IBM’s orderly CEO succession plan and corporate strategy stands in marked contrast to the
succession planning and strategy at its rival, HP. As my colleagues and I have written in a
series of cases on the board process at HP, they have lurched from strategy to strategy and
CEO to CEO (usually outsiders) with unimpressive results. Contrast this with IBM, which
has had a successful long-term strategy, and has groomed a series of impressive executives
from within. Best wishes to Rometty as she takes over the reigns of IBM. Below are links
to some of the cases my colleagues and I have written about board processes at HP:
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/411056-PDF-ENG
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/web/product_detail.seam?E=1620&R=107030-HCB-ENG&conversationId=3755315
