Jeff Jarvis has a great post about why TV Guide's makeover has come "10 years too late".
Having a cash cow distracts companies from the future. It makes them complacent: ‘Look at all the money (still) rolling in.’ It makes them think that if they just tweak this and that — if they can still get away with raising their rates even as their audience and value are shrinking — they will continue to keep milking cash from that old cow. It makes them overly cautious: ‘Nobody hurt Bessie!’
Interesting food for thought. What would really be interesting is an examination of how to change the decision-making process in environment such as TV Guide's. How could a senior executive have created the proper environment for TV Guide to reinvent itself. Gates did it with Microsoft after he realized that he'd made a mistake with the Internet. But, does it take an executive with that kind of personal force of will to change a company? Is it possible for companies that are organized around systems and processes rather than a charismatic founder to reverse course without falling into a deep trough first? Sure there's the Lew Gestner story, but that's only after IBM had fallen on hard times. Any other suggestions?
Comments