Comment by clavalle | Hacker News Reader

Comment by clavalle | Hacker News Reader

If their new tack is as sharp and focused as that memo, Microsoft is in trouble.

"We will be all things to all people by getting rid of anything that is not a huge profit center. Those profit centers will be organized in appropriate silos. Those silos will assign people to product committees for collaboration with other silos on individual products. Each committee will have a leader (Champion) who reports to the layer just below me. This new, tighter, organization will make us leaner and more nimble."

Sounds -- as good as it could for a large organization I guess but there is a lot of contradiction. Greater reach through consolidation? Nimble action through layers of management? We are all One except for these few special cases? Build on our character as Microsoft but emulate Apple? One Strategy through rigidly defined feifdoms with their own Champions battling for influence?

I also love their list of 'high-value activities' "high-value activities — serious fun, meetings, tasks, research, information assurance and IT/Dev workloads" Does anyone know what they mean by this?

And all of this couched in such thick Business-Speak that 10 different people will come away with 10 different messages.

Mr. Ballmer. For the love of all of the brilliant people you employ, step down. It's time.

I honestly think he doesn't realize that he's the problem and people around him won't tell him the truth. Ballmer is a very intimidating guy both in physical size and attitude and is always ready to be combative. This make it very difficult to have a open dialog with him.

Him remaining still as the CEO is not his fault its the boards fault they should have made moves to genteelly replace him a long time ago.

>"Ballmer is a very intimidating guy both in physical size and attitude and is always ready to be combative."

As larger than average person I'm fascinated/frustrated by the way physical presence affects people.

Most troublesome for me have been people who apparently feel intimidated and project it back as something intentional, as I'm trying to intimidate them or have intimidated others into agreement with me.

>Most troublesome for me have been people who apparently feel intimidated and project it back as something intentional, as I'm trying to intimidate them

I am 6'7" tall and weigh 220 pounds. I've also been in IT for about 20 years in a corporate setting. Are you bigger than I am? I ask because I have never had anyone say that I intimidated them nor have I heard of anyone telling me that someone else is intimidated by me. I'm curious as to whether people are intimidated and just aren't telling me.

I'm not as tall as you, just 6'2" but I take the precaution of sitting when talking seriously to people (mostly students, I'm a teacher, I just carry a chair round the classroom). The result is less challenging behaviour from students (UK)

>"Are you bigger than I am?"

I'm your height, 60+ pounds heavier and no stranger to the gym. I've been in IT for going on 16 years.

I've had many people admit they were initially intimidated after we've gotten to know each other - women a bit more than men. I've had several problems arise from superficial assumptions/accusations by people who'd never fully interacted with me.

About your situation, there are a couple things I think can help/hurt:

* Build. I can remember being 220. I'm definitely perceived differently now, more "big" than "tall" or "slim" previously.

* I'm pretty quiet. I get the impression that people assume negatives before positives when they can't read a person.

* Jobs. I've done a lot of work in the public sector where things always seem to be contentious. In a place with less infighting and political maneuvering I'd hope for less assumption and undermining as well.

This is a good point, and it goes the opposite way too.

I'm a smaller than average guy (5 foot 4) and people that don't know me are often started when I'm vocal and assertive in meetings. I'm a working professional with opinions just like anyone else, and just because I'm short doesn't mean I don't want them heard.

I don't know if intimidated is the right word, but I'm pretty average height - 5'11'', and I've personally observed over time that I feel much more insecure around bigger people. I'm not sure how common it is but it's something I've become consciously aware of and try to correct myself on. But even being aware of it, it's really hard to ignore. For example, I find I gain a lot of self-confidence when I sit at a conference table talking to someone, putting us on "equal" footing. But if standing where I'm looking up at someone I suddenly feel like a small boy talking out of place to a grown-up. It's silly but it's an overwhelmingly noticeable sensation that drives me crazy.

I suspect it could have evolved out of having a physically intimidating older brother growing up (I grew out of a lot of insecurities when I became taller than he was, but maybe not all).

Ballmer is very good in one thing and it is: remove the main rivals from inside microsoft. He was doing this since years to try to put himself in a secure position with no alternatives for the Board of Directors.

I think he will never step down. The only solution would be a strong pressure from all the main actionists of microsoft, but it seems they are all sleeping.

Yes, having Champions in silos does seem a little bit "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", doesn't it.

It's doublespeak straight out of 1984.

I won Buzzword Bingo by the end of the second paragraph.

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