Percy Barnevik
Full Name: Percy Nils Barnevik
Birthdate: February 13, 1941
Birthplace: Simrishamn, Skåne, Sweden
Occupation: Businessman
Profile: CEO of Asea Brown Boveri (1988–1996).
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Barnevik
Number of Quotes: 12
50 percent of our people should be able to report to a different manager every year without any need for reorganization.
Reflects his emphasis on organizational flexibility and decentralization.
Communication is the oil that keeps the decentralized engine running smoothly.
Highlights the importance of clear communication in decentralized structures.
Everything changes when there is a real customer yelling at you from the other end of the phone.
Give people responsibility and trust them to deliver.
Advocates for empowerment and trust in leadership.
I would define globalization as the freedom for my group of companies to invest where it wants when it wants, to produce what it
wants, to buy and sell where it wants, and support the fewest restrictions possible coming from labour laws and social conventions.
Mergers are about combining strengths and eliminating weaknesses.
Stresses strategic intent behind mergers, particularly relevant to his role in ABB's formation.
The biggest challenge in a merger is not the financials, but the integration of cultures.
Underscores cultural integration as a critical merger component.
The key is to get the structure roughly right, fast – not exactly right, slow.
The key to success is to get the best people, give them the best training, and create a strong corporate culture.
Focuses on talent, development, and culture as success drivers.
To be a global leader, you must think globally but act locally.
Encapsulates his approach to balancing global strategy with local execution.
You can't permit a honeymoon of small changes over a year or two. A long series of small changes just prolongs the pain.
You must avoid the investigation trap. You can't postpone tough decisions by studying them to death.
Last on Earth
