Mission Statement

From The Greater IBM Social Network Wiki

[edit] Mission Statement

The Greater IBM Connection is a business social network designed to connect current and former IBMers, and to equally benefit both both members and IBM. Through Greater IBM, now with 50,000 members, IBMers past and present can connect, communicate and collaborate in variety of new ways: online, in-person and "in world" through interactions via a virtual environment.

The mission for Greater IBM is aligned with the three values, developed in 2003 via an IBM "jam" or global brainstorming event, that define and guide the company's purpose, and every IBMer's actions:

   * Dedication to every client's success
   * Innovation that matters, for our company and for the world
   * Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships

Dedication to every member's success

In the spirit of innovation's new nature -- which is open, collaborative, global and multidisciplinary -- Greater IBM will strive to serve the interests and needs of its members first, and by so doing, advance IBM's own business objectives.

This includes, but is not limited to, providing current and relevent information to our alumni, considering them for career opportunities whenever possible and providing a channel for them to communicate with each other.

Innovation that matters, for our company and for the world

Through initiatives such as the Global Innovation Outlook,The The World Community Grid our On Demand Community, The Genographic Project and many others, IBM has demonstrated a commitment to advancing societal innovations and its responsibility as a global business leader. Greater IBM seeks to contribute to that track record as a new kind of organization .... an "innovation network" that can orchestrate collaborative work, the sharing of insights,and facilitate community-based, productive projects for social and business innovation.

Moreover, by extending the meaning and value of "being an IBMer" beyond employment status, Greater IBM seeks to reinforce IBM's core corporate goal: to be the world's leading innovation catalyst -- for our clients and business partners, for our extended workforce, and for the increasingly interdependent world around us.

Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships

Technology and the global economy are redefining the boundaries of companies, markets and pools of expertise. A community such as Greater IBM that seeks to effectively open up IBM's corporate culture and enable a much greater degree of interaction between alumni and current IBMers, must be strongly guided by a deep dedication to this value. Consequently, this principle is the foundation for the Charter and Member Guidelines that the community will also collaborate on through this wiki.