哈佛商学院爱立信Ericsson变革管理案例.pdf

9-507-074 R E V : F E B R U A R Y 1 1 , 2 0 0 8 D A S N A R A Y A N D A S V I N C E N T D E S S A I N D A N I E L A B E Y E R S D O R F E R A N D E R S S J Ö M A N Ericsson: Leading in Times of Change Carl-Henric Svanberg looked up from his desk, out his office door and down an empty corridor. The new CEO and president of telecommunications group Ericsson maintained (literally) an open- door policy, but on late nights like this one in April 2003, there were few colleagues left to pass by his office. Even in daytime, the company headquarters outside Stockholm appeared unoccupied, with Ericsson half the size it had been not even two years ago. Svanberg realized the place could soon appear even more vacant if he implemented the additional cost-savings package he had in mind. Despite the recent streamlining, Ericsson was in 2003 still a world leader in telecom infrastructure equipment and Sweden’s largest exporter. It developed end-to-end solutions to network operators of mobile and fixed-line communications. Through a 50/50 joint venture with consumer electronics giant Sony, SonyEricsson, it also marketed mobile phones. The company had long been a source of national pride. One of Sweden’s largest employers, it also had 20% of Sweden’s working population as direct shareholders (with more holding stock through mutual funds).1 However, in 2001, after a decade of growth, Ericsson saw its glory fade and its business collapse when network operators suddenly stopped investing. CEO Kurt Hellström quickly launched a string of restructuring programs to save the company.