A View from Beneath the Dancing Elephant: Rediscovering IBM's Corporate Constitution

Many IBMers see Louis V. Gerstner as the savior of their company—indeed, Gerstner sees himself that way. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? expresses this perspective quite well. What Gerstner never realized is that much of his success came from accidentally tapping into an eighty-year-old culture that he never understood. IBM’s founders, the Watsons, created this culture in the 1910s, and then codified it in the 1950s with the creation of three Basic Beliefs: Respect, Service and Excellence.But today’s IBM has lost its culture, its constitution and its way. Surely a century-old corporation is more than its founding words; but great leaders do not seek to abolish a people’s constitution, rather they seek a return to its original intent.This book captures how that change occurred—a view from beneath the dancing elephant.

Peter E. Greulich spent thirty years at IBM as a salesman, brand manager, worldwide product/market manager and sales instructor. He's interviewed thousands of IBMers worldwide-from the United States to China, Canada to Brazil, and Australia to Scandinavia. The themes in his writings reflect these discussions, his own corporate experiences, and a three-year journey to understand Thomas J. Watson Sr.'s leadership-a guiding force, that in the face of nine recessions, the Great Depression and four of the six steepest U.S. stock market declines, created one of the 20th Century's greatest corporations. His writings include: -The World's Greatest Salesman: An IBM Caretaker's Perspective: Looking Back, a look at Thomas J. Watson Sr.'s leadership during the 20th Century's darkest economic time-The Great Depression. -Democracy in Business, We Are All Assistants and We Forgive Thoughtful Mistakes, a series of short essays on Watson Sr.'s philosophies of leadership from the 1930s. -A View from Beneath the Dancing Elephant: Rediscovering IBM's Corporate Constitution, is a look at the 21st Century IBM in light of his studies of, and experiences in the 20th Century IBM.