英语论文网

oducts in network computing, namely the Solaris operating system, the UltraSPARC processor, and the Java technology platform had given it an advantage over its peers. As a “systems” company, Sun controlled all of these elements directly, as opposed to leveraging and integrating the parts from other companies (e.g., suppliers of middleware, chips, etc.). In addition, Sun’s strategy for forming strategic alliances, even with competitors like Microsoft, had paid off. By 2007, Sun had reached $14 billion in revenues with approximately 35,000 employees in 47 countries.

 

Competitive Industry

Sun was in a fast-paced industry that was characterized by high product turnover. Companies not able to keep ahead of the technology curve quickly fell by the wayside. Consequently, industry members had to invest heavily in research and development to succeed in an environment that was rapidly changing in size and capacity. The last few years had been particularly difficult, as profit margins were squeezed from both sides. High input prices were raising the cost of production, and competitors were involved in an intense price war. Loss of revenue had forced companies to look for other ways to slash costs, resulting in outsourcing to Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

 

Global Talent

One of Sun’s competitive strategies had been to form global teams. By spreading out across the globe, Sun was able to be closer to its customers, have access to a larger pool of talent, and provide service to its customers at any hour of the day.

 

When Sun was developing or implementing a new product, it had chosen employees to support the product based on talent or leadership rather than on location. If Sun wanted to create a new product, it might find the professionals best suited to lead and conduct the project from diverse countries. Lawry described some of the benefits of having global teams:

Our customers have offices in Asia, Europe, and throughout North and South America. If we are to understand and respond to their needs, we need to have people on the ground in each of these areas. How are we going to get the best people if we try to run three work shifts in Santa Clara? You are not going to get an engineer with 15 years experience to agree to work the graveyard shift, and even if he did, there would be errors and he’d quit after not seeing his family for a few months. Our policy is to follow the sun—teams come online as the sun rises in their region and take over projects from areas where the sun is setting.

 

These global teams ranged in size and composition, but the majority of them had been structured so that each manager had 11 direct reports. This was in response to Sun’s code, called the “Rule of

 

Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A) 409-003

11,” that established a norm that each manager should have direct supervision over approximately 11 employees.

Open Work

 

At Sun, diverse employees had to work together across multiple time zones and function within their workplace locations. In addition, employees had expressed a need for more flexible work schedules and a better structure for balancing professional and private choices. In response, in 1995, Sun’s top management had begun to本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。