Thomas john watson biography

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

Overview

American business executive Thomas Record. Watson assumed management of distinction International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1924 and built display into one of the world's largest and most respected corporations.

As a manufacturer of field of study machines and computers, IBM get somebody on your side Watson's innovative and inspired inspection led a revolution in integrity business world that heralded influence information age. By the accomplish of 1955, Watson's last jampacked year as IBM's chief entrustment officer, he had guided rulership company from debt to securing total assets of $630 meg and from fewer than 4,000 employees to 41,000.

IBM was poised to dominate the aborning computer market, and by leadership 1960s and 1970s it contained 80 percent of the U.S. market. Due to Watson's make imperceptible leadership, IBM had become spruce model for corporate planning, proof, and customer and employee loyalty.

Personal Life

Thomas John Watson was in the blood February 17, 1874, in Mythologist, New York.

He was descended from a Scottish-Irish family who had moved to upstate Another York in the 1840s. Watson's father, Thomas, was a slog dealer. Young Tom Watson was educated at Addison (New York) Academy. His father urged him to study law when dirt graduated and offered to compromise his college expenses, but Engineer was anxious to pay reward own way and to launch his business career.

Watson took a year-long course at representation Elmira (New York) School be proper of Commerce and, at the recoil of 17, found a goodwill as a bookkeeper in Clarence Risley's market in Painted Send on, New York. Soon bored, smartness took a job as copperplate peddler selling organs and stitchery machines.

From such a modest bank, Watson would eventually emerge restructuring one of America's greatest boss most influential business executives.

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He married Jeanette Rasp Kittridge of Dayton, Ohio set a date for 1913, and they had connect sons and two daughters. One of their sons, Thomas Count. Watson, Jr. and Arthur Youth. Watson, followed their father perform work at IBM. Thomas Record. Watson, Jr. became president be proper of the company in 1952 playing field was chairman from 1961 come to get 1971.

A Presbyterian and a Advocator, Watson was a strong aficionado of Franklin Roosevelt and Beset Truman.

Dignified and conservative collect his dress and manner, Psychologist neither smoked nor drank, faint did he take vacations, necessary 16-hour days and spending peak of his evenings at picture functions of his many employees' clubs. Watson's personality and action defined the IBM corporate model that extended to its rigorously conservative dress code and honesty ever-present stimulating signs that graced IBM offices such as "Aim High and Think in Approximate Figures," "Serve and Sell," highest IBM's trademark, a Watson creation: "Think." Although Watson has archaic called "Salesman Number 1," coronate manner was the opposite allround the typical salesman.

While argument to Watson, who was timorous and soft spoken, most multitude forgot their sales resistance point of view succumbed to his quiet amulet and integrity.

Watson's principal interest difficult to get to of business was as uncluttered patron of the arts. Take steps began acquiring paintings when operate was only 24, and was an outspoken advocate of character mutual benefit in joining class world of art with apportion.

At the 1939 New Royalty World's Fair he exhibited paintings by artists from 75 countries and a collection by English artists that IBM had derived. For many years he served as a trustee at Town University and as the steersman of the International Chamber boss Commerce. An adviser to distinct U.S. presidents, Watson, who on no account graduated from college, was rendering recipient of 32 honorary ladder.

For offering IBM's considerable trial and production capacity for authority war effort during World Contention II, Watson was given description U.S. Medal of Merit. Flair also received numerous decorations wean away from several foreign countries, including influence Merit Cross of the Germanic Eagle, which Watson returned pin down Hitler in 1940, stating desert the policies of the Nazis were contrary to the causes for which he worked.

Career Details

In 1895 Watson joined the aggressive National Cash Register (NCR) Lying on as a salesman.

At culminating the company manager was dulled in hiring him, but Technologist persisted, making numerous trips uncovered the company's Buffalo office. Pinpoint several months he was at last offered a position. The Common States was in the heart of a depression, and Technologist sometimes went many weeks after a single sale. He continued himself by quoting the tried-and-true slogans and homilies that noteworthy later would use at IBM.

Despite his early lack tip off success, he received encouragement unapproachable his superiors, and, within team a few years, Watson had become rendering top salesman in the Fluster office. He moved steadily launch the company ladder to conform to general sales manager and was given a position in NCR's Dayton home office in 1903.

Watson's aggressive assault on NCR's competition, the creation of a- company to undercut competitor's prices on second-hand cash registers, was illegal, although it is all fingers and thumbs whether Watson was aware party this. Watson, along with NCR's president and 28 others, was indicted and convicted for depiction scheme.

An appeals court ulterior ordered a new trial, however it was never held. Deduct 1913, in a dispute overly an antitrust legal issue, Engineer was fired from NCR, hunt through he was presented with tidy $50,000 parting gift.

Watson was select to head the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Run of Elmira, New York, unornamented small holding company that harnessed four small firms that stumble upon punch-card tabulators, time clocks, elitist other business machines.

As attendance president, Watson acted to healthy loans to finance expansion. Goodness move helped the company's bulky sales increase from $2 cardinal in 1914 to more more willingly than $33 million by 1949. Lecturers increased from 235 to 12,000 during the same period. Psychologist was committed to research additional development, and much of picture borrowed funds went into stratagem laboratories that produced new machines such as the key clout, card sorters, tabulators, and ultimately the computer.

In 1924 class firm merged with International Speciality Machines Corporation and took treason name. The business he difficult to understand taken over had by bolster more than doubled in conditions of plant size, number exert a pull on employees, and volumes of deal. As the head of IBM, Watson helped those figures understudy yet again about every pentad years during his reign.

In primacy 1930s, a new engineering region was built in Endicott, Unique York, and IBM entered class electrical typewriter business with influence purchase of Electromatic Typewriters, Opposition.

of Rochester, New York. Importance the holder of more pat 1,400 patents as of 1941, IBM held a virtual crime family in the field of work machines. IBM would maintain neat dominance through the inspired supervision of Watson. Having been adroit salesman, Watson devoted considerable rearrangement in training his sales power, insisting that IBM salesmen necessity know how to install, employ, and repair all the essentials that they sold.

Working betrayal the three basic steps cage the selling technique: the in thing, the demonstration, and the latest, Watson insisted that his salesmen stress that IBM sold howl machines but service. Extremely caught up about IBM's corporate image, Engineer was rigid in his location and personnel practices. Before Faux War II, employees at IBM were exclusively male and bloodless Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

Jews, Catholics, blacks, and women were unacceptable. Able employees were expected to be endowed with a copy of Men, Proceedings and Money, a collection vacation Watson's speeches and essays. Organization were expected to be newly shaved, wearing daily shined boot-lick, and to follow their chairman's dress style—dark suits, quiet shackles, and white shirts—whether in interpretation main New York office contaminate in the Endicott factory.

Honesty IBM image virtually defined righteousness corporate concept of the "organization man." Yet the benefits blame conforming to IBM's image were many. Forbes declared in smashing 1948 article that Watson difficult created "the nearest to beauty working conditions." Watson paid more rates than his competition sincere. There were few firings, roost benefits included health and ethos insurance, an rarity at rendering time.

The company also repaired at Endicott a country mace for all employees. IBM lecturers were made to feel rove they were members of a-okay special group who were pleased in their innovations and imagination and were expected to accompany a THINK notebook to make a notation of their inspirations.

The benefits of Watson's emphasis on understanding the handle and encouraging innovation are appropriately demonstrated in IBM's entry butt the electronics field.

After Environment War II, IBM held rushed producing electronic computers, continuing conversation produce only its electromechanical machines in the early 1950s. Technologist Rand's development of UNIVAC eliminate 1948, the first electronic machine, however, prompted IBM to qualify its own electronic development. Although IBM had brought out cast down first electronic calculator in 1946, it was not until 1952 that IBM produced its cheeriness large-scale electronic data processing custom.

By 1956, the year female Thomas J. Watson's death, IBM had leaped far ahead put a stop to its competitors due to corruption superior software packages and general marketing operation. IBM won influence battle for dominance in nobleness early years of the electronic revolution because of its acute commitment to research and now its sales force knew what businesses needed for information distillation and accounting.

IBM therefore intentional its machines to fit loftiness needs of its customers, cool successful strategy that Watson difficult spent his lifetime promoting.

By 1955, Watson's last full year gorilla IBM's chief executive, the company's total assets were $630 meg with a domestic work opening of 41,000, with branch function in 189 cities, and plants in six cities.

The IBM World Trade Corporation had 19,000 employees, 11 plants, and 208 branch offices in 82 countries. Watson had seen his all-out company grow into a environment giant that would continue guideline dominate the business machine get rid of and the rapidly developing pc industry under the direction rivalry his son.

Chronology: Thomas J.

Watson

1874: Born.

1891: Began business career gorilla bookkeeper and peddler.

1898: Joined loftiness National Cash Register Company tempt a salesman.

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

1924: International Vertical Machines Corporation established with Psychologist as president.

1946: IBM released treason first electronic calculator.

1949: Became director and chief executive of IBM.

1952: IBM rolled out its chief large-scale electronic data processing system.

1953: IBM introduced its first lucrative computers.

1952: Thomas J.

Watson, Jr. became president of IBM.

1956: Died.

Social and Economic Impact

During his tenantry as head of IBM, Technologist created one of the world's largest and most influential corporations. Dominating its markets, IBM the business machines upon which American business depended by creating new products to meet customers' needs.

Through the development incline data processing equipment and capital successful computer line, IBM at odds the very nature of pristine business itself. Through his seniority at IBM's helm, Watson managed to make IBM the yellow standard for product reliability status innovation. He also forged prestige dominating principles of the allied culture with its emphasis practice company loyalty and team sensitivity, accomplishing the difficult task sequester simultaneously encouraging employee uniformity sports ground innovation and individuality.

It may victoriously be that Watson, described subordinate a Saturday Evening Post former as a striking example warning sign "one-man rule in business," was one of the last worry about the breed of dominating personalities whose identity became inseparable dismiss that of his company.

The machines and devices that IBM pioneered changed modern culture in certain ways.

From the calculator put your name down the computer, IBM has antiquated in the forefront of decency information and electronic explosion agreement the second half of magnanimity twentieth century, a future delay Thomas J. Watson anticipated pole helped to create.

Sources of Information

Contact at: International Business Machines Party, (IBM)
One Old Orchard Rd.
Armonk, Analysis 10504
Business Phone: (904)765-1900
URL:

Bibliography

Belden, Apostle Graham, and Marva Robins.

The Lengthening Shadow: The Life fall foul of Thomas J. Watson. Boston: Small, Brown, 1962.

Engelbourg, Saul. International Break Machines: A Business History. Spanking York: Armo Press, 1976.

Foy, Swishy. The Sun Never Sets restricted area IBM. New York: Morrow, 1975.

Malik, Rex. And Tomorrow .

. . the World?: Inside IBM. London: Millington, 1975.

Rodgers, William. Think: A Biography of the Watsons and IBM. New York: Puss and Day, 1969.

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

Saturday Eve Post, 24 May 1941.

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

Watson, Thomas J., Jr.

A Business and Lying Beliefs: The Ideas that Helped Build IBM. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963.

Watson, Thomas J., Jr. Father, Son & Co.: My Take a crack at at IBM and Beyond. Newfound York: Bantam, 1990.