It’s no surprise Research in Motion (RIM) isn’t having the success it once enjoyed — it’s only natural given the company has failed to innovate and excite users about its new products. With the advent of 2012, RIM has some tough decisions to make. Will a new chairman of the board be one of them?
According to Forbes.com, word on the street is that RIM’s duo of CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, may get the boot from the chairman slot sometime very soon. It’s not exactly a secret as to why they’d have to step down: The BlackBerry PlayBook wasn’t a success, the new BlackBerrys with QNX haven’t arrived despite many promises, and most of BlackBerry’s devices, while elegant, aren’t truly innovative the way Google and Apple devices are.
So who will fill the position? According to Forbes …
… Barbara Stymiest, a RIM board member and former chief operating officer at Royal Bank of Canada, who joined the company in 2007. A single chairperson would likely result in better communication and faster decision-making at the top of the company’s chain of command.
Plain and simple, Forbes is right. I’ve been calling for RIM to step up and make some serious moves, even a departure from the BlackBerry line of devices. But so far, RIM has dragged its feet and even aided the “enemy” with iOS and Android support for its mobile management software. I want RIM to win, because the company has a long history of innovation and a unique “business” approach to technology, but more importantly, it provides a good counterbalance to both Apple and Google.
We’ll be providing a deep dive on RIM later in January 2012, and by that time, there may be yet another new CEO of 2012.
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Don’t blame CEO, they want RIM win.
RIM has strange culture and self distruct political environment.
In RIM if a new hired person figure out major problem and introduce efficient approach, both manager and his buddy group member will proof their wrong approach works. just like someone point out driving a car is right way, pushing a car is wrong way, then both manager and his buddy group member will hate you, and proof that 3 person can also move the car by pushing it. cheating email will be sent to some vice president, saying like: see, the car moving, pushing a car is a natural part of the process, in order to deny new hired contribution of introducing skill of drive a car, they have to deny merit of driving a car.
It is very strange company culture and strange company political environment, it promote stealing and cheating skill. RIM’s management may be a typical instance in MBA course.
This culture deny or steal hardworking team members’ contribution/innovation, generate strange political environment, destroy RIM.
So don’t blame CEO, some of their VPs and VPs’ expert generate terrible culture and self destruct political environment.