A big difference I see is that Boeing is the consolidation of many different going entities. Each entity likely had subtley different goals.
Surely sales is driven by producing the best product
There are too many counterexamples.
Normally I’ll deep into the apologia and explain stuff like “why VHS is actually better than Beta”, which, yes, is something I believe. But I only have a limited stockpile of apologia for why the market chose correctly and gave us the better product. There is an unlimited supply of counterexamples, where an inferior product won out, even when you consider things like manufacturing cost.
Sales are driven by convincing the most people (or the deepest pockets) to buy your product. It doesn't have to be the best, it has to be the best marketed.
Re:How Boeing Lost Its Way [video]
by TaylorAlexander on Sunday February 11, 2024 @05:29PM
(#39339414)
I can't tell if this is sarcasm.
From what I understand MBA-fication of innovation is inevitable. Innovation is funded by revenue and revenue is backed by sales. Sales is driven by "who you know" aka networking.
Technical prowess will convince someone to buy your product, but networking gets you through the doors in the first. Inevitably you need MBAs to generate revenue. After a certain points MBA-fication creeps in to engineering decisions and innovation.
From what I understand, innovation is largely fueled by chaos and risk. MBA fundamentally is about risk minimization and certainty. So, I can't blame Boeing, like I can't blame Intel, IBM, Ford, GM, General Electric, Phillips etc.