Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58063
The CEO of Motorola's Edward J. Zander wants to shrink the world to the size of a cell phone, so all users are just a call or a click away from the people and information they need. by Sharon Shinn Accessibility E d Zander believes in connections. The CEO and chairman of the board of Motorola Inc. is a passionate proponent of "seamless mobility," a confluence of technology and connectivity that allows consumers to access their phones, homes, offices, friends, and Inter- net accounts no matter where they are or what they're doing. With products such as the MOTORAZR phone and the MOTO Q wire- less device, Motorola is at the forefront of this drive toward unlimited acces- sibility. "We are enabling people to link and sync with what matters most in their world—anytime, anywhere, from any space," he says. Things weren't quite so rosy at Motorola in 2004 when Zander stepped into the head offices in Schaumburg, Illinois. The company that had invent- ed the Six Sigma method of improving quality was falling behind in the race to produce new products for the communications revolution. Zander was instrumental in managing the company's turnaround, overseeing the launch of the RAZR and the Q, and hammering home the message of constant innovation. Zander also orchestrated Motorola's acquisition of Symbol Tech- nologies, which handles products for mobile computing, radio frequency identification (RFID), and wireless infrastructure. By 2005, Motorola had achieved $35.3 billion in sales. The company is both shaping and profiting from the explosion of new technology that is transforming the communications industry. "Everything is getting digitized, everything digital is going mobile, and broadband is becoming as pervasive—and as essential—as air," says Zander. Enabling the digital society, he says, are technologies such as ad-hoc and mesh net- working, mobile TV, and enterprise mobility. And while those terms might sound mysterious to anyone outside the industry, Zander is wholly at ease with the new systems and what they can do. In fact, technology has been his guiding passion ever since he received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. An MBA—and later, an honorary Ph.D.—from Boston University followed, but the business education has been used primarily in service of technology. Before joining Motorola, Zander held a range of positions with Silver Lake Partners, a private equity firm that invested in technology; Sun Microsystems; Apollo Computer; and Data General. Throughout his career, he's been a proponent of innovation, and he believes an innovative mindset is crucial for any top executive. "You should never be complacent, no matter how successful you become," he says. "Companies that don't innovate don't survive, and leaders who don't inno- vate are replaced by those willing to take risks. The key to success is to drive innovation." That's advice that both CEOs and Ph.D.s can take to heart. 18 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2007