Nokia CEO - Standing on a Burning Platform

If your A2 business students aren’t studying Nokia as part of their final few months - they should be. And this terrific article in the Guardian provides the perfect starting point for students to begin their analysis and evaluation of the strategic challenges facing Nokia.

Nokia’s new CEO Stephen Elop likens the strategic position of Nokia as akin to the dilemma faced by an oil worker standing on North Sea oil platform facing a raging fire on multiple fronts. The worker rationalises that he has no choice but to jump into the unknown - to dive into the freezing water to survive. It was the burning platform which made the choice so stark. A memo from Elop is reproduced in the article together with some background on the competitiveness issues faced by Nokia. I suspect the memo will become a classic on MBA courses for years to come. Highly recommended.