Some of the best advice in Gerstner’s book concern ‘execution’ issues of rewards, incentives, and who has the power to make which decisions. Consider:
(p. 249) If a CEO thinks he or she is redirecting or reintegrating an enterprise but doesn’t distribute the basic levels of power (in effect, redefining who "calls the shots"), the CEO is trying to push string up a hill. (p. 250) The media companies are a good example. If a CEO wants to build a truly integrated platform for digital services in the home, he or she cannot let the music division or movie division cling to its existing technology or industry structure—despite the fact that these traditional approaches maximize short-term profits.
. . .
I knew we could not get the integration we needed at IBM without introducing massive changes to the measurement and compensation system. I’ve already explained that the group executives who ran IBM’s operating businesses were not paid bonuses based on the unit’s performance. All their pay was derived from IBM’s total results.
When a CEO tells me that he or she is considering a major reintegration of his or her company, I try to say, politely, "If you are not pre-(p. 251)pared to manage your compensation this way, you probably should not proceed."
The reference for the book is:
Gerstner, Louis V., Jr. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
(Note: ellipsis added.)