the.world.is.flat-第96章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
experience； and service he or she wanted。 Big companies that could adapt their
technology and business processes to empower this self…directed consumer could act
very small by enabling their customers to act very big。 They could make the consumer
feel that every product or service was being tailored for his or her specific needs
and desires； when in fact all that the company was doing was creating a digital buffet
for them to serve themselves。
In the financial services industry； this constituted a profound change in approach。
Historically； financial services was dominatedby large banks； large brokerage houses；
and large insurance companies that told you what you were getting； how you were getting
it； when and where you were getting it； and the price you had to pay for it。 Customers
reacted to these big companies with emotions ranging from apathy to distaste。 But
if I didn't like the way my bank was treating me； I didn't have any real choice。 Then
the world was flattened and the Internet came along。 Consumers started to feel that
they could have more control； and the more they adapted their buying habits to the
Internet； the more companies…from booksellers to financial services…had to adapt and
offer them the tools to be in control。
352
〃Sure； the Internet stocks blew up when the bubble burst；〃 said Caplan； whose own
company's stock price took a big dip in that market storm； 〃but underneath； consumers
were getting a taste of power； and once they tasted it； things went from companies
being in control of consumers' behavior to consumers being in control of companies'
behavior。 The rules of engagement changed； and if you did not respond and offer
customers what they wanted； someone else would； and you would be dead。〃 Where once
the financial services companies acted big； now they strove to act small and to enable
the consumer to act big。 〃Companies who prosper today；〃 argued Caplan； 〃are the ones
who understand the self…directed consumer。〃 For E*Trade； that meant thinking of the
company not as a collection of individual financial services…a bank； a brokerage；
and a lending business…but as an integrated financial experience that could serve
the most self…directed financial consumers。 〃The self…directed consumer wanted
one…stop financial shopping；〃 said Caplan。 〃When they came to our site they wanted
everything integrated； with them in control。 Only recently； though； did we have the
technology to really integrate all our three businesses…banking； lending； and
brokerage…and pull them together in a way that didn't just deliver the price； not
just the service； but the total experience they wanted。〃
If you came to the E*Trade site just three or four years ago； you would see your
brokerage account on one screen page and your lending on another。 Today； said Caplan；
〃On one page you can now see exactly where you stand in terms of your brokerage in
real time； including your buying power； and you see your bank account and the scheduled
payments for your loans…what is pending； what is the balance on your home mortgage；
and ＇what is your＇ line of credit…and you have the ability to move seamlessly between
all three to maximize the benefit of your cash。〃
While Fadi Ghandour coped with the triple convergence by taking a small company and
devising a strategy to make it act very big； Mitchell Caplan survived by taking a
big company and making it act very small so that his customers could act very big。
Rule #4： The best companies are the best collaborators。 In the flat world； more and
more business will be done through collaborations
353
within and between companies； for a very simple reason： The next layers of value
creation…whether in technology； marketing； biomedicine； or manufacturing…are
becoming so complex that no single firm or department is going to be able to master
them alone。
〃What we are seeing in so many different fields；〃 said Joel Cawley； the head of IBM's
strategic planning unit； 〃is that the next layers of innovation involve the
intersection of very advanced specialties。 The cutting edge of technical innovation
in every field is increasingly specialized。〃 In most cases； your own company's or
your own department's specialization is going to be applicable to only a very small
piece of any meaningful business or social challenge。 〃Therefore； to come up with
any valuable new breakthrough； you have to be able to combine more and more of these
increasingly granular specialties。 That is why collaboration is so important；〃 Cawley
said。 So you might find that a pharmaceutical company has invented a new stent that
allows it to dispense a whole new class of drugs that a biomedical company has been
working on； and the real breakthrough…where the real profit is created for both…is
in their collaboration in getting the breakthrough drugs from one firm together with
the breakthrough delivery system from another。
Or take a more colorful example： video games。 Game makers have long been commissioning
special music to go with games。 They eventually discovered that when they combined
the right music with the right game they not only sold many； many more copies of that
game； but they could spin off the music for sale on CD or download as well。 So some
big game companies have recently started their own music divisions； and some artists
have decided that they have a better chance of getting their music heard by launching
it with a new digital game than on the radio。 The more the flattening of the world
connects all the knowledge pools together； the more specializations and specialists
there will be out there； the more innovation will come from putting them together
in different combinations； and the more management will be about the ability to do
just that。
Perhaps the best way to illustrate this paradigm shift and how some companies have
adapted to it is by looking at a very traditional manu…
facturer： Rolls…Royce。 When you hear the word 〃Rolls…Royce；〃 what immediately comes
to mind is a shiny handmade car； with a uniformed chauffeur sitting in the driver's
seat and a perfectly tailored couple in the back on their way to Ascot or Wimbledon。
Rolls…Royce； the quintessential stodgy British company； right？ What if I told you；
though； that Rolls…Royce doesn't even make cars anymore （that business was sold in
1972 and the brand was licensed to BMW in 1998）； that 50 percent of its income comes
from services； and that in 1990 all of its employees were in Great Britain and today
40 percent are based outside of the United Kingdom； integrated into a global operation
that stretches from China to Singapore to India to Italy to Spain to Germany to Japan
and up to Scandinavia？
No； this is not your father's Rolls…Royce。
〃Quite a long time ago we said； 'We cannot be just a U。K。 company；'〃 Sir John Rose；
chief executive of Rolls…Royce PLC； told me in an interview while wewere both visiting
China。 〃The U。K。 is a tiny market。 In the late 1980s； 60 percent of our business was
defense ＇particularly jet engines＇ and our primary customer was Her Majesty's
government。 But we needed to become a world player； and if we were going to do that
we had to recognize that the biggest customer in everything we could do was the U。S。；
and we had to be successful in nondefense markets。 So we became a technology company
＇specializing in＇ power systems。〃 Today Rolls…Royce's core competency is making gas
turbines for civilian and military airplanes； for helicopters； for ships； and for
the oil and gas and power…generation industries。 Rolls…Royce has customers now in
120 countries and employs around thirty…five thousand people； but only twenty…one
thousand are located in the United Kingdom； with the rest part of a global network
of research； service； and manufacturing workers。 Half of Rolls…Royce's revenue is
now generated by businesses outside the United Kingdom。 〃In the U。K。 we are thought
of asa British company；〃 saidRose； 〃but in Germany weare a German company。 In America
we are an American company； in Singapore we are a Singaporean company…you have to
be in order to be close to
