In 1990, IBM had its most profitable year ever. By 1993, the computer indus- try had changed so rapidly the company was on its way to losing $16 billion and IBM was on a watch list for extinction. Then Lou Gerstner took hold of the company and demanded that managers work together to re-establish IBM's mission as a customer-focused provider of computing solutions. Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? tells the story of IBM's competitive and cultural transformation. In his own words, Gerstner offers a blow-by-blow account of his arrival at the company and his campaign to rebuild the leadership team and give the workforce a renewed sense of purpose. In the process, Gerstner defined a strategy for the computing giant and remade the ossified culture bred by the company's own success. Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? sums up Lou Gerstner's historic business achievement. Taking readers deep into the world of IBM's CEO, he offers his hard-won conclusions about the essence of what makes a great company run. In the history of modern business, many companies have gone from being industry leaders to the verge of extinction. Through the heroic efforts of a new management team, some of those companies have even succeeded in resuscitating themselves and living on in the shadow of their former stature. But only one company has been at the pinnacle of an industry, fallen to near colapse, and then, beyond anyone's expectations, returned to set the agenda. That company is IBM.



About the author:

LOU GERSTNER, JR., served as chairman and chief executive officer of IBM from April 1993 until March 2002, when he retired as'... CEO. He remained chairman of the board through the end of 2002. Mr. Gerstner received -a bachelor's degree in engineering from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.