The Six Transformations of Hewlett-Packard

In startup history, Hewlett-Packard is the “granddaddy of them all”. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard developed business and management practices we see reflected in Silicon Valley companies today. However, after 77 years of history and seven CEOs, the HP of today looks completely different from the company it was in 1939. How has leadership at Hewlett-Packard enabled the company to transform itself throughout its history? And what can today’s founders learn from the company’s ability to evolve?

Becoming Hewlett Packard: Why Strategic Leadership Matters tackles these questions by studying the contributions of each of HP’s CEOs, obtained through 15 years of primary research. Former HP executive Webb McKinney and strategy consultant Philip E. Meza join Museum Center for Software History Director, David Brock for a conversation about the role of leadership in shaping HP and what startups can learn from its history.

Webb McKinney began his career at HP when David Packard and Bill Hewlett ran the company. McKinney held numerous engineering management and executive positions at HP, running HP's entry into consumer PCs, and going on to lead its entire PC business. McKinney later led worldwide sales, marketing and supply chains for all of HP's commercial customers. Before retiring from HP in 2003, McKinney was the executive vice president responsible for HP's integration of Compaq. McKinney is currently a consultant in merger integration and leadership development.

Philip E. Meza is a strategy consultant and researcher. Much of his consulting work focuses on technology strategy and business development. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Meza is the author of Coming Attractions: Hollywood, High Tech and the Future of Entertainment (2007) and co-author of Strategic Dynamics: Concepts and Cases (2006).

We are pleased to announce Books Inc. will be selling copies of Becoming Hewlett Packard: Why Strategic Leadership Matters before and after the program.