LJNDawson.com, Consulting to the Book Publishing Industry
Book Publishing Industry Consultant

Random's New Chief a Mechanic

The Times reports this morning on Hartmut Ostrowski, head of Bertlesmann, and Markus Dohle, his newly-appointed CEO of Random House:

Two weeks ago, he named Markus Dohle, a 39-year-old German who runs the company?s printing operations, as chief executive of Random House, the world?s largest consumer book publisher.

It is roughly akin to putting the head mechanic in charge of an entire airline. While Mr. Ostrowski, 50, acknowledges the risk of choosing an executive like Mr. Dohle, he is not about to apologize for the new focus on Bertelsmann?s nuts-and-bolts side, or for a strategic rethinking....

In principle, it's a gorgeous idea - becoming more focused on back-end technologies that will position you to take better advantage of some of the new supply chain efficiencies coming down the pike. Of course, this leaves editorial and business development people a little frustrated - it's not very glamorous - and their complaints can be rather loud. What those folks have to remember, though, is that by focusing on the back end (all those boring systems like SAP and printing/production and inventory), you're in a much better position to sell the glamorous stuff.  Trying to create products and sell them without support is a great recipe for instant obsolescence.

And who better to understand this than the head mechanic?
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