Hewlett-Packard Redefines the HP Way Learning Organizations
The case study, Human Resources at Hewlett-Packard, presents a portrait of an evolving organization that moved from its earliest base as a small privately owned company, with a single manufacturing focus, to a multinational conglomerate with multiple lines of business. Like many start-ups, in the early years, the company ethos exemplified that of its entrepreneurial founders. Entrepreneurs are often characterized by their capacity to have a hand in all facets of the organization, including human resources, and this was the situation at Hewlett-Packard for several decades. The case study presents a scenario in which the new CEO must address task force findings and questions about the viability of "the HP Way" and its role in employee engagement, strategic planning for the multinational context in which Hewlett-Packard now competes, and the evolution of a mature company in a mature industry. That Hewett-Packard has changed over the years, morphing into an organizational structure that bears little resemblance to its original form, is not surprising. Nor is the distress that long-time employees feel with regard to these changes. The case study spins in the direction of communicating the inevitability of the company's evolution, given the degree of change in the competitive landscape. After all, the case study seems to implore, how could Hewlett-Packard be the same when it has gone through so many iterations that is not even in the same business? Moreover, the case study presents a thorough enough summary of the corporate history of Hewlett-Packard that the iterations stand out against a background of technological changes that acted as catalysts for the company's redefinitions.
Strategic recommendations for a Fortune 500 company
Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) is a global leader in the research, development, marketing, selling and service of high technology products including laptops, desktop computers, minicomputers, printers and plotters and…