The Greater IBM Connection - on the blog side

Happy 20th Birthday, AS/400

It doesn't seem that long ago. Midrange systems were hot, and IBM jumped into the fray with the AS/400 - a computer that could serve small and medium businesses on a day-to-day basis and still meet the departmental needs of the enterprise.

I was still working in Atlanta at the time, in what had started out in the 70's as the General Systems Division and evolved as things do into a pretty strong organization for reaching just the kind of folks who would be in the market for the AS/400. We'd built that know-how from the ground up, starting back in the days of the System 3 and Sytem/7.

There were some pretty fair competitors staking a claim in midrange territory (Wang, Digital, General Data and probably others I'm forgetting). But the AS/400 came out of Rochester ready to rock 'n' roll with the best of them. And it was designed with the kind of flexibility that would let it evolve as the market needs changed (iSeries, System I, Power Series).

Were you around for the AS/400 era? What do you remember about it? We'd love to hear from you.

Larry Phipps
A Greater IBMer and managing editor of The Greater IBM Connection

Greater IBMers on a new kind of frontier

Thanks to The Greater IBM Connection, I've had the opportunity to "meet" some pretty terrific people in the past several months. Two Greater IBMers that will stand out are Barbara and Oma Sewhdat. You can find their story at http://www.ibm.com/ibm/greateribm/connections/connections_article42.shtml . They came out of retirement to spend a year in rural China, teaching mainframe skills to a new generation of young Chinese.

To do that, they left the comfort of home, friends and family. They arrived in Shanghai, knowing only a handful tourist-book level Chinese words - and compensated by using gestures to communicate. They are the pioneers for Reach Out!, an IBM program to enlist retired IBMers for fixed-term jobs in emerging markets. You can learn more about this exciting new program at http://www-07.ibm.com/employment/asiapacific/reachout/index.html

Barbara and Oma now live in a village with few amenities and their life is largely circumscribed by the campus where they live and teach.  There have been adventures with phones, hot water and basic transportation. It's not always been easy.

So why do they love it? They are making a difference in the lives of young people. Barbara and Oma know they are being changed, too. They like the change - and the memories that will last a lifetime.

I asked Oma whether he would recommend the program to others. His response was immediate: "Anyone who has the opportunity to do this, should seize it."

One of the exciting things, for me, in what Barbara and Oma are doing is that they are like a lot of other IBMers I've known through the years. People willing to put themselves on the line for something meaningful, something they believe in.

Who are some of those others? Do you have an experience to share? Please tell us.

Use the comment tool to tell us about Greater IBMers you know, or have known, who are putting their skills and knowledge to work making things better for others.

Comment now, before other demands distract you.

The story you share just may inspire someone who's looking for ideas in their own life.

I'm Larry Phipps, a Greater IBMer and editor, The Greater IBM Connection

WHEN WOMEN GATHER

We did it! Last Friday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Greater IBM women came together from around the world for our first Women's Leadership Gathering. It was an online dialogue event hosted by my company's Global Dialogue Center CONFERENCE CENTER. The theme for our first conversation was Leadership Lessons: Missteps, Miracles, and Milestones. Shara Sokol, Greater IBMer (1999-2004) from New York and president of s2 Creative Communications, joined me as co-host. We were also very blessed to have Nancy Margulies, who worked with us in the initial pilot (see "related article" below) and is well-know as "the godmother of graphic recording". She did live illustration to bring our dialogue to life. It wasn't just the two-hour conversation experience we shared together, there was a magic in the preparation in the days leading up to the event that counted too.

As women from around the world, including Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Spain, and from every region of the United States, made their way to the gathering, some were stepping up to put their fingerprints on our dialogue in meaningful ways long before the actual day. It started with three Greater IBM trailblazing women, who volunteered to serve as "conversation starters." Each of them found a unique way to share their thought-provoking messages.

Linda Griffin from Virginia started the dialogue by telling us, "I spent 30 wonderful years in my career with IBM. I loved my job!" She followed with her story of how she turned her experience into a leadership coaching career in 2006, as founder of ClearWind LLC. Her warm and generous sharing provided  "pearls of wisdom" for all of us to take home.

Orsoyla Selley, Greater IBMer from Hungary, wasn't able to be with us for the event. However, she gave me the honor of carrying a message from her to the meeting. This demonstrated how even when we can come to an event, we can still make a contribution by sharing ourselves.

Jane Scandurra, Greater IBMer from New York, and contributing author to the Greater IBM BLOG, wrote to say she wouldn't be able to attend as she was heading out on vacation --- but this didn't stop her from "being there" with us. You see, Jane Scandurra is owner of Go Pictures and Films, LLC with a new documentary film just launched, called "SINGLE". A few days before our Women's Leadership Gathering, a video arrived in my email from Jane. As I watched her clever message --- I was so touched at her efforts to support our first gathering. In the great tradition of IBMers, she "leaped over a few buildings" to deliver her brand of excellence as she talked with us via video at the event.

WHAT DID OTHER WOMEN HAVE TO SAY ?
Here is a small sampling of the words Greater IBM women chose to share about the experience before leaving the event...

-- "So refreshing to meet in a place where everyone had your best interest in mind."
-- "Gave me lots of food for thought when I really needed it!"
-- "Appreciate the experience so much. It was wonderful!"
-- "Invaluable. Please continue. Taking home some great pieces of wisdom."
-- "A suprise due to the original and fun format!!
I will promote this forum!!!
-- "Appreciate IBM offering us an opportunity to network with
IBM and IBM alumni women; we share a common link."

In one of my cherished books, I re-read this passage the week before our first Greater IBM Women's Leadership Gathering: "...miracles always will happen if you believe them to be possible." This was truly a small miracle for which I am so grateful to have been apart.

We recorded the event to share with other Greater IBM women. It will be available shortly for replay with visuals, video and audio too! Watch for an announcement on Greater IBM on Xing; I will post on our forum. Most of all, there will be more! This was just a first in a series. Our next event Greater IBM Women's Leadership Gathering will be announced shortly. It will have wonderful theme that emerged from ideas during our dialogue at the first event. You won't want to miss it!

Have joined the Great IBM Connection?
...our a business and social network for current and former IBMers

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Contributing Author
Greater IBM Connection
Founder, President & CEO
Global Dialogue Center and
Leadership Solutions Companies
www.globaldialoguecenter.com
author, Putting Our Differences to Work (Berrett-Koehler June 2008)
IBMer 1970 - 1991 L.A.; Anchorage; Seattle; San Francisco

RELATED ARTICLE:
"Women's Jam --- just a beginning of online synergy"
Greater IBM Connections eMagazine
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/greateribm/connections/connections_article24.shtml

Of Fishbones and other hard-to-swallow ideas

Observations by Larry Phipps, a Greater IBMer

I was thinking of fishbones this morning. And that made all sorts of initials and mystic expressions run amok in the crowded halls of my memory. TQM. QCs. COQ. QFD. ZBB. BPRE. ISO9000. And I don’t dare leave off Six Sigma. I think my head hurts. I know that ache was there back in the 70s, when Six Sigma was young and meetings were getting old.

What triggered this excess of initialitis? As I flipped through the Saturday Wall Street Journal (8 March 2008), I came across a familiar name. It was an obituary for 103-year-old Joseph M. Juran, who along with D. E. Deming was credited with helping recreate the industrial economy in post-WWII Japan.

The quality equation
In the process, Japan went from being known for cheap knock-off products to a country that arguably set new standards for manufacturing, fabrication excellence – and profits. The US noticed and listened to what Deming and Juran preached.

The promise: Reduce waste, lower production failures, increase productivity, and boost profits? That’s enough to get any CEO’s attention. And it did.

By the time quality management processes landed on my desk, sometime in the 70s, quality management processes – including the approaches evangelized by Juran and Deming and their initiates – weren’t considered a theory. Those processes of Total Quality Management (the aforementioned “TQM”) were already getting results on production lines. They worked.

Making the leap from production lines, where repeatable processes were accepted, desired and achievable, to the halls of a marketing organization that thrived on new ideas and experimental approaches? Well, that wasn’t one of those “self evident” truths.

Now what?
We didn’t have a clue (well, probably some folks did, but not all of us). But we had lots of meetings. And lots of training. And lots of charts (remember the 5 whys that were part of the “fishbone” cause-effect Ishikawa diagrams you had to fill out for just about everything?)

Ah. Those were the days. It’s called “learning what works and what breaks, then don’t break it again” as one of my early-career managers once said.

But we did eventually learn to adopt continuous improvement processes that (despite our instincts) did seem to improve processes and keep costs in check. And Big Blue has gone on to refine the Six Sigma concept in ways that have benefited clients all over the globe. Looking back, I realize what a tremendous contribution Mr. Juran and his fellow believers made.

But I for one wasn’t so sure the first time I saw that darned fishbone!

Footnote
I pretty much remembered the acronyms but not the order they came into play and not all of what they stood for, so for anyone else who’s left those details behind, I made a Google run that yielded:

·        TQM = Total Quality Management

·        COQ = Cost of Quality

·        QFD = Quality Function Deployment (otherwise known as “listen to the customer”)

·        QC = Quality Circles

·        ZBB = Zero-Based Budget

·        BPRE = Business Process Re-Engineering

·        ISO9000 = International Organization for Standardization quality measurements

So, those were some of the memories stirred by the notice that Mr. Juran was no longer with us. He accomplished much in laying the foundation for what he predicted would be a Century of Quality. He is survived by a legacy of achievement and, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out, “Sadie, who married him 81 years ago.”

Here’s to you, Mr. Juran.

Living up to its name - emphasizing the "I" in IBM

Sometimes, I admit to becoming a bit jaded. Put it down to my years as a reporter. Or, maybe, from being close to so many “revolutions” in industry and technology. I’ve seen (and helped create) my share of marketing slogans, themes, slug lines, ad lines, brochures and campaigns. Whatever the reason, I always look at “claims” with a critical eye. Usually, sad to report, that critical eye finds that most claims fail to live up to the boast.

Maybe that’s why IBM’s recent earnings report [see http://greateribm.typepad.com/web_log/2008/01/ibm-posted-grea.html] captured my attention the way it did.

Oh, it’s great that the company chalked up record earnings. IBM’s hit a few earnings milestones before. Worthy of applause (and a call to my broker), but normally I’d make note of the day and move on.

But something about this announcement stopped my multi-tasking fingers in their place.

Then I saw the Steve Hamm’s January 17th BusinessWeek article, “International Isn’t Just IBM’s First Name.”  The deck on that article zeroed in on my interest: “Big Blue has built a global network for client services and in the past three years has hired 90,000 people in low-cost countries.”

Just a couple of weeks earlier, IBM had announced it would invest $1.6 billion on new marketing and sales programs in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East – all part of a long-term strategy to expand marketing focus in fast-growing, developing markets. And in the past three years, the company has hired some 90,000 people in countries like Brazil, China, and India. [more on this story at http://www.ibm.com/ibm/greateribm/connections_article7.shtml ]

Hamm said of that investment: “the company is reorganizing around the principle that it will perform work for customers where the jobs can be done – tapping the right talent at the right price.”

And that's not the only investment that's paying off. IBM continues to be top gun in gaining patents – a pretty fair report card on the value of a $6 billion R&D investment.

And where our own R&D doesn’t cover the waterfront, the company’s been far from shy about investing in the bright ideas coming from others. IBM’s acquired more than 60 companies since early 2003 – and those acquisitions have added to the bottom line while opening opportunities in fast-growth business areas.

Put it all together and it sure looks to me as though IBM’s doing a pretty good job of converting strategy into reality.  The results make a pretty good argument for regarding the company as a model for the globally integrated enterprise. Sure doesn’t look much like the “multinational” company I worked for. Remember when the organization chart for every country looked alike? Vertical departments and functions duplicated country by country were the norm.  The new, horizontally integrated model may be challenging – but it’s obviously turning out profits.

We saw those profits reported in the earnings statement. (You can hear what Mark Loughridge, IBM senior VP and chief financial officer, had to say at http://www.ibm.com/investor/4q07/index.phtml )

If you took advantage of IBM’s stock purchase program while at IBM, you probably like the way things are working out. It didn’t escape me that while the worldwide stock market was going through gyrations and many large enterprises were struggling to report good news, IBM’s global operations were going strong. Maybe I’m not as jaded as I thought.

The BusinessWeek article quoted Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School, this way: “IBM is making real some new ideas about what it means to be global that were just a lot of talk before.”

Global opportunity. That sounds good to me. Now, where did I put that passport …

Now I have some questions for you:

• What do you think about IBM’s global business strategy?
• Is it working the way you think it should?
• What are some of the challenges you see ahead?

The floor is yours. Please comment.

Submitted by Larry Phipps, a Greater IBMer since 2007

Make the Connection: Greater IBM and "It's a Wonderful Life"

It’s that time of year again... Over the next two weeks, you can turn on your television at any time of the day or night and likely catch some station showing the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” -- which by the way, is not only one of my favorite films, but is also widely considered to be one of the best films ever made. Now you can even watch it online (for free), courtesy of Google.

Despite it's popularity, some of you outside of the US may not be familiar with "It's a Wonderful Life." So for you and those 3 or 4 people here that have never seen or heard of it, the net takeaway is that everyone you meet can have an impact on your life.  I'm sure everyone would agree with that, but this film really drives the point home in a big way.

In short, the star of the movie, George Bailey (played by the great Jimmy Stewart), falls on hard times. On Christmas Eve, in his greatest moment of despair, he wishes he was never born.  Enter Clarence, George’s guardian angel who grants his wish and erases his existence in an instant.  In a series of flashbacks, we then see all the people whose lives have been touched by George and the difference he has made to the community in which he lives.

OK, so it’s a great movie but what does it have to do with the Greater IBM you ask?

Everything. Because it’s quite remarkable for me to think about all the IBMers who have made some difference in my life – and vice versa – simply by connecting and sharing our thoughts and ideas in some way.

So during this holiday season, try this: Apply the message of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and think for a few moments... 

• What would life be like if you were never an IBM’er? 

• What if you never met all those people you worked with? If you didn’t give or receive that little piece of guidance, work on that project, hire that person, have that one particular meeting? What would have changed in your life – personally and professionally? And how might someone else’s life be different if you were never an IBM’er?

Some of you wouldn’t have met your spouse / significant other! Hmm, I suppose there might be a few that would’ve actually preferred that. J 

But seriously… Once you “get it,” you start to become more aware of the long lasting value of all the personal connections and relationships you made – and can continue to make as part of a Greater IBM.  Interesting thinking, isn’t it?

On that point, I’m very fortunate to live in NY where there is a huge concentration of IBMers so it was truly energizing to attend the Greater IBM event in NYC last month. The place was buzzing with so many smart, interesting, and friendly people. I got the sense that everyone came to be part of something bigger than just another great IBM party. I left that evening wanting to build on the “wonderful” interaction that occurred that evening, knowing lots of folks were making an impact on each other.

So, here’s a question for all you Greater IBM’ers in the NYC, Westchester and Fairfield County areas:

• Would you be interested in a NY/CT Greater IBM group -- leveraging collaborative online tools and having a local calendar of more in-person business and social (pay as you go) gatherings?

Tell me what you think. Post a reply here, or email me directly. If there's enough interest, I'll be happy to propose it to the Greater IBM management team.

Happy Holidays!  Remember, it’s a wonderful life!

Jane Scandurra

IBM'er from 1995 - 2006

P.S. Click here if you’d like a more humorous summary of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It's a 30 second synopsis as told through animated bunnies (I don’t get the bunny thing, but it is cute).

Looking Back; Looking Forward

It was about this time last year that I joined the Greater IBM Connection. My first adventure was going to a holiday party at the  Greater IBM virtual world at Second Life. We were invited to dress-up and show-up!

Much like a real party, there was that burning question, "what do you wear to an IBM holiday party anyway? LOL First I had to create Debbe Dae, my avatar. It was great fun to see her come to life, taller and more graceful than in real life. It was something like 5:30 a.m. when I logged-in for the party, teleporting my way to the celebration. I remember having the sense that  I was "flying off" to some new land --- definitely a "second life experience" from the start.

The party was quite amazing. There were IBMers everywhere. It really gave me an introduction to what's possible for all of us in this virtual domain ... I met new friends from all over the world; even discovered that when Debbe Dae hit the dance floor, she could let her uptight hair down and dance! (I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of it!). The holiday costumes and exhibits were way beyond what I had imagined at the time. As I look back, it was probably the most exciting IBM party I can remember LOL. Here are a two "snapshots" I took at the event to show my disbelieving friends where I'd been. I'm the one in the red and black:

Getting up the courage to dance :-)

On the ice rink with the "Skating Christmas Princess"

It came to me that we've begun to create history here at the Greater IBM Connection and there is much more to do and nearly unlimited possibilities. New events are emerging all the time with many planned for the coming year. We have a new IBM Innovation Center, a Conference Center and even a place to stop for a latte at Second Life. We have new Greater IBM Connections eMagazine and IBMers all over the world from every region are landing here. It's one of those important moments when opportunity arrives and questions you. Greater IBM is here. Thousands and thousands have joined the community and now, what will we do with it in 2008?

Looking back; looking forward questions for YOU...

• Do you have a memorable moment or experience at Greater IBM Connection from this year to share with all of us?
• Have you joined Great IBM yet? We hope you do. Click here to learn more
• What's your vision? If we could really make this Greater IBM Connection the best social networking community in the world, what would make it the best for you?

I look forward to hearing from you---and happy holidays to everyone across the world!

Debbe Kennedy
Contributing Author
Greater IBM Connection
Founder, President & CEO


Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies
IBMer 1970 - 1991 L.A.; Anchorage; Seattle; San Francisco

See the Greater IBM Connections Premiere Issue
A eMagazine for and about Greater IBMers

Career maintenance for a former IBMer

Hi. My name is Ruth, and I left IBM 6 months ago after working there for 4 years. While I was there I worked alongside Ethan who is now managing the IBM alumni effort. He asked me if I'd be interested in a little blogging, so here I am! We weren't sure what I'd blog about at first, so he sent me these two questions. As you can see below, I've tried to answer them to get the ball rolling.

What did you expect your career to look like when you joined IBM?
To be honest, when I joined IBM, I really needed a job! The offer came on the heels of 2 years of scattered freelance work and part-time grad school after the dot-com bubble burst. I was just thrilled to have been invited to work at a company like IBM. My first role was as the lead information architect for ibm.com's content standards; when I left I was the business owner for ibm.com's taxonomy standards and processes.

Once I settled in at IBM, I started to look for that vision of my career, but didn't figure it out. I did learn a lot about what I enjoyed doing -- the kinds of problems I liked solving, the kinds of relationships I was good at cultivating, the kinds of change I was capable of effecting. But I never really figured out what my future would or could look like. I could see a universe of possibilities -- both near and long-term, but I had trouble seeing a path.

Now that I'm outside of the IBM bubble, I see that I didn't really need to figure anything out. That's not to say that I'd be happy floundering in the same spot forever. I can just see that things can move forward in a positive direction, even if you're not directing every event. This is a good segue to the next question.

The conventional wisdom says that people in your age group will have many careers, not just one. How are you preparing for that?
It's funny. I feel as though I've already had a few careers -- experiences at a handful of companies, each distinct in my mind. But when I read my resume, it sounds as though I planned the whole thing as a natural progression, all focused on some aspect of working with web content. On many occasions, I have tried to get away from this niche -- to move towards product development or business development, but it seems to stick to me. What I've realized is that by starting in a young field, my career has had room to grow as the information and content industries have grown -- or, more to the point, invested in internet technologies, creating the need for people like myself and many of my colleagues. I feel a bit like a pioneer in web content strategy -- I can carve out space for myself, rather than migrate among predefined roles.

So to answer the 2nd part of the question -- everything I do to "prepare" for future career situations I do by garnering skills, expertise, and experience. I have stopped trying to look too far ahead, setting goals to inflect my career path. For me, attaining personal goals has become underwhelming. I'm trying to focus more on getting into a good mindset, and getting things done in my current job -- those accomplishments are the ones that lead to the next opportunities, which can't be foreseen.

Well, that wraps up the Q&A section of this blog post. I'll just say that I am so grateful to have been exposed to IBM's culture, and it's great to stay connected -- not just with my good friends, but with the broader community. Thanks, Ethan!

--Ruth Kaufman

Impressions of the Palo Alto event

Flor Estevez and Ethan McCarty just told me about this blog, and invited me to post here my impressions of the Greater IBM Connection Palo Alto dinner/event held at Il Fornaio Restaurant on September 20:

I found the Palo Alto event to be very interesting, enjoyable and worthwhile.  In many ways it exceeded my expectations.  But it was actually quite different from what I'd expected.

When I entered the restaurant, I was directed to one of their private back rooms.  I was initially disappointed, because the room was so small. (Actually, this was the same backroom that Jon Iwata had hosted a breakfast with Bay Area IBM communicators a decade or so ago.)   There were some tables set up ... in the middle with luscious, tasty hors d'ourves and to the side with beverages (good wine & beer and water). I was warmly greeted and given a nametag -- but the printing was rather small, so it was difficult to read anyone's name from a conversational distance. (Yep, a number of us suffer with bifocals these days.)

I introduced myself to the lady who checked in after me, and it was Debbe Kennedy, the very person who Flor has recommended that I be sure to meet at the event!! What a nice coincidence!  We had a great conversation then and also later in the evening.  She is doing high-level communications consulting for a couple of clients and also produces a Global Dialogue Center  that is designed to be "a virtual gathering place for people throughout the world with a focus on leadership, professional and personal development."  She is a very focused and interesting person.  She was very impressed with and still raves about the Habitat Jam.

After about 15-20 people had arrived, the hosts (from Global Services: David Linden and Ms. <?> Haeckel (sp?) ...sorry, I didn't note her name) introduced themselves and gave a brief introduction of the intention for the evening.  David then suggested that since the numbers were manageable, that we each introduce ourselves to the group and describe our our IBM histories/connections and present activities.  We were already arranged in a loose circle, so we did this in an orderly coutner-clockwise rotation. 

It was surprising and impressive that everyone seemed to have a different background: from executives to customer engineers; long-time IBMers to consultants who were with us for only a couple of years; hardware specialists to software gurus; those who left 20 years ago (like Debbe) to those who moved on (or retired) much more recently.  (Yours truly, in April '07).

I had been expecting that this event would include a sit-down dinner and probably some sort of IBM business-related speaker. But it turned out to be more of an informal mixer, with the personal introductions the only structured part of the evening.  I liked this, because I could then go around and talk to a wide variety of people whose self-descriptions interested me.  (If it had been a sit-down dinner, I would have been limited to those sitting near me at my table or whom I knew already.  The only person I knew at this event was through our children's school, not IBM.)  But it also meant that I had to manage eating, holding a plate and drink etc. while talking/listening/discussing etc., which can be physically awkard. (Try not to spill food or drink ... or talk with food in mouth etc. Ever since the first Rotary Club event I covered for the Beaumont, Texas, newspapers, I've wished I had three or four hands for just these sorts of events. Maybe the Innovation folks can work on it? ) While the room was small, it turned out to be appropriate for the number of people who attended.

Everyone was super-friendly and a delight to meet.  (One had been in retail-industry consulting and shared some excellent insights that should help my wife's new business of importing authentic, easy-to-use Malaysian spice-paste packets. When we exchanged cards, I noticed that he had the same phone exchange as mine.  Indeed, it turned out that he lives less than a mile from us in the Almaden Valley area of far south San Jose!)   This underscores the value of such an event: creating and fueling a network of interesting and capable people who share the common experience of having worked at IBM.

The hosts also had a feedback form.  Filling it out qualified us to get an IBM Cross pen ... one that had a rotating head to select one of three writing tips: black, red or pencil.  (Its box was very elaborate and intricate, considering that it held just one pen, however.)

The Greater IBM Connection is a great idea, and one that I hope can be sustained long-term.  All the IBM alums that I've mentioned this to are interested in participating. Now that I've been to this event, I can enthusiastically spread the word to others.   Next, I'll mention it to the IBM Retiree Club in San Jose, which has several hundred members.  Is there a web-based signup place?  There could be many dozen signups if they broadcast it to their membership.

Best wishes to all,

-- Mike Ross (IBM Research, Almaden Research Center, comunications: 1988-2007)

Intern Meet-Up at the MOMA

On Sunday, the Greater IBM Connection’s intern event I announced in my last blog entry, took place at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Even though I had invited over 100 current and former IBM interns living in the greater NYC area, but only nine showed up, we had an enjoyable international afternoon at the Museum. It was great to spend time with people who either like me were currently interning at IBM, or others who’d had an internship at IBM some time ago and are now employed at other companies. We saw different exhibitions before having some drinks at the Museum’s bar “The Modern”, and I would like to share some impressions of the MOMA with you.

In the MOMA’s Lobby before we got started:

The picture on the left shows Elyssa and Rachel, former IBM interns, in the background, with Jessy and Maik sitting in front of them. These last are co-op students from Germany who intern at IBM Somers and Armonk at the moment. On the right are Christian and me. Christian is a current intern of the IBM Software Group in Somers, NY.

In the Painting and Sculpture Gallery

In the Design Gallery:

Once an IBMer, always a Greater IBMer - Rachel and Daniel (both former interns) couldn’t stop playing with the computers at the entrance of the Design Gallery. :-) The picture on the right-hand side shows a smaller group of mostly male interns looking at a car, which was also part of an exhibition: Daniel, Maik, Christian and Rachel.

 

It was a great afternoon of culture and fun, and I am sure everyone enjoyed the Meet-Up  as much as I did. Thanks again for coming!

- Mona Lisa