HP Case Study the Author of This

HP Case Study The author of this report is asked to analyze a case study regarding Hewlett Packard as it appeared in a Harvard Business Review publication back in 2005. Upon completion of the analysis, the author is asked to answer to four major questions regarding Hewlett Packard and the challenges that they have face marketing to and serving enterprise-level customers.

In order, it will be answered to what the problem statement is, what recommendations should be heeded by Hewlett Packard, the rationale behind these recommendations and the tactics that can and should be used as those changes and recommendations are implemented.

Questions Answered The case study is fairly verbose and protracted but one major issue is focused on above anything else and it quickly and easily yields the problem that needs to be stated and summarized, that being that Hewlett Packard has encountered problems and challenges in marketing to and retaining enterprise-level customers due to their inability to truly cater to their needs and make them feel as though that they have a true partner that understands their challenges and the industry or industries in which they operate.

Hewlett Packard has tried to address that by using things such as segmented teams using their color coding system and other tactics but there were challenges that came about including some customers complaining about not having specialized service and customization of their computing services and/or internal Hewlett Packard people including salespeople wanting to revert to the prior ways of selling to and retaining customers (Narayandas & Dudley, 2005). As for the recommendations, they are easy to say but just saying it is not enough.

Even for a global computing powerhouse like Hewlett Packard, being able to plug in the right computing solutions and the right people at the right time for all consumers can be difficult to pull off.

Making matters more complicated is that other computing companies that also cater directly to corporate clients like Lenovo (formerly IBM's computer division) and Dell are snapping at Hewlett Packard's heels in every form and function and they are more than willing to at least try to fill the void that Hewlett Packard may create or allow to occur. However, there are recommendations do that avail themselves to the author of this report.

First, Hewlett Packard needs to make sure they attract and retain a core of experts that can pass as fluent to the needs of different companies from different divisions. To do this well and to staff people in the right amounts for the right industries, Hewlett Packard would need to know what the core industries found the most in HP's client base are and make sure that they staff the right amount of people for those industries.

Industries that are less common should have lower headcounts but they should still be present if/when they are needed. Obviously, HP can make heavy use of overlap from people that have exposures to multiple industries but no one industry or person should be stretched too thin because this will become evident to the customers in any number of ways (Columbus, 2013). Second, they should strike back resistance from the employees of HP but they must do so in a diplomatic way.

If the old way is inferior or does not yield the desired results, this should be made evident and clear to the people that are resisting, although they should not be singled out. Administering feedback to the group should always be the norm but people should be allowed to voice their concerns, themselves in person or anonymously, as they wish so that everything can be brought out into the open.

However, if old ways were better-performing in one dimension or more, it should be sought out why that is and whether a reversion, whether partial or full, might be in order. Perhaps the old way worked better but it's also possible that a merged new methodology that combines the best parts and results of the old and new can be found as well, or at least the best that can be attained overall given the facts and results as they truly exist.

The rationale to the above is not all that hard to figure out. As based on the class discussions had by the classmates as well as many facets of the class text, it is clear that there is not a unity with the Hewlett Packard employee base and it is also clear that some customers are voicing concerns if not outright complaints about the process and well it proceeds.

Indeed, there will always be customers that complain and their reservations or problems can be drummed up to be more than they are and/or the client is just high-maintenance. Also, no single solution will quell all problems, internally or with customers, a course of operations and procedures that yields the best results for all involved should always be the endgame with the understanding that while some complaints and issues will occur, the idea is to make them as minimal, fleeting and minor as possible.

As to how to put the rubber to the road, the aforementioned use of open lines of communication is a huge start. Another tactic to use is to avoid strictly top-down communication and/or orders within the Hewlett Packard management and strategy core.

Management should make it clear that they want buy-in for what they're trying to sell to the employees and lower managers but that they also want to address concerns and reservations that the employees and lower managers have about what is planned and what is best for the company.

It has to be expressed, and with fervor as well as sincerity, that the goal is to make Hewlett Packard and its workforce the best that they can be because everyone has a vested interest in seeing the company succeed and thrive, especially in comparison to the aforementioned competitors like Lenovo and Dell as well as any other upstarts that may seep into the picture in the future (Shah, 2013).

Lastly, the author of this report recommends that Hewlett Packard embrace the mobile revolution that has come screaming into the forefront since.