As the Senior Research Manager of Corporate Social Analytics, James Newswanger leads market research for IBM Market Development & Insights. In managing IBM’s voice-of-the-employee listening program he supervises data scientists and research analysts assessing IBMers’ satisfaction with digital transformation, their understanding of corporate strategy, and their adoption of social business media. He also directs IBM’s “Jam” research, applying Watson software to mine very large on-line discussions to identify themes, sentiment, and influencers. The “Jam” program methodology has been recognized with an AMA/Nielsen EXPLOR award.
What does IBM look for today from its market intelligence and market research function?
James Newswanger:在IBM从事“市场研究”的许多人对这个问题的回答略有不同。我的观点主要是内部的，我的重点是IBM员工：他们对公司战略的理解，他们对内部工具的满意度，等等。这对IBM来说是至关重要的，因为我们在市场上的承诺通常是通过我们的员工来实现的。尽管我们在大型机、笔记本电脑和其他硬件方面已经或曾经是众所周知的，但今天，以及一段时间以来，IBM向我们的客户提供的产品通常都是直接通过IBM销售的。
你和你的研究团队目前专注于什么？
JN:我们现在的重点是了解IBM员工的感受，以及他们如何帮助客户度过当前的危机。
有趣的是，我们是一支完全可以远程工作的劳动力队伍。我们的大多数员工都可以移动，不需要经常去传统的办公室。在Lou Gerstner担任首席执行官期间，我们开始向数字化劳动力转型。在Sam Palmisano和后来的Ginni Rometty的领导下，我们成为了一支更加数字化的员工队伍，而且随着我们在Arvind Krishna的领导下进一步扩展到云计算和认知计算领域，Arvind Krishna将于4月6日成为我们的新CEO。
因此,尽管ibm使用d to working this way, we are not used to clients now needing to work this way—or asking us “how do we work this way?” Our new, or at least temporary, normal is “work at home” with children in the room, pets seeking attention, or spouses and partners dropping in. That’s new for many, and basic issues like “how do I host or present a successful online meeting” are in the mix, along with “help me stand up and secure my website,” “improve my supply chain and delivery,” “how do I move to the Cloud,” “how do I use AI”, etc., -- and yes, our people are well positioned to advise on these issues.
And, of course there’s the presence of the CV-19 virus and the support needed to allow employees to protect themselves and their friends and family, as well as produce solutions that innovate for our company, for our clients, and for the world.
你的研究是否在应对全球大流行的过程中有所扩展或改变？
JN:IBM is conducting social media listening relevant to pandemic issues. We have initiated a tracking survey in the US regarding the pandemic on April 1. We intend to canvas CXOs, with a focus on Chief Medical Officers who find themselves thrust into the limelight. And we have already conducted one internal Jam in a client-facing business unit to understand general and industry-specific issues that are top-of-mind.
你发现了什么？
JN:我认为现在下结论还为时过早，我们肯定正在为工作和生活的新常态“努力”。我相信我们的发现将继续发展，无论是在IBM员工内部，还是在公民和客户外部，因为我们还没有看到病毒的全面影响及其经济后果。
是的，很多公司都过得很好，他们还在做生意，还在雇佣员工。但是一个公司的员工在家工作能维持多久呢？这对不同的商业模式有何影响？新世界将会是什么样子，你和你的企业如何适应？看来我们正处在一个真正的长期变化的风口浪尖上。
What research tools do you use to stay in touch with your IBMers?
JN:First, we are fortunate to have one of the world’s largest and best intranets—we call it “w3.” It is the top source for news and information and it is the primary entry point for most internal business processes: including the company directory (“BluePages”). It has surprised me to learn that many businesses do not have a good searchable online directory to find and communicate with colleagues!
然后，我们以我们称之为“Jams”而闻名，这是一种有时间限制的、有指导的在线定性讨论，就像一个非常大的焦点小组或会议，如果你愿意的话。我们可以安排几千人，甚至几万人，参加一个为期一周的活动，讨论企业文化、战略、D&I等等。我们曾经为尼日利亚举办过一次果酱！
对于IBM的Jams，我们将在全球范围内邀请大约350000名员工。我们已经看到了多达一半的注册者，而成千上万的在线用户都是一次。并不是每个人都通过发表评论来参与，但是我们已经看到20%到40%的人发表了评论，更多的人要么阅读，要么“喜欢”和“观察”想法。
We did a Jam a few weeks ago on new ways of working during the pandemic across the 10+ industry sectors we’re focused on. These events yield an enormous data dump of qualitative text. We use software, like Watson and SPSS to analyze the text for key concepts, looking for themes and sentiment and validating influencers. That’s how we validated that the food industry supply chain and the delivery of groceries have become very important topics across CPG.
Do you do client facing Jams as well?
JN:We have done many different Jams externally for clients, in almost every industry and worldwide. How a company plans to expand diversity and inclusion has been a topic that’s quite relevant recently. And yes, often there’s an event that spurs on a Jam, for example new leadership wants to introduce themselves and hear views on company values, strategy, reorganization and the future in general.
And we will likely do an IBM employee Jam with our new CEO Arvind Krishna. The interest level with a new CEO is always quite high—not to mention discussion of a new world order during and after a pandemic.
Hear more from James atThe Market Research Event 2020taking place October 5-7, 2020 in San Antonio, TX. TMRE has been designed to level up your game, handle complexity and deliver impactful insights. This year we’re laser focused on showcasing the best capabilities, methodologies and practices to radically enhance speed, reduce cost and increase quality of insights. Even more, we’re highlighting how to bring them all together. To see the full agenda and register,单击此处.
About the Author : As the Founder and Principal ofFive Mile River Marketing,Lou Killeffer帮助从财富500强到风险投资支持的初创公司展望未来，拥抱变革，保持成功。多才多艺的商业战略家，Lou’sexpertise in marketing, branding, and innovation have made him a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most enduring businesses and well-regarded brands, including AT&T, Castrol, Citigroup, Fed Ex, Labatt, Nestlé, Nikon, P&G, Sara Lee, Schweppes, and UPS.
