Subject category:
Strategy and General Management
Published by:
Stanford Business School
Version: September 2001
Length: 35 pages
Data source: Field research
Notes: This item is part of a free case collection. For terms & conditions go to www.thecasecentre.org/freecaseterms
Abstract
On 2 March, 1999, Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced a plan to create a separate company, subsequently named Agilent Technologies, made up of HP's businesses in test and measurement, semiconductor products, healthcare solutions, chemical analysis, and the related portions of HP laboratories. In developing the transformation strategy, Agilent President and CEO, Ned Barnholt, grappled with how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the new company while still maintaining the best portions of HP's culture and practices. Barnholt adopted HP's values of innovation and contribution, trust and respect for individuals, and uncompromising integrity, but he added three new values: speed, focus, and accountability. Barnholt also wanted to improve the company's efficiency in terms of shared services. In mid-2001, the Agilent team faced a series of unexpected challenges. On 5 April, 2001, Barnholt announced that business conditions had worsened further than previously expected. Barnholt wondered whether he and his team had gone too far in the organizational and cultural changes they had tried to implement. He wondered whether his vision of speed, focus, and accountability would be compatible with HP's legacy values and culture, and if so, how would he integrate the two? This case is part of the Stanford Graduate School of Business free case collection (visit www.thecasecentre.org/stanfordfreecases for more information on the collection).
About
Abstract
On 2 March, 1999, Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced a plan to create a separate company, subsequently named Agilent Technologies, made up of HP's businesses in test and measurement, semiconductor products, healthcare solutions, chemical analysis, and the related portions of HP laboratories. In developing the transformation strategy, Agilent President and CEO, Ned Barnholt, grappled with how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the new company while still maintaining the best portions of HP's culture and practices. Barnholt adopted HP's values of innovation and contribution, trust and respect for individuals, and uncompromising integrity, but he added three new values: speed, focus, and accountability. Barnholt also wanted to improve the company's efficiency in terms of shared services. In mid-2001, the Agilent team faced a series of unexpected challenges. On 5 April, 2001, Barnholt announced that business conditions had worsened further than previously expected. Barnholt wondered whether he and his team had gone too far in the organizational and cultural changes they had tried to implement. He wondered whether his vision of speed, focus, and accountability would be compatible with HP's legacy values and culture, and if so, how would he integrate the two? This case is part of the Stanford Graduate School of Business free case collection (visit www.thecasecentre.org/stanfordfreecases for more information on the collection).