Eastman Kodak Co.: Managing IS Through Strategic Alliances
1. Why did Kathy Hudson make such a major change in IS resource management at Kodak?
The main reason for the major change made by Kathy in the IS organization was influenced by the studies she was exposed to when she first was appointed to the role of VP in the CIS group at Kodak. She was shown several studies, the results of which revealed that Kodak’s IS group “needed help”. The organization was too traditional. The different groups used separate systems and were managing diverse, redundant technology platforms established under different operating standards. It was clear that the organizational structure of the IS group was too hierarchical and needed a change. In general, the Kodak IS department was facing the
2. Do you agree with her philosophy and approach for selecting outsourcing partners and negotiating the agreements? What would you have done differently?
• What did IS people do that was core to Kodak’s business?
• Improved quality of support systems
• Where in the IS value chain did Kodak personnel add the greatest value?