B
ILt GATES-.fu,! I(:ROSO FT
in a more integrared way than any competitors. The
plan is to bring rhe PC into the living room experience rhrough
its '' Media Center PC,'' u,hich runs a .;ersion of 'tJ7indows designed to be navigatcd by a rernore control and viewed fiom
10 feet or so avlay; it will also popularize Portable Media Centers that play music, videos, and other content.
Gates's vision is total access to your digital media, with
every screen in the house being a portable device. You can pick
up a single remote control to get a rich, simple user interface
that works for photos, music, video, instant messaging, and all
the things you want to do. Yes, cable and satellite providers,
Apple, Yahoo, and Google are doing pieces of this, but
services
Microsoft will be the firsc one to pur it all together.l27
Gates is known as a demanding boss who encourages creativity and recognizes employee achievemens. Several of his
early employees are now millionaires. Gates uses reams to im-
,1
I
I
t
prove exiSting sofrware and to develop new products. Employees are expected to be well informed, logical, vocal, and thickskinned. Teams must present their ideas at "Bill' meetings.
During the meetings, Gates often interrupts presentarions to
question facts and assumptions. He shouts criticisms and challenges team members. Team members are expected to stand up
to Gates, giving good logical answers to his quesrions.
Bill Gates founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
which has given away millions of dollars to cliarity causes
worldwide. On the other hand, Gates has been accused of trying to monopolize the World Wide ItrUeb (Internet) software
market and has had legal problems with the Department of
Justice. He admitted that Microsoft restricred the abiliry of its
Internet partners to deal with its rivals.128
Support your answers to the following questions with
specific information from the case and text or other information you get from the Veb or other sources.
1.
2.
What do you think Bill Gates's personality traits are for
each of the Big Five dimensions?
tDflhich of the nine traits of effective leaders would you
say has had the greatest impact on Bill Gates's success?
3.
45.
6.
Which morivation vvould McClelland
sa,v wes thc rn:rjcr
need cirivir-rg iJril G:rtes t() coutinue r<t v,zor-k srr ha:,_i
despite being worth many billions of rloilars?
Does [Ji[[ Gates have an LMP?
What type of self-concepr does Bilt Gares have, irncl horv
does it affect his business success?
Is Bill Gates ethical in business? lfhich lcvcl of nroral
development is he on?
Cumulative Gase 0uestion
7.
Whi:l^ leadership managerial role(s) played by Bill Gates
had an important part in the success of Microsoft?
iqhlt-fil
Case Exercise and Role-play
Preparation. Think of a business that you would like t() starr
some day and answer rhese questions that will help you develop
your plan. (1) \S(Ihat would be your company,s name? (2) What
would be its mission (purpose or reason for being)? (3) rWhat
would your major products andlor services be? (4) Who would
be your major competitors? (5) Vhat would be your competitive advantage? (What makes you different from your competitors? Why would anyone buy your product or servicc rather
than the competition's?) Your instructor may elect to lct you
break into groups ro develop a group business idea. If you do a
group business, select one leader with thick skin who can lrandle a 'Bill" meeting to present the proposal to the entire class.
An alternative is ro have a student(s) who ha$ an actual business idea/project/proposal of any type present it for feedback.
Role-Play
"Bill" Meeting.
One person (representing oneself or
a group) .may give the bisiness proposal idea to the entire
class, or break into groups of 5 to 6 and, one at a time, deliver
proposals. The members of the class that listen play the role of
Bill,Gates during the "Bill" meedng, or they challenge presen-
ters and offer suglestions for
improvemint.
.