maemo.org - Talk - Nokia wants new CEO: Report

OPK to me is not the only one who needs to go, it is the top management that needs new blood. OPK to me represents the fall guy, he is turning things around and has done good things. He is although faulted for not doing things fast enough. This slow cautious maneuvering is to be expected with a gargantuan undertaking such as the reigning king of Mobile ... but much has to be said about the need for agility and flexibility in rough seas virtues that Nokia does not even consider remotely.

Also I personally think that the restructuring has not been agressive enough, the good news is that the focus is there but top managment don't seem too spirited or motivated by it ... a bunch of Dinosaurs who much preferred the good old days of feature phones. Yes the Finnish style is not aggressive management where CEO's toss snide remarks at each other; that may be missing but you know what else disappeared as of late? The confidence that goes behind a phone that Nokia makes. The wacky, inventive, playful, and attentive to users needs design philosophy is gone. The products are half baked, intentionally gimped, the experience between models is still not cohesive, and it bothers me as a Canadian that Nokia does not have a clear North American strategy. Also I'm not impressed when I see the same names in top management who are at fault for this stagnation remain in there positions, this falls under OPK for not head hunting for talents to support his strategy rather moving along with extra baggage in tow.

I also am concerned for Nokia when all these former employees are revealing the in fighting and finger pointing that goes on at Nokia ... one wonders why things get delayed? This is systemic of Nokia using old management models to create the smartphone strategy ... well boys and girls I think this has to change as it bred a culture of blaming it on another division. For example, Ovi should not be its own unit as then it cannot effectively create the experience a user is looking for tailored for the phone they own ... rather it should fall under the broader smartphone division and Ovi teams should integrate themselves in with the phone UI team, the idea although should be to recreate the baseline app that looks the same across the different phones. Currently the Ovi store through a web looks the same but as I said before it is through a browser which makes navigating for apps an extra task. Also Nokia needs to create a form factor which the design ideas can be re-used ... like a chassis that gets different bodies on it for the car industry. Manufacturers already do this I know so nothing new ... but Nokia needs to do more of it. Nokia can begin to bring prices down for lower end entry smart phones. Also give users choice like the N900 could be a fly away hit (it already was seeing how quick they were selling when compared to Nokia's expectation) by offering a 8GB or 16GB version ... 32GB is awesome but we really didn't have a choice here. So in essence release a phone and have like more options available for that phone that begins to differentiate pricing.

So OPK is a fall guy, nothing personal but someone has to go even though the overall suggestion for anyone who replaces him is to stay the course but change some player along the way as well. Also on article I think Risku was the one who said to avoid American management because they are in it for money and blah blah with his own bias. Now I could care less where this management comes from, they just need to be talented, sociable and passionate about what they do. Nokia is the type of company that can not only look for the best but also demand the best ... how they are vetted shouldn't be if this guy is Finnish or Canadian (pick me), but rather what their experience and tangible vision are.