The most telling aspect of Research In Motion Ltd.'s RIM-T recent conference call was the amount of time its CEOs spent explaining why they should keep their jobs.
“Mike and I have been partners in this business for almost 20 years,” RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in his opening remarks during the June 16 call to explain the company’s disappointing first-quarter financial results. In a rarity, he was joined by RIM's other chief executive, Mike Lazaridis. Both men were looking to assuage investor fears in the wake of poor BlackBerry sales and a collapsing share price.
“I believe, and I think Mike would agree, that neither of us could have taken the company this far alone,” Mr. Balsillie continued, “and that completing this transition and taking the company to the next level of success and growth, is also something neither of us can do alone, and something that would be incredibly challenging for someone from outside the company to manage successfully at this critical time in RIM's development.”
It has been a miserable year for Canada’s most important tech company. Almost everything that could have gone wrong has: A series of sub-par quarterly earnings and profit warnings, coupled with delays in new product launches, have hammered RIM’s share price, which started the year at about $60 and now trades at less than $30. The company’s two bosses have faced pressure from some investors and analysts to shake up RIM’s management structure, and perhaps even hand control to someone else.
A number of analysts who have long been bullish on RIM have changed their outlook, leading to several downgrades in recent months. That negative shift comes at a time when RIM's major competitors – including Apple Inc., Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. – are ramping up new product offerings and prompting even more rapid change in an already tumultuous industry.
But all is not lost. Here’s a prescription for getting the company back on a winning path.
Fortify the base
A BlackBerry means something. Barack Obama carries one. Most CEOs and global power brokers carry one. RIM’s business customers are an incredibly valuable group, with very specific needs. RIM still dominates this niche.
But as it expands to the consumer world – and Apple tries to break into the enterprise market – RIM’s messaging on that has become somewhat muddied. The company’s products are often seen as corporate and stuffy, but they need to be seen as cutting edge, savvy and aspirational – not just to consumers, but to business people, a segment that can’t be taken for granted any more.
The PlayBook – dubbed by the company as the world’s first “professional-grade” tablet computer – is a good example of how RIM is trying to signal to developers and customers that it still means business about business, even if large companies are increasingly allowing employees to use iPhones. But there is a lot more it can do to differentiate itself from its larger competitors from California.
“There’s not much point trying to play Apple’s game or Google’s game,” says a senior Canadian technology executive who has worked with RIM. “They need to cut to the chase. Do you want to be the best freakin’ investment banker around? Do you want to lead your company? You need a BlackBerry.”
Most major corporations now run a variety of other mobile software and hardware platforms, in addition to the BlackBerrys they hand out to employees. As RIM offers up more tools designed to handle non-BlackBerry enterprise traffic, it needs to take a hard look at how it can continue to play the central role in the mobile business world. That’s an advantage it can’t lose.
Bring in more help at the top
