the.world.is.flat-第77部分

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experience；　and　service　he　or　she　wanted。　Big　companies　that　could　adapt　their　
technology　and　business　processes　to　empower　this　self…directed　consumer　could　act　
very　small　by　enabling　their　customers　to　act　very　big。　They　could　make　the　consumer　
feel　that　every　product　or　service　was　being　tailored　for　his　or　her　specific　needs　
and　desires；　when　in　fact　all　that　the　company　was　doing　was　creating　a　digital　buffet　
for　them　to　serve　themselves。　
In　the　financial　services　industry；　this　constituted　a　profound　change　in　approach。　
Historically；　financial　services　was　dominatedby　large　banks；　large　brokerage　houses；　
and　large　insurance　companies　that　told　you　what　you　were　getting；　how　you　were　getting　
it；　when　and　where　you　were　getting　it；　and　the　price　you　had　to　pay　for　it。　Customers　
reacted　to　these　big　companies　with　emotions　ranging　from　apathy　to　distaste。　But　
if　I　didn't　like　the　way　my　bank　was　treating　me；　I　didn't　have　any　real　choice。　Then　
the　world　was　flattened　and　the　Internet　came　along。　Consumers　started　to　feel　that　
they　could　have　more　control；　and　the　more　they　adapted　their　buying　habits　to　the　


Internet；　the　more　companies…from　booksellers　to　financial　services…had　to　adapt　and　
offer　them　the　tools　to　be　in　control。　
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〃Sure；　the　Internet　stocks　blew　up　when　the　bubble　burst；〃　said　Caplan；　whose　own　
company's　stock　price　took　a　big　dip　in　that　market　storm；　〃but　underneath；　consumers　
were　getting　a　taste　of　power；　and　once　they　tasted　it；　things　went　from　companies　
being　in　control　of　consumers'　behavior　to　consumers　being　in　control　of　companies'　
behavior。　The　rules　of　engagement　changed；　and　if　you　did　not　respond　and　offer　
customers　what　they　wanted；　someone　else　would；　and　you　would　be　dead。〃　Where　once　
the　financial　services　companies　acted　big；　now　they　strove　to　act　small　and　to　enable　
the　consumer　to　act　big。　〃Companies　who　prosper　today；〃　argued　Caplan；　〃are　the　ones　
who　understand　the　self…directed　consumer。〃　For　E*Trade；　that　meant　thinking　of　the　
company　not　as　a　collection　of　individual　financial　services…a　bank；　a　brokerage；　
and　a　lending　business…but　as　an　integrated　financial　experience　that　could　serve　
the　most　self…directed　financial　consumers。　〃The　self…directed　consumer　wanted　
one…stop　financial　shopping；〃　said　Caplan。　〃When　they　came　to　our　site　they　wanted　
everything　integrated；　with　them　in　control。　Only　recently；　though；　did　we　have　the　
technology　to　really　integrate　all　our　three　businesses…banking；　lending；　and　
brokerage…and　pull　them　together　in　a　way　that　didn't　just　deliver　the　price；　not　
just　the　service；　but　the　total　experience　they　wanted。〃　
If　you　came　to　the　E*Trade　site　just　three　or　four　years　ago；　you　would　see　your　
brokerage　account　on　one　screen　page　and　your　lending　on　another。　Today；　said　Caplan；　
〃On　one　page　you　can　now　see　exactly　where　you　stand　in　terms　of　your　brokerage　in　
real　time；　including　your　buying　power；　and　you　see　your　bank　account　and　the　scheduled　
payments　for　your　loans…what　is　pending；　what　is　the　balance　on　your　home　mortgage；　
and　＇what　is　your＇　line　of　credit…and　you　have　the　ability　to　move　seamlessly　between　
all　three　to　maximize　the　benefit　of　your　cash。〃　
While　Fadi　Ghandour　coped　with　the　triple　convergence　by　taking　a　small　company　and　
devising　a　strategy　to　make　it　act　very　big；　Mitchell　Caplan　survived　by　taking　a　
big　company　and　making　it　act　very　small　so　that　his　customers　could　act　very　big。　
Rule　#4：　The　best　companies　are　the　best　collaborators。　In　the　flat　world；　more　and　
more　business　will　be　done　through　collaborations　
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within　and　between　companies；　for　a　very　simple　reason：　The　next　layers　of　value　
creation…whether　in　technology；　marketing；　biomedicine；　or　manufacturing…are　
becoming　so　complex　that　no　single　firm　or　department　is　going　to　be　able　to　master　
them　alone。　
〃What　we　are　seeing　in　so　many　different　fields；〃　said　Joel　Cawley；　the　head　of　IBM's　
strategic　planning　unit；　〃is　that　the　next　layers　of　innovation　involve　the　
intersection　of　very　advanced　specialties。　The　cutting　edge　of　technical　innovation　
in　every　field　is　increasingly　specialized。〃　In　most　cases；　your　own　company's　or　
your　own　department's　specialization　is　going　to　be　applicable　to　only　a　very　small　
piece　of　any　meaningful　business　or　social　challenge。　〃Therefore；　to　come　up　with　
any　valuable　new　breakthrough；　you　have　to　be　able　to　combine　more　and　more　of　these　


increasingly　granular　specialties。　That　is　why　collaboration　is　so　important；〃　Cawley　
said。　So　you　might　find　that　a　pharmaceutical　company　has　invented　a　new　stent　that　
allows　it　to　dispense　a　whole　new　class　of　drugs　that　a　biomedical　company　has　been　
working　on；　and　the　real　breakthrough…where　the　real　profit　is　created　for　both…is　
in　their　collaboration　in　getting　the　breakthrough　drugs　from　one　firm　together　with　
the　breakthrough　delivery　system　from　another。　
Or　take　a　more　colorful　example：　video　games。　Game　makers　have　long　been　commissioning　
special　music　to　go　with　games。　They　eventually　discovered　that　when　they　combined　
the　right　music　with　the　right　game　they　not　only　sold　many；　many　more　copies　of　that　
game；　but　they　could　spin　off　the　music　for　sale　on　CD　or　download　as　well。　So　some　
big　game　companies　have　recently　started　their　own　music　divisions；　and　some　artists　
have　decided　that　they　have　a　better　chance　of　getting　their　music　heard　by　launching　
it　with　a　new　digital　game　than　on　the　radio。　The　more　the　flattening　of　the　world　
connects　all　the　knowledge　pools　together；　the　more　specializations　and　specialists　
there　will　be　out　there；　the　more　innovation　will　come　from　putting　them　together　
in　different　combinations；　and　the　more　management　will　be　about　the　ability　to　do　
just　that。　
Perhaps　the　best　way　to　illustrate　this　paradigm　shift　and　how　some　companies　have　
adapted　to　it　is　by　looking　at　a　very　traditional　manu…　

facturer：　Rolls…Royce。　When　you　hear　the　word　〃Rolls…Royce；〃　what　immediately　comes　
to　mind　is　a　shiny　handmade　car；　with　a　uniformed　chauffeur　sitting　in　the　driver's　
seat　and　a　perfectly　tailored　couple　in　the　back　on　their　way　to　Ascot　or　Wimbledon。　
Rolls…Royce；　the　quintessential　stodgy　British　company；　right？　What　if　I　told　you；　
though；　that　Rolls…Royce　doesn't　even　make　cars　anymore　（that　business　was　sold　in　
1972　and　the　brand　was　licensed　to　BMW　in　1998）；　that　50　percent　of　its　income　comes　
from　services；　and　that　in　1990　all　of　its　employees　were　in　Great　Britain　and　today　
40　percent　are　based　outside　of　the　United　Kingdom；　integrated　into　a　global　operation　
that　stretches　from　China　to　Singapore　to　India　to　Italy　to　Spain　to　Germany　to　Japan　
and　up　to　Scandinavia？　
No；　this　is　not　your　father's　Rolls…Royce。　
〃Quite　a　long　time　ago　we　said；　'We　cannot　be　just　a　U。K。　company；'〃　Sir　John　Rose；　
chief　executive　of　Rolls…Royce　PLC；　told　me　in　an　interview　while　wewere　both　visiting　
China。　〃The　U。K。　is　a　tiny　market。　In　the　late　1980s；　60　percent　of　our　business　was　
defense　＇particularly　jet　engines＇　and　our　primary　customer　was　Her　Majesty's　
government。　But　we　needed　to　become　a　world　player；　and　if　we　were　going　to　do　that　
we　had　to　recognize　that　the　biggest　customer　in　everything　we　could　do　was　the　U。S。；　
and　we　had　to　be　successful　in　nondefense　markets。　So　we　became　a　technology　company　
＇specializing　in＇　power　systems。〃　Today　Rolls…Royce's　core　competency　is　making　gas　
turbines　for　civilian　and　military　airplanes；　for　helicopters；　for　ships；　and　for　
the　oil　and　gas　and　power…generation　industries。　Rolls…Royce　has　customers　now　in　
120　countries　and　employs　around　thirty…five　thousand　people；　but　only　twenty…one　
thousand　are　located　in　the　United　Kingdom；　with　the　rest　part　of　a　global　network　
of　research；　service；　and　manufacturing　workers。　Half　of　Rolls…Royce's　revenue　is　


now　generated　by　businesses　outside　the　United　Kingdom。　〃In　the　U。K。　we　are　thought　
of　asa　British　company；〃　saidRose；　〃but　in　Germany　weare　a　German　company。　In　America　
we　are　an　American　company；　in　Singapore　we　are　a　Singaporean　company…you　have　to　
be　in　order　to　be　close　to　the　customer　but　also　to　the　suppliers；　employees；　and　
communities　in　which　we　operate。〃　Today　Rolls…Royce　employs　people　of　about　fifty　
nationalities　in　fifty　countries　speaking　
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about　fifty　languages。　It　outsources　and　offshores　about　75　percent　of　its　components　
to　its　global　supply　chain。　〃The　25　percent　that　we　make　are　the　differentiating　
elements/'　said　Rose。　〃These　are　the　hot　end　of　the　engine；　the　turbines；　the　
compressors　and　fans　and　the　alloys；　and　the　aerodynamics　of　how　they　are　made。　A　
turbine　blade　is　grown　from　a　single　crystal　in　a　vacuum　furnace　from　a　proprietary　
alloy；　with　a　very　complex　cooling　system。　This　very　high…value…added　manufacturing　
is　one　of　our　core　competencies。〃　In　short；　said　Rose；　〃We　still　own　the　key　
technologies；　we　own　the　ability　to　identify　and　define　what　product　is　required　by　
our　customers；　we　own　the　ability　to　integrate　the　latest　science　into　making　these　
products；　we　own　the　route　to　the　market　for　these　products；　and　we　own　the　ability　
to　collect　and　understand　the　data　generated　by　those　customers　using　our　products；　
enabling　us　to　support　that　product　while　in　service　and　constantly　add　value。〃　
But　outside　of　these　core　areas；　Rolls…Royce　has　adopted　a　much　more　horizontal　
approach　to　outsourcing　noncore　components　to　suppliers　anywhere　in　the　world；　and　
to　seeking　out　IQ　far　beyond　the　British　Isles。　The　sun　may　have　set　on　the　British　
Empire；　and　it　used　to　set　on　the　old　Rolls…Royce。　But　it　never　sets　on　the　new　
Rolls…Royce。　To　produce　breakthroughs　in　the　power…generation　business　today；　the　
company　has　to　meld　together　the　insights　of　many　more　specialists　from　around　the　
world；　explained　Rose。　And　to　be　able　to　commercialize　the　next　energy　frontier…fuel　
cell　technology…will　require　that　even　more。　
〃One　of　the　core　competencies　of　the　business　today　is　partnering；〃　said　Rose。　〃We　
partner　on　products　and　on　service　provisions；　we　partner　with　universities　and　with　
other　participants　in　our　industry。