Microsoft: bringing technology to the aging population

This is the account of how some managers in Microsoft attempt to integrate issues related to the responsibility of the corporation for the aging and disadvantaged population into the very heart of the product development process: the code for the new operating system platform (which will then become Vista). It is an unusually complex narrative, which begins with their approach to Bill Gates and takes them through a long series of steps within the organisation until they accomplish many, though not all, of their goals. While in the past Microsoft had developed some programmes designed to enable elderly users to access computers - through education training centres and the dissemination of information - they had never gone beyond public aid initiatives, fundamentally separate from business considerations. With many like-minded allies, Sinclair and Kearney believe that, in addition to being the 'right' thing to do (ie, ethical and responsible), it makes compelling business sense for Microsoft to make a major push to meet the expectations and needs of this rapidly growing segment of the market. Despite the support from the (very) top and the strength of the business case, the challenge to integrate principles of social responsibility into the heart of the fundamental process of a company like Microsoft remains a very tall order. The champions of the idea need to engage the business units of the company to co-operate in the development of the new features and their integration in the strategy of co-ordination with the eco-system of external developers. This does not prove easy, in part because they are competing with other priorities within the company, but also because it goes against the grain of the company's brand and culture - Microsoft sees itself as 'young' and well accessible to the technologically adept (ie, the 'cool' and the 'with it'). In spite of the resistance, Sinclair and Kearney accomplish a great deal: (1) they conduct survey research to prove their case about the market; (2) they gain Gates' enthusiastic endorsement; (3) they develop specific technological aids for the elderly that are embedded deeply in the basic software code; and (4) they create an ecosystem of specialised software developers, which will be nurtured in the future. Finally, they had signed on a senior entrepreneurial leader within the company to gain the necessary visibility and mind-space at the strategy level as the new operating system was being finalised and marketed. However, at the last minute, the new Leader (Sherri Bielkowski) is assigned elsewhere, causing a set-back for the initiative. It took a major concerted effort by both the technical champions (like Sinclair, Kearney and several others) and the CSR champions from another part of the Microsoft galaxy (Legal and Corporate Affairs) to breathe new life into the project and bring it to its successful end. At the end of the case, the small network of 'champions' is re-grouping to take stock of the lessons learned so far and decide what to do next. This case has been featured on our website