"Do you know what cloud computing is?" My mom tried to "show off" some new concept she learnt recently.
"Well, it sounds familiar to me." I answered as I knew IBM first introduced this concept to the commercial world.
"You know what, under this concept, the whole world may only need 5 computers in the future. Everyone can have easy access to the highly efficient IT services no matter where they are or what type of device they're using!........" Mom was very excited to tell the story of "cloud computing". "Ha, I saw your (IBM) ad for smarter planet on websites here in China. I was attracted to the blurb and just clicked the link to find out more details. You should be really proud of what your company is doing!"
My mom is right. As a recruiter, I am so proud of my employer in terms of its strategic vision to always get ahead of the game and firm resolution in always improve or even reinvent itself. I know we still have a lot of bureaucracy, negative feedback on some of our innovative practices, and I myself have some frustration in my daily work, but still, IBMers are optimistic about the future of the company, even given the current serious crisis. I can always be very proud to tell others that I am working for a company which turns people's dreams into reality.
An incoming call for my mom stopped our on-line conversation. And I overheard my mom was encouraging her subordinate who was frustrated with a tough business case, "don't be pessimistic about the temporary obstacles! Just believe in what you are working on is the future trend! Duplication model (related to her business) will enter dead-end. You know what is the most efficient?....Cloud computing!...." Ha, I have to worship my mom's spirit in constant learning and ability to apply what she's learnt immediately.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Young Guests from China
On Monday, Feb 9th, IBM hosted a site visit here at Somer NY for about 85 students from top China universities . As part of a short-term study program called "Columbia - China Young Development", the fieldtrip at famous global company like IBM was valuable for these Chinese students who wants to develop leadership and global mindset. It was also a perfect example to demonstrate IBM's globally integrated recruiting efforts.
It's the first time for IBM US to host a visit for such a large group of foreign students. As a Chinese with US education backgroud, I am passionate to help build this platform for more young talents from China to gain exposure to executives of a leading company and learn its business and strategy at a global level. At the same time, the students had opportunities to talk to international assignees-in from China to learn their first-hand global experience, and gain cross-cultural experience by interacting with US employees. On the other hand, we also want to deliver the message to the Chineses students that IBM is highly committed to the business expansion and talent pool building in China.
I took the lead in planning this event and it was a fun and great learning experience for me.
I myself accumulated great experience through the planning work, such as engaging and communicating with executives, preparing presentation and speeches, developing and utilizing network to support recruiting work, leading a team and managing workflows.
The event turned out to be very successful. Both the students and IBM employees enjoyed the event so much. We expect to make it regular and expand to other student organizations in the future.
It's the first time for IBM US to host a visit for such a large group of foreign students. As a Chinese with US education backgroud, I am passionate to help build this platform for more young talents from China to gain exposure to executives of a leading company and learn its business and strategy at a global level. At the same time, the students had opportunities to talk to international assignees-in from China to learn their first-hand global experience, and gain cross-cultural experience by interacting with US employees. On the other hand, we also want to deliver the message to the Chineses students that IBM is highly committed to the business expansion and talent pool building in China.
I took the lead in planning this event and it was a fun and great learning experience for me.
I myself accumulated great experience through the planning work, such as engaging and communicating with executives, preparing presentation and speeches, developing and utilizing network to support recruiting work, leading a team and managing workflows.
The event turned out to be very successful. Both the students and IBM employees enjoyed the event so much. We expect to make it regular and expand to other student organizations in the future.
Friday, January 30, 2009
IBM's Role in Shaping the Future World
In this volitile evironment, a lot of the enterprises, especially the large ones, might prefer to be more conservative and adopted a wait-and-see attitude for next step. We cannot say IBM is totally immune from this external evironment, but what IBM has strived for years prepares itself well for future growth and remain sound and competitive in current economic volatility. Let's see the new theme of IBM's development this year -- "Smarter Planet". You can find numerous concrete examples under this concept it can impact almost every aspect of our daily life: food quality and safety, traffic reduction, energy saving, healthcare efficiency, workforce productivity, enterprise efficiency, new generation of IT infrastructure. To put it simple, IBM is help improving a lot of things in the world that we take for granted in a revolutionary way. It's amazing when you watch the videos about "smarter planet" case stories and have the pictures in your mind about the cool life in the near future.
IBM's business direction turns out to be highly in line with the priorities of the new president of the US. From the speech of IBM CEO Sam Palmisano when invited to the White House, we can see the connection between building a smarter infrastructure and smarter planet with the opportunity to help the nation out of the current economic crisis.
IBM's business direction turns out to be highly in line with the priorities of the new president of the US. From the speech of IBM CEO Sam Palmisano when invited to the White House, we can see the connection between building a smarter infrastructure and smarter planet with the opportunity to help the nation out of the current economic crisis.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Always Be Prepared
A very nice HR partner in our site initiated a weekly lunch for a group of HR new hires/interns to talk with experienced HR professionals to learn more about the company and their career experience. This informal luncheon has become a well received networking/learning event for new IBMers in HR. The group is developed by word of mouth and our topics are no longer limited to career building but cover re-organization of HR function, adjustments of business/HR strategy in this turbulent environment and tricky problems everybody encountered in work. As we new hires become more familiar with our work environment, everyone starts contributing to the event by engaging our manager or second-line managers to join our lunch to build the network further. This way, we are able to broaden our horizon of this large company and get inspiration about personal development plan such as our next desired role/rotation within the company.
The current economic crisis has been a hot topic during recent lunches. As employees, how can we increase our job security and market value in such a daunting and uncertain environment? Learning ability and open mindset can be a “rule of thumb” in for surviving the current hard time and preparing for tomorrow’s competition and challenge in career. Learning here is not limited to formal courses or events. All kinds of project experience, even beyond your work scope can be good learning resources as well. One major secret of this young HR director’s success is “always asking for more work to do”. “I am a not a workaholic” is my first response. But on second thought, this may not be necessarily in conflict with a good work-life balance. When you try to tap new areas, you’ve started broaden your skill-set and network which might help you work more efficiently, while demonstrating your initiative and time management skills. Therefore, managers will see that you always have the desire, ability and readiness to progress in a career ladder. When you build up the reputation that you are always willing and able to help, more opportunities and people will come to you naturally. By making your skill-set broad, unique and transferable, you can always get new opportunities while leave legacy in your current role.
While encourage its employees to enhance and update skills, IBM HR has formed a new workforce management strategy to manage its workforce in a more effective and efficient way. Many companies have mastered the concepts and tools to conduct competitive analysis in their product/service market. Now, how can we win the war for talent without knowing our inventories/assets of human resources? With a stronger workforce research capabilities, that is, the information of skills and experience of current employees as well as future needs can be collected, managed, updated and analyzed more scientifically, the company will definitely be more confident in exceeding in talent acquisition and deployment. As an IBMer, we can have a better idea of potential career opportunities and always be prepared to plan in advance to develop the key skills.
The current economic crisis has been a hot topic during recent lunches. As employees, how can we increase our job security and market value in such a daunting and uncertain environment? Learning ability and open mindset can be a “rule of thumb” in for surviving the current hard time and preparing for tomorrow’s competition and challenge in career. Learning here is not limited to formal courses or events. All kinds of project experience, even beyond your work scope can be good learning resources as well. One major secret of this young HR director’s success is “always asking for more work to do”. “I am a not a workaholic” is my first response. But on second thought, this may not be necessarily in conflict with a good work-life balance. When you try to tap new areas, you’ve started broaden your skill-set and network which might help you work more efficiently, while demonstrating your initiative and time management skills. Therefore, managers will see that you always have the desire, ability and readiness to progress in a career ladder. When you build up the reputation that you are always willing and able to help, more opportunities and people will come to you naturally. By making your skill-set broad, unique and transferable, you can always get new opportunities while leave legacy in your current role.
While encourage its employees to enhance and update skills, IBM HR has formed a new workforce management strategy to manage its workforce in a more effective and efficient way. Many companies have mastered the concepts and tools to conduct competitive analysis in their product/service market. Now, how can we win the war for talent without knowing our inventories/assets of human resources? With a stronger workforce research capabilities, that is, the information of skills and experience of current employees as well as future needs can be collected, managed, updated and analyzed more scientifically, the company will definitely be more confident in exceeding in talent acquisition and deployment. As an IBMer, we can have a better idea of potential career opportunities and always be prepared to plan in advance to develop the key skills.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Ask Melinda
As we spread the word that IBM now has a new hiring program for candidates who are studying outside of their home countries and interested in going back after completion of study, we received a lot of interests and questions from international students. Our team has been working feverishly in the last few months on collecting the hiring needs and establishing recruiting processes for different geographies. While you can find general introduction of our international hiring program on our website, you may want to learn more details about our ongoing efforts and communicate with us directly. So, please "Ask Melinda "-- raise your question by commenting on this post and I will try my best to give you the answer. As our program evolves, I am sure I will have more to share:)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Globalization &Growth
Securing a good job here in the US is not easy for most international students, especially facing the current economic crisis which has direct impact on job market. While some international students are eager to gain more global experience in the US, multinationals are busy building up capabilities around the globe which will enable local employees to have global experience without going outside their own country while driving global talent to the places where the growth is. Just in a single year within a single country (my home country-- China), let's see how IBM is aggressively expanding its global reach. (source: IBM Press Room)
2008-10-14: IBM announced the opening of a new research facility in Shanghai which is an extension of the IBM China Research Laboratory -- one of IBM's eight research labs worldwide focused on delivering high-value technological innovations that help solve clients' most challenging business and technology problems. The IBM China Research Laboratory was established in Beijing in 1995. "The very nature of research is changing. It is more open, more global and more collaborative," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president and director of IBM Research. "The establishment of IBM Research in Shanghai reflects both the rich pool of science and engineering talent in China as well as our continued commitment to expand our collaboration with Chinese enterprises and academic institutions."
2008-7-28: IBM announced that it will establish a branch of its Worldwide Banking Center of Excellence in Shanghai to support China's banking clients and to address their issues in core banking systems and payments. The Banking Center will bring together world-class business and technology experts to design and implement next generation payment and core banking systems for China's leading banks.
2008-3-13: IBM announced the opening of the first supply chain innovation center dedicated to helping companies worldwide integrate and transform their global supply chain capabilities. IBM's new Supply Chain Innovation Center located in Beijing, China will leverage the company's expertise in supply chain research, business consulting services, software capabilities and its own Integrated Supply Chain experience to create new solutions for companies around the world.
Through these examples (only a few from a long list), you can see how IBM itself operates as a globally integrated enterprise. Global integration is embedded in IBM's strategy development, workforce demployment, leadership development and operations.
p.s.
Read what Dah-Chuen Chien, CEO of IBM Greater China Group have told media about the IBM's strategy in China given the current environment. (Chinese Version)
http://www.eeo.com.cn/eobserve/eeo/jjgcb/2008/10/13/115954.html
Lastly, I want to share the informationa of a cool project IBM just finished with the cooperation of Palace Museum in Beijing to re-create the Forbidden City in the virtual world. As a Chinese IBMer, I feel so proud of my employer's fabulous work to demonstrate one of the most valuable national treasures of China to the people around the world in such a creative way!
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/forbiddencity/20081013/index.shtml?sa_campaign=message/ideas/leadspace/all/cityflash
2008-10-14: IBM announced the opening of a new research facility in Shanghai which is an extension of the IBM China Research Laboratory -- one of IBM's eight research labs worldwide focused on delivering high-value technological innovations that help solve clients' most challenging business and technology problems. The IBM China Research Laboratory was established in Beijing in 1995. "The very nature of research is changing. It is more open, more global and more collaborative," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president and director of IBM Research. "The establishment of IBM Research in Shanghai reflects both the rich pool of science and engineering talent in China as well as our continued commitment to expand our collaboration with Chinese enterprises and academic institutions."
2008-7-28: IBM announced that it will establish a branch of its Worldwide Banking Center of Excellence in Shanghai to support China's banking clients and to address their issues in core banking systems and payments. The Banking Center will bring together world-class business and technology experts to design and implement next generation payment and core banking systems for China's leading banks.
2008-3-13: IBM announced the opening of the first supply chain innovation center dedicated to helping companies worldwide integrate and transform their global supply chain capabilities. IBM's new Supply Chain Innovation Center located in Beijing, China will leverage the company's expertise in supply chain research, business consulting services, software capabilities and its own Integrated Supply Chain experience to create new solutions for companies around the world.
Through these examples (only a few from a long list), you can see how IBM itself operates as a globally integrated enterprise. Global integration is embedded in IBM's strategy development, workforce demployment, leadership development and operations.
p.s.
Read what Dah-Chuen Chien, CEO of IBM Greater China Group have told media about the IBM's strategy in China given the current environment. (Chinese Version)
http://www.eeo.com.cn/eobserve/eeo/jjgcb/2008/10/13/115954.html
Lastly, I want to share the informationa of a cool project IBM just finished with the cooperation of Palace Museum in Beijing to re-create the Forbidden City in the virtual world. As a Chinese IBMer, I feel so proud of my employer's fabulous work to demonstrate one of the most valuable national treasures of China to the people around the world in such a creative way!
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/forbiddencity/20081013/index.shtml?sa_campaign=message/ideas/leadspace/all/cityflash
Friday, October 3, 2008
Innovation Jam 2008@IBM
Innovation is a hallmark for IBM, and it is also a hallmark for many other companies. To stand out from the competition and become a real trendsetter, IBM has some uniqueness in its way of innovation. As a new or prospective IBMer, you may be very proud of the IBM unparalleled achievements in inventions, patents and Nobel Prizes. However, at IBM, innovation is not a patent for R&D group. As I start to explore the secret of IBM's success, I am surprised by the breadth, depth and speed of innovation at a company of this scale. Through a series of innovation programs, every professional has the opportunity to turn ideas into reality.
Today an eye-catching image on the home page of our intranet led me to learn more about a very exciting event at IBM -- Innovation Jam. This three-day (Oct 5-8) online brainstorming event will engage tens of thousands of IBM's employees, partners and clients around the world to examine and shape the Enterprise of the Future. Jam participants can share thoughts on new business model and strategic issues by using web sites, wikis, forums and other online tools.
This kind of "Jam" is not new for IBM. Back in 2003, IBM initiated a "Values Jam" to invite more than 300,000 employees around the world to examine and redefine the core IBM values, which gave the leadership team and the entire workforce more confidence in its critical transformation. During IBM's 2006 Innovation Jam - the largest IBM online brainstorming session ever held - IBM brought together more than 150,000 people from 104 countries and 67 companies. As a result, 10 new IBM businesses were launched with seed investment totaling $100 million. (https://www.collaborationjam.com/)
The major topics of Innovation Jam 2008 are developed from the Global CEO Study conducted by IBM consulting:(http://www.ibm.com/ibm/jam/)
- Built for change
- Customers as partners
- Globally integrated
- The planet and its people
The leverage of collective creativity enables IBM to experiment new ideas in a way that few companies can match and IBMers can always be dedicated to one of the core values --"innovation that matters, for our company and for the world".
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