Sociology

In the current world, the integration of cultural diversity in management has become very critical. Globalization coupled with development in information and technology  has  demanded that products and services meet  needs of people from various cultural  backgrounds and social identities (Buchan G., Spellerberg I. and Blum W. (2007).An example of a multinational organization that has shown effective leadership within a multicultural setting is the IBM(International Business Machines).The International Business Machines(IBM) corporation is one of the worlds  most successful company that provides information and technology equipment and services. It is a computer, IT consulting and Technology Corporation which has its headquarters at Armonk, New York. Samuel J.Palmisano is the corporations President and the chief executive officer. He has managed to offer good leadership in the company and make IBM   very profitable company. For instance, for the past five years, IBM has been featured in the   worlds Top 20 semiconductor Sales Leader list due to its chip making. This paper will provide a leadership profile of Samuel J.Palmisano in relation to his success, leadership philosophy and IBMs success.

Discussion
Background information on Samuel J. Palmisano
Samuel Palmisano is recognized for his role building the most diversified and the largest IT services organization that connects technology, industry, investment and innovation. He is one of the best corporate leaders in initiating  development as well as encouraging the innovation of new  products and services to address the needs of emerging markets (Biography,2010).He was born in July 29,1951 and  attended  high school at Calvert Hall in Baltimore, Maryland. He undertook his university education at Johns Hopkins University where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973.He is married to Gaier Notman and is a father of four. After completing his university education, he was employed as a sales representative in the IBM and was later sent to an IBM training school. His intelligence and success in his work proved that Palmisano has a winning personality. He became a rising star in the company after he managed to increase the companys sales through hard work and determination. He began taking over leadership positions after he was appointed as the Executive Assistant to John Akers in 1989.He contributed to the success of IBM in Japan after being posted in the country to direct the companys operations. His success in Japan was linked to the increase in sales of the companys ThinkPad laptop computer in the country. In 1993,Palmisano was appointed  as the President of Integrated Systems Solutions Corporation and four years later appointed as  the Senior Vice President and Group  Executive of Personal Systems Group. In 1998, he was appointed as the Senior Vice President and Group Executive of the IBM Global Services and became the Senior Vice President and Group Executive Enterprise Systems one year later. In 2000, Palmisano was appointed as the President of the corporation and in January 2002, he took over as the chief executive officer. His leadership characteristics and philosophy have been appreciated and highly acknowledged in the corporate world and is considered to be a good role model for other leaders.

The International Business Machines Corporation
The International Business Machines Corporation provides clients with information and technology equipment and IT solutions (IBM Home Page, 2010).It was founded in 1896 as was then referred to as the Tabulating Machine Company. It was listed in the New York Stock Exchange in 1916 and adopted the name International Business Machines in 1917. The company provides its services across the globe and its business enterprises are found in many countries all over the world. IBM is well known for providing computer software, computer hardware, IT services and consultancy. It has for a long time been listed as one of the worlds largest computer producing company and holds a large number of patents as compared to the other technology-based companies in the US. Through its research laboratories, the IBM has managed to conduct intensive research on information and technology related issues. Employees who work as consultants, engineers, and scientist and sales professionals have all played an important role in the growth of the company. As a result, the employees have won various awards which include the National Medals of Science, Turing Awards, Nobel Prizes and the National Medals of Technology. It is estimated that the company has more than 400,000 employees across the globe. The IBM has been named as one of the most successful IT services providing employer.
   
Over the years, the IBM has been engaged in mergers and acquisitions with other companies and this has increased the companys market share in the global economy. To assist information technology professionals and software developers, the IBM provides the website developerWorksThe success of this website has made the companys products very popular. The companys source for emerging software technologies is referred to as the alphaWorks.In order to develop high-value technology, the IBM business managers, engineers and talented interns have established the Extreme Blue Program. This program addresses emerging business needs and helps in developing technologies that address the upcoming needs of the clients. The company has continued to receive appreciation for its efforts in promoting sustainable development through environmental conservation. Many companies have failed to reduce pollution and some damp hazardous waste in the environment. IBM has adopted measures that reduce hazardous wastes in the environment by adopting a corporate policy that ensures that part of its corporate social responsibility is to promote environmental protection. It provides the employees with excellent commuter benefits that help in reducing air pollution and traffic.

Samuel Palmisanos leadership characteristics and philosophy
Samuel Palmisano leadership philosophy and characteristics have been very beneficial to IBM. His leadership philosophy aims at making IBM grow and driving the corporation to greatness. To begin with, he works closely with the other board members to ensure that all activities that are undertaken in the company effectively address the needs of the clients and generate benefits for the company. For instance, all the board members have great experience in leadership and business management issues. As a result, the board is able to make sound decisions about the management of the company. The diverse knowledge and skills that they bring in the company is a major boost to Palmisanos leadership.Palmisanos great leadership skills were evident when he started working in the company as a sales representative. His determination, hard work and commitment to the success of IBM is remarkable. Over the years, he has served in numerous top positions. He has managed to  initiate efforts  that aim at  addressing the changing needs of the clients through the development of new productsservices as well as effective marketing strategies (IBM Research,2010).He has been able to  diversify the IT services provided by the company, pushing IBM to the worlds top list of successful IT companies. For example,Palmisano has made great contribution in the creation of the IBM Global Services. He advocates for confidence in leaders as they serve in different leadership positions and believes that self-discipline in employees is important for success. Effective management is a cornerstone in his leadership philosophy continued. As a result, his great business accomplishments have been acknowledged through many honorary awards. For example, Palmisano has received the Honorary Fellowship from the London Business School and the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Factors contributing to Palmisanos success in leadership
Palmisano has incorporated self-discipline and optimism in IBMs leadership. Employees have learned how to   take up their responsibility for their work due to the example they have seen in the companys CEO.Palmisano is passionate about his work, has a great personality and due to his intelligence and the motivation to achieve the best, he has been able to increase moral integrity and technical   excellence in the company. He leads by example and encourages the employees to work hard and is a goal-oriented leader. The CEO emphasizes on the importance of high quality services and therefore expects his managers and all the employees to meet the set objectives and goals. In the current world, change management is important in a multicultural setting. In response to this, Palmisano has introduced great changes in the companys operations. The information technology sectors experience changes in a span of seconds and failure to address the changing needs of the clients undermines the success of an organization. The closing of huge deals in IBM can be attributed to his great leadership skills and hard work by employees. This combined with good negotiating skills have encouraged the company to win many clients. This has encouraged the subordinates to aim at winning multi-million dollar contracts. He keeps up to date with all developments in the company through weekly operations conferences and meetings. His leadership philosophy and great determination to succeed prepares him to identify great business opportunities whenever they come up. He strives to become a role model for the other leaders and employees. The IBM employees as a result work very hard to improve the performance of the company. He has fostered a sense of commitment to the corporations standard of excellence in all employees regardless of their position in the company. Showing concern for the clients has won the company customer loyalty from various clients. For example, IBM offered assistance to Fiduciary Trust Subsidiary Franklin-Templeton, one of its clients after destruction of the Twin Towers during the September 11 terror attacks on US.Palmisano focuses on providing solutions to the clients and offering future services where companies will outsource to an American Company such as the IBM instead of outsourcing from the foreign companies.

Parmesans effectiveness in a multicultural setting
Samuel Palmisano has offered good leadership in a multicultural setting because he recognizes the cultural, racial and gender diversity of the clients. This form of management requires successful marketing, better decision making, innovation and great creativity (Childs, 2005).He is a corporate leader who considers providing appropriate equipment and solutions to the clients important and is convinced that the cultural diversity of the clients must be incorporated in product and service provision in order to prevent communication breakdowns and interpersonal conflict. One of the major ways through which Palmisano has promoted leadership in a multicultural setting is by integrating members of various groups in the activities of the company. Global workforce diversity has become a vital part of IBMs strategy to promote multicultural organization and increase profits. For example, the IBM Executive Resource System gives support to the development of talent in individuals from diverse groups. In addition, the company builds diverse teams and ensures work force diversity. Work force diversity acts as the bridge between the market place and the workplace hence IBM marketing and communication strategies and materials are presented in culturally appropriate ways. The company supports multicultural learning and Palmisano has transformed the once top to bottom and rules-oriented company into one that embraces cultural changes and multicultural organization. Employee training in a company  should put into consideration the diversity of  employees and  clients(Richter,1998).The company  spends huge amount of financial resources for training and through the on-demand learning approach promotes business and cultural transformation of the company.Palmisano has led the company in trying  to leverage  technology to deliver online diversity. For example, the company offers services and equipment that assist in E-learning whereby cross-cultural competencies and generational differences are emphasized. Palmisano is committed to a culture of diversity and as a result, the companys services extend beyond racial differences, religion or sexual orientation. This is considered to promote a culture of innovation in the company. The Diversity and Workforce programs in the corporation have boosted these efforts. By holding forums for the employees where cultural diversity is created, IBM leadership has succeeded in making positive impact on the company. The corporation supports culture appreciation which increases mutual respect and customer loyalty towards the company.  

Conclusion
IBM is considered to be a leader in providing IT related services and products. The products and the services that are offered aim at increasing interaction of people from different cultural backgrounds. Many engineers, sales professionals and scientists who are employed in the company work in over 200 countries across the world have diverse racial, religious and cultural backgrounds. Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM CEO and president has been an effective leader in the success of the corporation within a multicultural setting. This has demanded that the corporation provide services and products that put into consideration the various needs of a multicultural society.