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Mike Zafirovski, known as Mike Z joined Motorola team in June 2000 as the chief of the largest Motorola segment - the Personal Communications Sector (wireless handsets, related software and consumer two-way radio as well as personal messaging and paging devices). In the two years he lead the sector, Motorola's handset business improved its positions on the market, became profitable again and introduced a new global marketing campaign. In 2003, Motorola saw the first increase of demand in three years. Motorola reported its first consecutive quarters of net income in two years as fourth-quarter sales rose 3. 2 percent, beating forecasts (NY Times, 2003). As Motorola Inc. was experiencing hard times, the Board of Directors promoted Mike Z to the position of company President and Chief Operating Officer.
His mission was clear to bring the company back into the game. Zafirovski received the message and got right down to business. He held meetings with managers stating the reproach that Motorola was not as good as it thought it was. He fairly gave grades to each of the business areas from market share and profitability to customer satisfaction.
Some of them were even as low as Ds. His goal was to achieve all best grades in every area. Mike had to take it tough from the very beginning His predecessor, Edward D. Breen Jr. unexpectedly left Motorola, sowing distress at the company. Under Breen and CEO Christopher B.
Galvin, Motorola was beginning to rebound from a dismal 2001, when it lost $ 5. 8 billion. Zafirovski picked it up after Breen. "Mike Z's leadership style is the best I've seen at energizing a broad-based organization while driving it to make the tough, but right, decisions, " says Galvin. (Business Week, 2003) Having teamed up, Zafirovski and Galvin took Motorola toward recovery, returning the company to profitability after six quarters of losses. Motorola, nation's largest wireless communications equipment maker, reported stronger-than-expected earnings and sales in last quarter of 2003; earned $ 489 million, up 181 percent from $ 174 million year earlier; revenues were up 4 percent, to $ 8. 02 billion, from year ago. (NY Times, 2004) However, more had to be done to bring Motorola back to its full strength. Motorola was still lagging behind the leader in sales Nokia Corp. The company lost its leading position in communications chips to Texas Instruments Inc and the wireless-networks business had the unprofitable 2002. However, Zafirovski and Galvin tried achieving smaller realistic objectives, for example a 10 % top-line growth and profits encourages by smoother operations.
Zafirovski said it was possible to do by gaining market share across the board, and [driving the] brand. (Business Week, 2003). Zafirovski had plenty of things to keep him busy, including on the operations side. His task was to find the 10 % of managers with poorest rate of performance, while at the same time award bonuses to the employees based on profitability and cash flow. Besides, Mike Z was set on staying focused on the customer.
Yet another field demanding Zafirovski's attention was wireless market. To ensure growth in the semiconductor division of the company was not an easy task. Motorola was then in tough competition with TI and Qualcomm Inc. on the wireless chip market.
Meanwhile, Intel Corp. was invading the wireless space with chips that even Motorola's phone unit was buying. (Business Week, 2003). Other objectives of the Motorola Inc. and Mike Z as its COO included investing money into perfection of the software to serve as the brains for switching cell calls.
Its been developing Internet-based gear that Motorola hoped would take the division into the next-generation level of telecom systems. At that moment it seemed that things were going well for Mike Z and the wireless-phone business was on the way to its recovery, while big challenges still had to be faced in wireless infrastructure and semiconductors. Works Cited Crockett, Roger, Reinhardt, Andy. Can Mike Z Work More Magic at Motorola? Business Week. (2003).
Intelligent Transportation Society of America. (May 16, 2003). New York Times. (January 23, 2003). New York Times. (January 21, 2004).
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