What IBM teaches us

A recent article in the Economist got me thinking about the parallels between IBM and the market research industry.

Platform shifts
IBM is 100 years old and has survived three shifts in computing platforms that had the potential to derail it:

Shift 1: Punch cards to mainframe computing
Shift 2: Mainframes to distributed computing, including PCs
Shift 3: Distributed computing to cloud computing

IBM was slow to move into distributed computing, especially as they were so dominant in mainframes. However, the lesson was learnt and their move into cloud computing has been swift.

These shifts in computing platforms have parallels in research, particularly in interviewing platforms, where online has superseded telephone, which superseded face to face before it. (The shifts are not wholesale, but they are significant.)

Creating a human platform
What is at the heart of IBM’s success? George Colony, Chief Exec at Forrester Research says this:

‘IBM is not a technology company, but a company solving business problems using technology’

There are a number of ways that IBM evolved into being such a company…

1. Maintain strong connections with customers including the co-creation of products - the services division employs more than half of the total workforce
2. Develop software that helps customers manage the complexity of their computing systems. (IBM is the worlds third largest software provider after Oracle (2nd) and Microsoft (1st)
3. Become less hierarchical and more open, including the introduction of online brainstorm sessions (IBM Jams)
4. Embed R&D teams with the service teams to provide on the ground experience
5. Ditch businesses that are about to be commoditised
6. Acquire businesses that add value to its services e.g. the consulting arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers

In a nutshell, IBM has built a human platform comprising of trusted advisors that help organisations navigate the rapidly changing world of computing.
 
So what can market research learn from IBM?

  • Keep pace with technological change. For example, we see mobile as providing the next big platform shift
  • Listen to your customers. We have an on-going client feedback programme, including a Client Advisory Board that provides deep strategic insight into what research buyers want from their agencies now and in the future
  • Develop tools and processes that help clients make the most of the new (and old) platforms. We developed bespoke community software and are doing the same in mobile
  • Invite ideas from across the business. We have an Innovation Forum that seeks to generate and develop ideas from employees in all areas of the business
  • Dump ideas that aren’t working or don’t fit. We sold our online panel and have ditched ideas that we believe don’t fit with what we do
  • Add value. We recognised a while back that there is a divergence between market research vendors that provide DIY tools and those that provide value add services. We fall into the latter and are constantly reviewing how we optimise our offer
  • Finally, and probably most importantly, focus on providing staff with the time and skills to deliver great research. We streamline job processes to free up time for our staff to do jobs that add value. Plus, we run numerous training sessions in a variety of formats where our people can share and learn about how to do research better