Case Study

Global growth at Irdeto (A): Overcoming the mothership syndrome

9 pages
April 2010
Reference: IMD-3-2089

Graham Kill, CEO of Irdeto, reflected on the 11 years he had spent in The Netherlands since first joining Irdeto, a medium-sized player in media content security. He felt proud of the company’s accomplishments: In a market dominated by large, integrated competitors and specialized local companies, Irdeto had become the world’s third-largest independent provider of conditional access (CA) solutions, with a presence in over 60 countries by the end of 2006. Graham’s thoughts shifted to the conclusions of a recent strategic planning session conducted with the rest of his team. He was concerned that the company’s Holland-based headquarters was reinforcing a European perspective that limited its ability to act locally. The company’s “center of gravity” was too far removed from key growth regions to make swift, informed decisions. It was time to make some significant changes in the organization.

Learning Objective

Discuss different strategic approaches to globalization, how management innovators can differentiate a company in new and unique ways, and how to introduce fundamental changes in a company’s sturcture and mindset to ensure long term success in the global industry.

Keywords
Globalization, Strategy, Change, Management Innovation, General Management
Settings
China
2006-2009
Type
Field Research
Copyright
© 2010
Available Languages
English
Related material
Video
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This case study is part of a series
  • Global growth at Irdeto (A): Overcoming the mothership syndrome
  • Global growth at Irdeto (B): A dual HQ strategy
This case study is part of a series
  • Global growth at Irdeto (A): Overcoming the mothership syndrome
  • Global growth at Irdeto (B): A dual HQ strategy
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Global growth at Irdeto (A): Overcoming the mothership syndrome
By Cyril Bouquet Aimee DuBrule and Julian Birkinshaw
Case reference: IMD-3-2089 ©2010
Summary
Graham Kill, CEO of Irdeto, reflected on the 11 years he had spent in The Netherlands since first joining Irdeto, a medium-sized player in media co...
Reference IMD-3-2089
Copyright ©2010
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Global growth at Irdeto (B): A dual HQ strategy
By Cyril Bouquet Aimee DuBrule and Julian Birkinshaw
Case reference: IMD-3-2090 ©2010
Summary
In March 2007, Graham Kill held an all-staff meeting at the company’s headquarters (HQ) in The Netherlands – broadcast live to the regions via the ...
Reference IMD-3-2090
Copyright ©2010
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications