。這句話的問題在于錯過了關鍵：僅僅求生存無法確保公司蓬勃發展。在動蕩的環境中執行戰略要直面不確定性，因為要經歷業務穩定、重啟或改變戰略的循環，然后才能將公司重新引入發展的道路上。這一增長循環要跨越三種模式：生存、重啟和繁榮。
如果沒能做好充分準備應對重啟，管理之后的變化，很可能無法實現繁榮。重啟難度很高，因為重啟意味著變化。個人應對變化很困難，組織應對起來尤甚。更困難之處在于，重啟所需并非微觀調整和戰略小規模轉向，而是組織戰略、結構和運營模式根本性改變。那么，如果一切都需要重啟，會發生什么？
這一問題非常嚴肅，但確實會發生。我稱之為“硬重啟”。如果承認要取得未來的業績必須經歷一系列的變化，就需要硬重啟。想推動變化，需要更長時間確定核心的范圍以及如何實現。當以下情況綜合出現時就有必要：情況發生根本性變化，針對戰略環境的大部分信念受到挑戰。目前的競爭優勢受到嚴重損害或削弱，歷史優勢無法提供差異化——或者意識到可能從未真正差異化。之前關于理想客戶，提供的價值主張以及上市和銷售方法的假設已然失效。可能因為相關增長領域找不到機會，或者在相關領域缺乏勝出的能力。當前的重點事項清單不夠準確，也無法反映面臨的情況。
如果出現這些情況，首先要接受。這并不意味著再無機會加速成長；只是意味著在重啟和轉換模式中需要更長時間。采取幾個關鍵步驟后，就能順利完成硬重啟。
調整重點并重啟團隊
重新審視重啟過程中的團隊。硬重啟不適合脆弱的人，高層團隊中很多人都不想繼續領導如此高級別的變革。要求高管團隊每位成員在新現實中重新重視戰略流程，做好準備告別不想繼續的團隊成員。最好先建立希望變革的小團隊。內部小圈子很重要，不過也要積極吸引更廣泛的利益相關者團體協助測試信念審核假設。可以當成努力推動重啟的老虎突擊隊，同時跟更廣泛的委員會合作測試并學習。
循環討論一系列棘手的戰略問題
硬重啟要提問并回答一些關鍵的戰略問題。首先要重新審視自己的信念。就更新后的信念與團隊討論和辯論，制定計劃積極測試不認同或最不確定的信念。接下來要問，如何才能在未來建立防御性的競爭優勢：確定還有沒有競爭優勢（很可能并沒有，不然也不需要硬重啟）。收集可以加強和建立未來優勢的元素。格外關注可以加強的資源，多討論將收購或打造的業務。確保相關信息融入對世界發展的信念。對“在哪開展業務”的選擇要基于未來的優勢來源，所以要對新想法保持開放，也要現實看待哪些客戶會重視產品。不斷測試市場，充分了解并在未來的選擇中更加關注細節，特別是圍繞中期內最重要的任務。
設定里程碑
硬重啟期間，制定三個月里程碑，為六個月后是否成功提供明確定義。將里程碑拆解為不到十個的重點任務。記住，繼續重啟過程和相關討論的過程中，都是在努力實現里程碑，所以要現實看待能實現的目標，避免在里程碑清單中只有操作策略。
主要關注以下里程碑，我將之簡稱為DDD，代表定義（Define）——執行（Do）——交付（Deliver）。針對每個里程碑目標，都要確認以下內容：
? 定義：現在了解到哪些與執行相關的情況？
? 執行：需要做什么？
? 交付：將為組織帶來怎樣的結果，最好是可量化的結果？
每個DDD都應該有負責人和截止日期，目標是在執行時間框架內完成各項“定義”的三分之一。經常見面對標進度。慶祝取得的進展并交流過程，保持高速學習，因為需要更新中期戰略重點時，可將學習成果加入其中。
找到重心
想從艱難的重啟中成功轉型，必須確立明確的重心才能持續推進。轉型重心是關鍵的指導原則或洞察，這些原則或洞察要能概括價值創造所需的過渡措施。這是循環提出重啟問題的重要結果，也是未來各項決策的主要框架。只有對審查測試多種假設后結果才會出現。順其自然，不要強求。一旦確立重心，就要不斷強調，并通過這一視角看待其他選擇。在牢牢把握住重心之前，不要改變戰略，否則只會畏縮不前。
重心明確后，可以圍繞核心做出后續的戰略選擇。
IBM之所以能在郭士納（Lou Gerstner）領導下做出歷史性轉變，關鍵在于承認公司在很多技術領域有所迷失。郭士納成功領導了公司轉型，將IBM的重心重新定位為唯一能為全世界大企業提供集成解決方案的公司，而不再是大型主機公司。郭士納和團隊深知，公司任何單一領域都不是最佳，但比起挑選某一領域的佼佼者，大客戶更看重讓技術包協同工作的信心。
找到重心是硬重啟的關鍵。保持視野清晰，才能做出全面連貫的選擇。
戴爾的硬重啟
行業趨勢突變也可能導致硬重啟。2000年，戴爾還是全世界最大的個人電腦銷售商。然而接下來十年，筆記本電腦的利潤率一路走低。市場被高端筆記本電腦和低利潤Chromebook（Google推出的網絡筆記本——譯者注）瓜分，中端廠商幾乎沒有空間。戴爾的另一塊優勢是服務器和存儲業務，隨著行業向云計算和物聯網（IoT）發展，也變得越發過時。
創始人邁克爾·戴爾回到公司領導艱難的重啟。措施包括將公司私有化，從而在做出重大改變時不用受公開市場審查。由戴爾牽頭的小團隊將重點重新放在技術發展方向，為將來發展達成了交易，包括斥資670億美元收購持有VMware公司8%股份的EMC。利用分拆VMware增加現金和抵押品之后，2018年戴爾重新上市。
戴爾重新上市后更名為戴爾科技集團，之所以能在新的PC行業中成功，主要是認準一些公司會將歷史數據保存在服務器中以實現分散存儲。戴爾核心觀點是未來圍繞數據提供捆綁B2B產品，成為數據中心服務領域最大公司之一，在數據存儲、服務和技術基礎設施方面提供強大的捆綁服務。添加云管理訂閱也增加了經常性收入，從2018年到2022年，IT行業的復合年增速不到5%，而戴爾復合年增長率達到6.6%。
不得不硬重啟并不一定是壞事。對IBM、博柏利（Burberry）、戴爾、Tesco等，以及百思買（Best Buy）等公司來說，硬重啟開啟了快速增長。最糟糕的是忽略重啟必需的洞察力。需要徹底按下重啟按鈕時，就要假設現有預設全都受到挑戰，測試審查自己新信念，做好準備創立新業務。（財富中文網）
本編輯摘自麗貝卡·霍姆克斯2024年出版的《生存、重啟、繁榮》（Survive, Reset, Thrive），已經過Kogan Page有限公司許可轉載和改編。
譯者：梁宇
審校：夏林
Michael Dell.
The following is an adapted excerpt from Rebecca Homkes’ book Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times.
Don’t just survive…thrive. It’s a phrase leaders hear often during market turbulence. The problem is it misses a critical point: Just surviving will not advance an organization to a state where it will thrive. Executing strategy in a turbulent environment requires facing uncertainty head-on as you move through a loop of stabilizing your business, resetting or changing the strategy, and then redirecting your company back on a performance pathway to thrive. It is a continuous growth loop across three modes: survive, reset, and thrive.
If you are not prepared to go through a reset and manage the changes that come with it—you will likely not get to thrive mode. Resets are hard because resets involve change. But change is hard for individuals and harder still for organizations. And what is even harder is when the reset needed is more than micro adjustments and slight strategic shifts but a fundamental change in your organization’s strategy, structure, and operating model. So, what happens when you need to reset everything?
It’s a sobering question, and it happens. I call this a “hard reset.” This comes when you have acknowledged that future performance will only come from a full set of changes, and to make these changes, you need longer to determine the scope of the pivot and how to go about it. It happens when there is a combination of the following: Your situation has fundamentally changed, and most of your beliefs about the strategic environment are challenged. Your current competitive advantage has been significantly compromised or weakened, and your historical advantages will not provide differentiation—or you realize perhaps it never did. Previous assumptions about who your ideal customers are, the value proposition you have for them, and your go-to-market and sales approach are no longer valid. This might be because these growth areas no longer provide opportunities, or you are no longer set up to win in these spaces. And your current list of priorities is no longer accurate or reflective of the situation you are facing.
When this is the case, embrace it. It does not mean you will never thrive; it just means you need longer in the reset and transition mode. You can move through a hard reset successfully by embracing a few critical steps.
Refocus and reset the team
Re-examine the team you have with you on the reset process. Hard resets are not for the faint of heart, and many on your top team will not want to go on the journey of leading this level of change. Ask each executive team member to recommit to the strategy process within this new reality and be prepared to lose team members who don’t want to sign up for it. It’s better to start with a smaller team who will commit to the change. While you want a small inner circle, you will need to actively engage a wider stakeholder body to help test beliefs and vet assumptions. Think of this as a small tiger team who will work on the reset and a wider council to engage with for testing and learning.
Cycle through a set of tough strategy questions
A hard reset asks and answers a small set of critical strategy questions. It starts with revisiting your beliefs. Discuss and debate your updated beliefs with the team and build a plan to actively test the ones where you disagree or have the most uncertainty about. Next ask what it will take to build a defensible competitive advantage going forward: Determine if you still have a competitive advantage (you probably don’t—otherwise you wouldn’t be in a hard reset). Glean what elements you can use to strengthen and build an advantage going forward. Over-index on the assets you can strengthen and discuss what you will buy or build. Make sure you anchor this in your beliefs around where the world is going. Your “where to play” choices are based on your future sources of advantage, so be open to new ideas but also be realistic around which customers are going to value your offering. Continually and actively test the market to learn and get more nuanced in your future choices, especially around what you will decide as your top, midterm priorities going forward.
Set milestones
During a hard reset, develop rolling three-month milestones set towards a six-month definition of success. Limit these milestones to ten or fewer focused tasks. Remember you are executing these milestones while continuing the reset process and related discussions, so be realistic with what you can achieve and avoid including mere operational tactics on the milestone list.
Track these milestones in a focused tracker that I call a DDD, which stands for Define-Do-Deliver. For each milestone goal, determine the following:
? Define: What do we now know that we need to know to execute this?
? Do: What activity needs to be done?
? Deliver: What result, ideally quantifiable, will this produce for the organization?
Each DDD should have an owner and a deadline with the goal of having all “defines” completed one-third of the way through that execution time frame. Meet frequently to review progress. Celebrate and communicate progress along the way and keep learning velocity high, as you will incorporate these learnings into the updated top midterm, strategic priorities when it is time for them.
Find your center of gravity
Successful transformations from a hard reset necessitate a clear center of gravity to move forward. Your transformation center of gravity is the key guiding principle or insight that encapsulates the value-creating transition needed. It is the critical outcome of cycling through the reset questions, and the main frame for all future decisions. It will only emerge after vetting and testing multiple assumptions. Let it emerge and do not force it. Once you have it, communicate it incessantly and put all other choices through this lens. Do not reset the strategy until you have a firm grasp of your center of gravity, else you will falter repeatedly.
When these are articulated, the subsequent strategy choices can be made around them.
Key to IBM’s historic turnaround under Lou Gerstner was acknowledging IBM had in many ways lost its way in the technology landscape. Gerstner successfully led the transformation of the company by reframing IBM’s center of gravity as not being a mainframe company but rather the only one that could provide integrated solutions to the world’s largest companies. Gerstner and his team knew that they were not the best in any one area, but major customers would place greater value on having confidence that the technology package would all work together than in picking individual winners and making it work themselves.
Finding your center of gravity is the critical juncture step of the hard reset. Keeping a clear line of sight into this will enable you to make further coherent choices across the board.
Dell’s hard reset
Massive shifts in industry trends can also lead to hard resets. Dell was the world’s largest seller of personal computers in 2000. In the decade that followed, there was a race to the bottom in laptop margins. The market became divided between high-end laptops and low-margin Chromebooks with little room for a middle player. The server and storage business, another of Dell’s strengths, became increasingly obsolete in the industry’s movement towards cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Founder Michael Dell returned to the company to lead the hard reset. This included taking the company private to make big changes outside public market scrutiny. The small team, with Michael Dell at the helm, renewed focus on where the technology world was going and made deals to match it, including the enormous $67 billion takeover of EMC which owned an 8 percent stake in VMware. Using the VMware spinout to boost cash and collateral, the company eventually went public again in 2018.
Dell Technologies, its new trading name, was able to successfully compete in a renewed PC industry on the bet that companies would keep some historical data housed in servers for diversification. Its key insight was around the future of a bundled B2B offering around data, becoming one of the largest players in data center servicing, and being able to offer a powerful bundle in data storage, services, and technology infrastructure. Adding a cloud-management subscription added recurring revenue, and from 2018 to 2022 Dell had a CAGR of 6.6 percent compared with less than 5 percent for the IT industry.
Having to undergo a hard reset does not have to be bad. For many companies, such as IBM, Burberry, Dell, Tesco, or others such as Best Buy, the hard reset led to dramatic growth journeys. What is bad is to ignore the insight that you need one. When you need to press the reset button in full, assume all existing assumptions have been challenged, test and vet your new beliefs, and be prepared to build a new business.
This edited extract is from Survive, Reset, Thrive by Rebecca Homkes ?2024 and is reproduced and adapted with permission from Kogan Page Ltd.
