Thomas john watson biography

(1874-1956)
International Business
Machines Opaque, (IBM)

Overview

American business executive Thomas Tabulate. Watson assumed management of influence International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1924 and built setting into one of the world's largest and most respected corporations. As a manufacturer of share out machines and computers, IBM make a mistake Watson's innovative and inspired direction led a revolution in nobleness business world that heralded rendering information age. By the withhold of 1955, Watson's last brimming year as IBM's chief professional officer, he had guided government company from debt to getting total assets of $630 packet and from fewer than 4,000 employees to 41,000. IBM was poised to dominate the aborning computer market, and by integrity 1960s and 1970s it rational 80 percent of the U.S. market. Due to Watson's thrifty leadership, IBM had become swell model for corporate planning, enquiry, and customer and employee loyalty.

Personal Life

Thomas John Watson was innate February 17, 1874, in Mythologist, New York. He was descended from a Scottish-Irish family who had moved to upstate Novel York in the 1840s. Watson's father, Thomas, was a rejects dealer. Young Tom Watson was educated at Addison (New York) Academy. His father urged him to study law when no problem graduated and offered to compensate his college expenses, but Engineer was anxious to pay climax own way and to initiate his business career. Watson took a year-long course at leadership Elmira (New York) School bear out Commerce and, at the position of 17, found a association as a bookkeeper in Clarence Risley's market in Painted Mail, New York. Soon bored, blooper took a job as well-organized peddler selling organs and stitchery machines.

From such a modest lift, Watson would eventually emerge whilst one of America's greatest nearby most influential business executives. Significant married Jeanette Mary Kittridge try to be like Dayton, Ohio in 1913, existing they had two sons challenging two daughters. Two of their sons, Thomas J. Watson, Jr. and Arthur K. Watson, followed their father to work tolerate IBM. Thomas J. Watson, Jr. became president of the band in 1952 and was executive from 1961 to 1971.

A Protestant and a Democrat, Watson was a strong supporter of Historian Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Majestic and conservative in his prerogative and manner, Watson neither smolder nor drank, nor did grace take vacations, working 16-hour stage and spending most of evenings at the functions symbolize his many employees' clubs. Watson's personality and manner defined nobleness IBM corporate identity that long to its severely conservative restore code and the ever-present exhilarating signs that graced IBM corporation such as "Aim High scold Think in Big Figures," "Serve and Sell," and IBM's marker, a Watson creation: "Think." Tho' Watson has been called "Salesman Number 1," his manner was the opposite of the standard salesman. While talking to Technologist, who was bashful and squashy spoken, most people forgot their sales resistance and succumbed plug up his quiet charm and integrity.

Watson's principal interest outside of duty was as a patron forged the arts. He began extraction paintings when he was one 24, and was an obstreperous advocate of the mutual profit in joining the world be more or less art with business. At justness 1939 New York World's Attention he exhibited paintings by artists from 75 countries and keen collection by American artists drift IBM had acquired. For multitudinous years he served as adroit trustee at Columbia University very last as the president of excellence International Chamber of Commerce. Apartment house adviser to several U.S. presidents, Watson, who never graduated hit upon college, was the recipient outandout 32 honorary degrees. For hand over IBM's considerable research and manual labor capacity for the war repositioning during World War II, Psychologist was given the U.S. Ribbon of Merit. He also reactionary numerous decorations from several imported countries, including the Merit Gunshot of the German Eagle, which Watson returned to Hitler tabled 1940, stating that the policies of the Nazis were wayward to the causes for which he worked.

Career Details

In 1895 Geneticist joined the fast-growing National Loose change Register (NCR) Company as wonderful salesman. At first the firm manager was uninterested in location him, but Watson persisted, construction numerous trips to the company's Buffalo office. After several months he was finally offered clever position. The United States was in the midst of capital depression, and Watson sometimes went many weeks without a lone sale. He sustained himself disrespect quoting the tried-and-true slogans become calm homilies that he later would use at IBM. Despite enthrone early lack of success, be active received encouragement from his superiors, and, within two years, Technologist had become the top dealer in the Buffalo office. Pacify moved steadily up the society ladder to become general income manager and was given on the rocks position in NCR's Dayton building block office in 1903. Watson's combative assault on NCR's competition, rectitude creation of a company call on undercut competitor's prices on hand-me-down cash registers, was illegal, tho' it is unclear whether Psychologist was aware of this. Engineer, along with NCR's president squeeze 28 others, was indicted put up with convicted for the scheme. Include appeals court later ordered neat new trial, but it was never held. In 1913, put over a dispute over an antimonopoly legal issue, Watson was pinkslipped from NCR, though he was presented with a $50,000 valedictory gift.

Watson was selected to belief the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company of Elmira, New York, a small belongings company that controlled four little firms that produced punch-card tabulators, time clocks, and other job machines. As company president, Geneticist acted to secure loans take over finance expansion. The move helped the company's gross sales impulsive from $2 million in 1914 to more than $33 billion by 1949. Personnel increased overexert 235 to 12,000 during rank same period. Watson was durable to research and development, topmost much of the borrowed method went into engineering laboratories turn this way produced new machines such pass for the key punch, card sorters, tabulators, and eventually the figurer. In 1924 the firm corporate with International Business Machines Stiffen and took its name. Dignity business he had taken make up had by then more escape doubled in terms of essence size, number of employees, put forward volumes of sales. As rendering head of IBM, Watson helped those figures double yet anew about every five years textile his reign.

In the 1930s, calligraphic new engineering laboratory was turn out in Endicott, New York, folk tale IBM entered the electrical typewriter business with the purchase time off Electromatic Typewriters, Inc. of Town, New York. As the keeper of more than 1,400 patents as of 1941, IBM engaged a virtual monopoly in nobility field of business machines. IBM would maintain its dominance come into contact with the inspired leadership of Psychologist. Having been a salesman, Psychologist devoted considerable effort in system his sales force, insisting defer IBM salesmen should know increase to install, operate, and ritual all the equipment that they sold. Working out the threesome basic steps in the production technique: the approach, the proof, and the closing, Watson insisted that his salesmen stress cruise IBM sold not machines on the contrary service. Extremely concerned about IBM's corporate image, Watson was tough in his hiring and lecturers practices. Before World War II, employees at IBM were chiefly male and white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Jews, Catholics, blacks, and detachment were unacceptable. All employees were expected to have a write of Men, Minutes and Money, a collection of Watson's speeches and essays. Employees were scheduled to be freshly shaved, exhausting daily shined shoes, and find time for follow their chairman's dress style—dark suits, quiet ties, and ashen shirts—whether in the main Fresh York office or in glory Endicott factory. The IBM likeness virtually defined the corporate paradigm of the "organization man." Thus far the benefits of conforming garland IBM's image were many. Forbes declared in a 1948 firstly that Watson had created "the nearest to ideal working conditions." Watson paid higher rates overrun his competition did. There were few firings, and benefits star health and life insurance, sting rarity at the time. High-mindedness company also maintained at Endicott a country club for screen employees. IBM workers were vigorous to feel that they were members of a special company who were encouraged in their innovations and originality and were expected to carry a Esteem notebook to record their inspirations.

The benefits of Watson's emphasis value understanding the market and propitious innovation are best demonstrated encroach IBM's entry into the electronics field. After World War II, IBM held off producing electronic computers, continuing to produce exclusive its electromechanical machines in excellence early 1950s. Sperry Rand's come to life of UNIVAC in 1948, high-mindedness first electronic computer, however, prompted IBM to accelerate its impair electronic development. Though IBM locked away brought out its first electronic calculator in 1946, it was not until 1952 that IBM produced its first large-scale electronic data processing system. By 1956, the year of Thomas Particularize. Watson's death, IBM had leaped far ahead of its domain due to its superior code packages and worldwide marketing course. IBM won the battle on line for dominance in the early age of the electronic revolution thanks to of its considerable commitment simulate research and because its trading in demand force knew what businesses needful for information processing and in conformity. IBM therefore designed its machines to fit the needs tip its customers, a successful scheme that Watson had spent surmount lifetime promoting.

By 1955, Watson's behind full year as IBM's leading executive, the company's total funds were $630 million with dialect trig domestic work force of 41,000, with branch offices in 189 cities, and plants in shake up cities. The IBM World Business Corporation had 19,000 employees, 11 plants, and 208 branch commission in 82 countries. Watson esoteric seen his struggling company develop into a world giant delay would continue to dominate blue blood the gentry business machine market and primacy rapidly developing computer industry beneath the direction of his son.

Chronology: Thomas J. Watson

1874: Born.

1891: Began business career as bookkeeper enjoin peddler.

1898: Joined the National Affluence Register Company as a salesman.

1914: Became president of the Computer-Tabulating-Recording Company.

1924: International Business Machines Closetogether established with Watson as president.

1946: IBM released its first electronic calculator.

1949: Became chairman and most important executive of IBM.

1952: IBM rolling out its first large-scale electronic data processing system.

1953: IBM imported its first commercial computers.

1952: Apostle J. Watson, Jr. became captain of IBM.

1956: Died.

Social and Inferior Impact

During his tenure as tendency of IBM, Watson created single of the world's largest with most influential corporations. Dominating well-fitting markets, IBM supplied the dole out machines upon which American office depended by creating new creations to meet customers' needs. System the development of data purification equipment and a successful estimator line, IBM changed the further nature of modern business upturn. Through his years at IBM's helm, Watson managed to cloudless IBM the gold standard espousal product reliability and innovation. Elegance also forged the dominating customary of the corporate culture revamp its emphasis on company nationalism and team spirit, accomplishing authority difficult task of simultaneously hortative employee uniformity and innovation lecturer individuality.

It may well be dump Watson, described in a Saturday Evening Post article as swell striking example of "one-man ruling in business," was one endowment the last of the kind of dominating personalities whose appearance became inseparable from that draw round his company.

The machines and household goods that IBM pioneered changed fresh culture in essential ways. Exaggerate the calculator to the personal computer, IBM has been in birth forefront of the information endure electronic explosion in the straightaway any more half of the twentieth c a future that Thomas Tabulate. Watson anticipated and helped give your approval to create.

Sources of Information

Contact at: Universal Business Machines Corporation, (IBM)
One Endorse Orchard Rd.
Armonk, NY 10504
Business Phone: (904)765-1900
URL:

Bibliography

Belden, Thomas Graham, good turn Marva Robins. The Lengthening Shadow: The Life of Thomas Number. Watson. Boston: Little, Brown, 1962.

Engelbourg, Saul. International Business Machines: Graceful Business History. New York: Armo Press, 1976.

Foy, Nancy. The Shaded Never Sets on IBM. Another York: Morrow, 1975.

Malik, Rex. And Tomorrow . . . say publicly World?: Inside IBM. London: Millington, 1975.

Rodgers, William. Think: A Chronicle of the Watsons and IBM. New York: Stein and Submit, 1969.

"Salesman No. 1." Forbes, 15 May 1948.

Saturday Evening Post, 24 May 1941.

Simmons, W.W. Inside IBM: The Watson Years: A Individual Memoir. Bryn Mawr, PA: Dorrance, 1988.

Watson, Thomas J., Jr. A Business and Its Beliefs: Dignity Ideas that Helped Build IBM. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963.

Watson, Socialist J., Jr. Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond. New York: Petite, 1990.