Thursday, March 22, 2012
What questions should we ask Dr. B?
We need to come up with some topics we'd like to discuss about Gore and Dr. B. This part of the forum is our decision creating and making process for that activity. In our case, a question is defined as "something we honestly (and humbly) want to know". What topics are you interested in? How can we phrase those topics into questions for a Q&A?
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I’m interested in learning more about the challenges of getting a new product into a foreign market. I read a few articles about Gore getting approval from Health Canada to sell certain medical products in Canada. When an industry is regulated by government, like health care, getting approval to get a new product in the market can be a challenge. How does Gore work with the regulating agencies of different countries to get products (particularly medical products) approved for sale in foreign markets?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the biggest challenge the W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. faced when moving this product into the global market? Do you have a story of a major setback that the company overcame in the process of releasing this product to the local and/or international market? If so, what major lesson did you learn from the experience?
ReplyDeleteKind of along the same lines as this, I think it would be interesting to hear about the processes they go through to determine what markets to enter with a certain product.
DeleteTagging along on that question, is there a certain degree of assurance that a product will succeed in a certain market, if so what metrics are used to bring about such confidence.
DeleteI am interested in the same thing. My first question was right down that same path. . .
Delete"When a product has been discovered that you believe will be successful, what is the process by which you determine that it is economically viable and strategically viable to launch? (i.e. - who performs analysis strategically and financially to support the decision to launch a product and who ultimately decides that capital can be accessed to launch the product?)
Sorry, I meant to say strategically advantageous.
DeleteYou all are getting the process and are doing wonderfully. This was a good exercise. The responses from Wednesday papers was astounding. Because for a private company, you collectively found a great deal of information, real information from sources most wouldn't have thought about. For instance, how many thought about going to the press in each of the countries where Gore operates? How many thought about going to annual reports of companies Gore supplies? As an important supplier (a powerful supplier??), they are certainly worth mention. Thoughts that came this way that can become good questions, and remember these thoughts are all yours....
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the arterial grafting technology and practice, where do you see the life cycle assessment currently existing? What's next?
Ms. Kons was big on the global scope of Gore and the positioning of the product worldwide, especially involving the Asia-Pacific region, mainland China, Europe and the M East. It would be interesting to ask what some of Gore's experiences have been in the various cultures, governments, economies and health economics for placing products. It begs the question of how the product is represented in each area and by whom.
Mr. Van Loon asks how the product keeps in line with the continuous stream of innovative products that Gore offers. How does the product innovate and adapt to the technologies of the environment while operating with 45 plants?
Mr. Rogerson felt that the successful transcendence of international political and cultural barriers was difficult and would like a few vignettes of how this occurs.
Mr. Briggs wondered whether there are synergies of products like portable electronic vents, Helis, Acuseal, and Seamguard within the product range of the medical division.
Mr. Layton wondered how practices are different across cultures esp. religious ones.
Messers Jones, Franceschi, Hanna, Spackman and Jared T provided excellent overviews of Gore.
As for more (because my last post went beyond the character limit....)
ReplyDeleteMr. Willey wondered how to coordinate the marketing and sales function in one set of countries with the development, manufacturing, and other functions in entirely different sets. Does this add to synergy or make the communication and sharing of innovative ideas better within the lattice structure?
Mr. McDonald has very good thoughts on of ePTFE is patented across national governmental IR structures.
Mr. Brindley wondered aloud how market positioning differentiates products worldwide... whether there are special differentiations or whether there are no differences and whether each strategy is effective.
BJ Linford goes extensively into the Asia Pacific region and has questions about that role it plays and how the market is to be (or is) addressed...
Mr. Chandler has excellent thoughts about the product categories of Gore and how they play into the global scale and scope of Gore and how medical products fit into the mix.
Ms. Christensen-Guinn asked specifically about the global approval processes between countries using the example of the Health Canada Seamguard Bioabsorbable Staple Line. Her sourcing of information is nothing short of amazing.
Ms. Ames has excellent questions about the competitive positioning of Gore internationally as it continues to develop and pursue its strategic planning (strategic management??) in order to adapt, plan, find new ventures, and compete with other players coming into the space.
Ms. Hannig wondered about the hman resource leadershp within this division specifically and whether it was an adaptive system that offered differences across states, nations and firm size.
M Higbee had excellent questions about the firms FSA and how specifically it transferred the benefits of the firm's culture and product lines across international boundaries.
Ms. Barefield wondered about the specifics of EU procurement of medical technology and pharma.
The resources brought to bear include the following:
Harvard Business School and Review
Sloan Kettering Newsletters
Gore Web
Wiki
Google Scholar
British Journal of Administrative Management
Website within Salisbury State University
Website Community Wealth.org
The Herald Glasgow
Journal: Strategy and Leadership (39:3) p 5
Gore - Creative Technologies Worldwide (in Gore Site)
Rubber and Plastics News
Technical Textiles International
Medical Device Business Week
Mapping Intellectual Property
Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation
Santa Clara University
Business Insider.com
Mergent Online
China Law Blog
Elixir Strings.com
Columbia Sportswear Company
Fast Company
sas.com
datamonitor - Gore Profile
daily hiker.com
Journal of the American Medical Association
Interviews with Terri Kelly in various world media
Organizational Dynamics
Cnn.com/money
(among others....)
I do think it would be interesting to ask a question about the positioning of Dr. Begovac’s GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft worldwide specifically in Asia. I think it would be difficult to properly position this product in Asian countries. I’m not sure Asian cultures are ready to except the product. The first reason is that Asian healthcare is not up to American standards at this point. For example in 2008, I went with my mother to China so she could help many Chinese physicians adopted some of the American Stroke procedures and standards. One of the physicians in our group was trying to introduce and train surgeons on using small vascular stints in hospitals all over Beijing and Xian. Secondly, Asians are relatively healthy people. At this time their obesity rate is significantly lower than the U.S and they have much lower incidences of Neurovascular problems. Lastly, most Asian people cannot afford these kinds of procedures if they did have problems. I would like to know if they have been successful at positioning the GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft in Asian countries and what kind of culture, government, and economic issues have they run into.
DeleteI also want to know if Gore has successfully positioned PROPATEN Vascular Graft,in places such as China, how was the product represented. Perhaps, Dr. Begovac can bring some advertisements or other visuals to share with the class. I want to see what they have done to get a product for a high-tech surgical procedure to sell in developing countries.
DeleteGore & Associates is well known for its unique company culture, so I am curious as to how the company is able to transfer its egalitarian culture internationally to places that don't normally adhere to this type of belief?
ReplyDeleteThis would be something very interesting which I would really like to know. Gore has divisions in countries such as France, which highly favor the hierarchal type of organizations structures. Gore is so different from the usual organization structure that I want to know how they were able to transfer this type of culture to these countries and how it has helped them.
DeleteThis is a very interesting topic. I'm sure that there are several countries where Gore operates where there may be some cultural clashes with their programs.
DeleteTo follow up on Clayton's comment, when differences in culture are encountered how are the differences resolved, or is there an allowed amount of deviation from the base culture.
DeleteI would also like to know how Gore creates accountability with their unique culture.
DeleteYeah, the accountability issues came up in the talks. Essentially, it's a modified gladiator environment. Fit the mold - or out.
DeleteI would also like to know from their own point of view, how was their experience in first joining Gore and how it was to go to such a different organization in term of how you work, culturally and structurally. I want to know how they first felt like and how it helps them improve, and how this type of structure is better than the current dominant hierarchal structure.
ReplyDeleteOne of the articles I read mentioned associates being strongly encouraged to devout 10% of their time to speculative or "pet" projects. I'm curious as to whether this concept is put into practice and the support given by other associates and/or mentors.
DeleteAlong those lines I would be interested to know how the product came in to place, and how collaboration throughout the team was able to bring the product to life and make it a product that was marketable in the medical field.
DeleteIn a summarized version - What were the different challenges for introducing the Propaten in the U.S. vs other countries? FDA approval, government regulations, etc.
ReplyDeleteSpecific to the U.S. what challenges, if any, were there with Medicare's approval of the Propaten?
What ICD9 or cpt codes are used for the application of the Propaten Graft?
What is the cost of the Propaten Graft?
What is the shelf life of the Propaten Graft?
Once used and placed in a person what is the life expectancy of the graft or does it ever need to be replaced?
What training does Gore offer to physicians for use of the graft?
In addition to these questions, what is the Gore process for taking a product invented/created in one country and introduced into others. Do the inventor(s) of a new product have any input into when and where a product is introduced internationally?
DeleteOr along those lines do they have any say at all in to how market the product, who to sell the product to? etc.
DeleteWhat are the leadership challenges of the organization design?
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, what are the leadership challenges of operating a business in so many diverse countries? How does the company remain connected culturally between its distant locations?
DeleteI would like to hear from our guest what it is like to work in Gore's "flat lattice" operational structure. Does he feel that the structure enabled him to reach his goals quicker than a more traditional hierarchal structure? It would also be interesting to hear his view on how their organizational structure works internationally.
ReplyDeleteAlso how have his experiences within the Gore Company differed from companies he has been with previously, and the same question comparing his old organizations internationally compared to Gore and the differences he has seen and what has worked best Gore's structure or other companies structures.
DeleteI have heard the CEO's discussion on the organizational structure of the company. It would be nice to hear from Dr B and his take on the organizations structure. It would be great as well to get his take on working with teams that are not located in the USA or in his home office, or do they even have cross-global teams.
DeleteGore's lattice or matrix-style organizational structure seems to fully suppport the company's culture of innovation and collaboration, but have you ever experienced any issues with regard to conflict resolution? For example, what would happen if there were two teams that were fueding over developing different version s of the same project...? How would that be handled without the input of a manager?
ReplyDeleteAs a follow-up to Lindsey's question, with as much as you hear about Gore and their "flat" organizational style, I wonder how much of Gore's success he attributes to the Lattice organizational style; or if they would be just as successful due to their products and people regardless of organizational style?
DeleteThis Q&A we will be having is probably not the best forum for this question, nor would we probably get a real answer, but I would be interesting to see how they respond to this article in Outside Magazine http://www.outsideonline.com/templates/Outside_Print_Template?content=140613113
ReplyDeleteSpeciffically to the claims of unfair business practices and the investigations into Gore currently underway by both the U.S. government and the EU, and how the introduction of more high quality competition is changing Gore's membrane landscape. Perhaps someone here can think of a good way to approach the subject in a professional and respectful way.
This is likely another question that is best saved for another forum but one I’m genuinely interested in knowing the answer to. One of Gore’s perceived weaknesses is that is has a lack of access to low cost capital resources owing to its status a privately owned company. Gore competes with public companies such as Belden who have a clear advantage in terms of raising capital. How does Gore plan to offset this disadvantage and raise the required capital necessary to remain competitive?
DeleteI would also really like to know if they gained any specific knowledge or process that they discovered after going international and getting international experience that they were able to implement into their home base organizations to improve their home base company. I want to know if they gained anything which they now use which they could not have gotten unless going internationally.
ReplyDeleteGood question! I would want to ask a follow-up to that, what was the biggest eye-opener (i.e. greatest lesson that Gore learned about itself) after the company expanded internationally?
DeleteI like this. In addition, I wonder what cultural challenges they've had to overcome when expanding globally? What were the challenges? How did Gore adapt? Did they feel that they became a "glocal" company?
DeleteOne challenge I am curious about specifically is logistics. How did the company create a strategy for global expansion that allowed profitability to be increased while addressing the issue of logistics on a global level.
DeleteIt really is one of product hitting the streets from vendors in country. The Propaten Graft is from Sweden.. No real logistical issues there. We also learned the vascular graft had few shelf life issues, so it could travel freely. There was an interesting one though as the graft material have porcine material in them - bound to creats issues with cultural acceptance.
DeleteI would like to know the process he goes through to develop or come up with a new idea he wants to pursue, and what his process is to developing a team within the company to work with him and collaborate to making the idea tangible.
ReplyDeleteIn continuation, what is the logic or thought process for determining industries that have product similarities and compatibilities that Gore can exploit? How does Gore go from a waterproof, breathable fabric to guitar strings to vascular grafts?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGore focuses on strategic acquisitions to increase the opportunities for sales and growth in earnings. For instance, Gore acquired assets and intellectual property of NMT Medical, a medical technology company, in October 2011 to expand its presence in the medical field. How big of a role do outside acquisitions play in getting products like the Propaten Graft introduced versus internal R&D?
ReplyDeleteGore uses a market strategy of becoming a market supplier rather than a direct to consumer product company. How has this strategy helped Gore enter into other countries and deal with the sometimes stringent regulations of their market segments?
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in knowing what their job interview process is like. Do they do anything different since they obviously are looking for a certain type of employee. Do they have any type of trial run or probationary period to see if people will fit into their system?
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective I don’t see many reasons to justify GORE going public. I am sure that this topic has been brought up in their board and executive meetings. Are GORE considering going public? Why or Why not?
ReplyDeleteWallace, I'd be most interested in discussing this with the Gore executive. We hear lots about the huge IPO's of up and coming companies. What would an IPO for Gore be like? Would they ever consider going public and if not, why do they prefer to stay private.
DeleteI simply want to know how Gore fires people?
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome question and I think the answer will open all kinds of social/cultural doors.
DeleteRight. With a lack of hierarchy, is there an HR department that tracks performance and has hiring/firing authority?
DeleteI know that their compensation is partly based on their participation, contribution and selection of working groups. Maybe it works in reverse as well.
I also wonder if the firing process is different around the world. What do they do differently?
DeleteWith their largely network driven structure, I imagine this would be an issue. Keeping organazations as small as they do tends to drive a family feel (that seems intended). How do you let go your family?
DeleteHow has the “Lattice organization” been impacted by global expansion? Are there compromises that had to be made to the original intent?
ReplyDeleteHow has being privately held helped or hindered your global expansion
What is the company’s biggest win domestically and internationally?
What was attractive about London for your corporate structure that led you to expand there first?
How has participating in B corporations in states that recognize it transformed business practices?
What benefits have you seen from keeping engineering teams small and manufacturing units under 200 people?
Are there any limits to the industry or sector in which you will look to develop technologies for?
Is Gore migrating from a raw material provider to a more vertically integrated company, designing, manufacturing, distributing, and retailing finished products? Is Gore entering in more joint venture agreements?
ReplyDeleteWhat have been the challenges with local and national governments in areas where Gore has expanded such as China, Israel, and Korea. How has Gore been able to meet those challenges?
ReplyDeleteDr. Pete, after reading several articles on Gore, here are the questions that I have. I am including them in one post instead of breaking them out separately.
ReplyDelete• With more than 1,000 products, Gore-Tex is Gore’s best known product, what is its least known product, how and where is it used, and what impact does it have on its market?
• Tell us how the Gore membrane works. I read that the membrane has 9 billion pores that randomly dot each square and that it is as light as a feather. Wind and water cannot penetrate the pores, but perspiration can escape the material.
• Last fall, Gore acquired the assets and intellectual property of NMT Medical, Inc., a maker of heart devices. Included in this acquisition is the data related to CLOSURE 1 and the STARFLEX® Device, technologies that will help in the prevention of recurrent strokes and transient ischemic attack. If the data acquired prove to be useful, how quickly can Gore have this new medical technology on the market?
• How do innovative ideas like the idea for Glide dental floss, which won’t shred, get brought to the table? Because of the product’s huge success, does the innovator get special compensation for coming up with such an excellent and marketable product?
• Tell us about product champions. Who are they, what do they do, and how involved are they in the development and release of a new product.
• 75% of the company is owned by the Gore family with employees owning the rest. How many family members work at Gore and does nepotism play a role?
• What are the biggest challenges of being a privately held company?
• Does the lattice model impact the way Gore manages crisis situations?
I like these questions. I would also like to know if Gore has ever considered going public. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of Gore being a publicly held company.
DeleteNepotism is always an interesting concept in a family owned business. It seems the organization is large enough that they could avoid it on a broad level. I wonder if there are certain divisions that it is more prevalent?
DeleteGore offers many different products that are created within the company. With all the different products that are in their infancy of R&D, how do you determine which ones to focus on? What are the primary drivers for selecting one product to focus on and develop further versus another one?
ReplyDeleteWith the economic slump this country has been in for the last few years, how has Gore been able to respond and overcome? What was the impact in the other offices around the world? What recommendations would you give to companies still struggling to overcome the economic downturn?
ReplyDeleteI would also like to know how associates at Gore feel about the conpensation structure that is set up by Gore. Aparently your compensation is based on the evaluations of the associates you work with. How does that work? Do associates ever try to change this policy? How well does it work and how does it help associates to be more productive?
ReplyDeleteThis is a good question, and I wonder if/how his opinion on if it is effective would differ from those employees who are not execs?
DeleteI read in one of the articles Gore claiming that they have been profitable since the time the company was founded. I want to know what is their secret? How have they been able to sustain such a long term profitability without ever losing money? Especially as more competitor start to flood the market.
ReplyDeleteGore uses hazardous materials, chemicals, viruses and toxic compounds in its product development programs and manufacturing processes. This exposes Gore to risks of accidental contamination and events of non-compliance with increasingly stringent environmental laws and regulatory enforcement. What effect, if any, does this have on the R&D and manufacturing of upcoming medical products such as the Propaten Graft?
ReplyDeleteJT brings up a good point. With the US having some of the most stringent environmental laws as pointed out, I would like to know what, if any, considerations are given to manufacturing certain products in countries with less stringent environmental laws that what they are in the US.
DeleteEveryone must check this out!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.goremedical.com/resources/dam/assets/AK0823EN3.PVG.Product.Bro.FNL.mr.pdf
It is the product brochure for GORE-TEX PROPATEN Vascular Graft. It will help you understand the product that Dr. Begovac invented.
I know we wouldn't have time for medical questions, but does anyone else wonder, how they get the tube to bond to the vessels? or How do they keep the body from rejecting the foreign object(tube)?
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn more about Gore’s global communication strategy. I would think a lattice system and limiting workplaces to less than 200 people would create many redundant processes across the organization. How doses Gore use technology to communicate ideas/best practices across the organization to become more efficient? How often do different business units communicate with each other and how is that conducted?
ReplyDelete