| Cisco loses heir to throne; will manage by committee »news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_···iancarlo
A "development council" composed of several executives will replace Cisco Systems Inc. CEO heir-apparent Charles Giancarlo, who has resigned. Cisco Chairman and Chief Executive John Chambers announced the appointment of the group of executives to oversee acquisitions and other business deals on Thursday after he confirmed Giancarlo, his chief development officer, was leaving.
Chambers said in a conference call he and Giancarlo held with reporters that Cisco is shifting from a "command and control" organization to a network of task forces and other teams. Such a structure is rare in the tech industry, where heroic and charismatic executives often cultivate loyal followings. But "management by committee" approaches have become more common in the legal and financial industries in the last decade.
Chambers said he has little intention of stepping down in the near future; he emphasized that he would remain CEO for at least three years, more likely five. Meanwhile, Giancarlo alluded to his ambitions to be at the helm of a company, and he was frank about the shrewd calculations he made about his career after turning 50 this year. Cisco has dominated in enterprises and in internet backbone networks. Changing to management by committee is a safe way of managing, but it doesn't usually lead to a company that exploits innovation. So this is a strange choice in the technology field.
--
Internet News
My BLOG
My Web Page
|
