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Google throws the Gauntlet

Mar 23

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news, Current Events, Neptune in Aquarius | No Comments

Hello, everyone.

Several weeks ago I wrote a post entitled “Google and China – Heading for a Divorce?”  In that post I compared the astrology charts of the two giants to examine the underlying factors in the relationship.  I was curious as to what astrology could reveal about the long-term prognosis for a continuing partnership.

It looked good.  My conclusion in that post was that “there are many benefits to both parties and strong Saturn connections that lead to permanence.  It depends on how they handle this juncture, though.  If they let it devolve into a battleground, they can be formidable opponents.”

The Gauntlet is thrown

Yesterday, Google threw down the gauntlet.  Quoting from their official blog:  

“Earlier today we stopped censoring our search services—Google Search, Google News, and Google Images—on Google.cn. Users visiting Google.cn are now being redirected to Google.com.hk, where we are offering uncensored search in simplified Chinese, specifically designed for users in mainland China and delivered via our servers in Hong Kong. Users in Hong Kong will continue to receive their existing uncensored, traditional Chinese service, also from Google.com.hk.”

Of course the People’s Republic of China (PRC) responded, defending its internet censorship laws and playing down any effect this move may have on China-U.S. diplomatic relations.

What is happening astrologically? 

Both Google and the PRC are experiencing a major Neptune transit and in each case it is virtually the only major activity in their respective charts during 2010.  Neptune crises bring to a business (and a country) trends that sweep over the entity and cause it to lose its footing.  Lines of business dissolve, not in response to competition or new technology, but because of a sea change in consciousness of the public. 

In Google’s case, Neptune is opposing its natal Venus, which rules social instincts, long-term professional relationships, public relations, markets, and money.  In PRC’s case, Neptune is squaring the highest point in the chart, the Midheaven, which indicates the country’s reputation on the world stage, and their growing position as a major player in the world markets, “too big to ignore.”

Both parties confused

Often Neptune transits indicate that a company’s leadership is confused about exactly how to address the crisis.  A move of Google’s search functions to Hong Kong seems more like a symbolic statement than a solution.  The Chinese government has already indicated it will assert its filtering functions to keep banned information from entering China.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said that no harm has been done to China’s image, but this indicates the delusion that is so common during a Neptune transit.  Both internally and externally, China has again made it clear to the world that they don’t trust the individuals of the Republic to handle uncensored information in a way that is supportive to the state.  In fact, China’s censorship policies have increased in quality and scope over the last few years as it’s opened its markets to foreign investment. 

The impact of Neptune in Aquarius is sweeping through the entire world and China is not immune.  This influence represents a global desire to connect with each other on equal footing through Aquarian means:  electronics, virtual space, airwaves, social media, and innovation.  These developing social media serve an essential role in the ongoing development of our world and China won’t escape it for long. 

We’ll keep watching Google and the People’s Republic in their not-too-elegant dance.  I still think the compatibility indicated in their charts will pull them through this crisis, once all the dramatics simmer down.  But both need to take the lesson of Neptune, which is to focus on what is the same rather than what is different, and to listen for underlying currents rather than what is apparent on the surface.   Their relationship has benefits for each other and the world.

For further insight on Google and China, see this post:
Google and China – Heading for a Divorce?
To deeply explore Neptune in Aquarius for business, see the sidebar at the right, or get started with these posts:
Neptune in Aquarius – Let’s Get Connected!
Neptune in Aquarius – Free

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Turn business challenges into core values – like Zappos!

Feb 19

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Management Tips, Businesses in the news | No Comments

Hello, everyone.

Today I was packing up a box to return to Zappos, the online retail shoe store, when I noticed on the side of the box “Be Humble:  Core Value #10”.  This intrigued me so I went to their website where their 10 Core Values are listed.

Zappos Headquarters

Zappos Headquarters

I decided to do a little study of their business chart.  I thought I could pick up some good ideas for business terms that relate to various astrological aspects by comparing the text of their core value statements to their chart.

Turning obstacles into values

It was a very surprising study and the unexpected upshot is this:  their company core values, rather than reflecting the strengths in their business chart, seem to be designed to overcome multiple obstacles to success in the chart.

I’ll give you a few examples: 

  • Core Value #2 is “Embrace and Drive Change”.  This is a fairly common business value.  But Zappos has several aspects that resist change, even though the placement of their Moon in Cancer indicates constant change in the company.  But with the Sun in Capricorn and an influential Saturn, there is comfort in tradition and the status quo:  embracing constant change would be a struggle.  So they made it into a core value. 
  • Another core value is “Create Fun and a Little Weirdness”.  Now this is a great value and those of us with a lot of Fire or Air, or maybe a strong Uranus or Neptune influence, would love this.  But for Zappos, Venus, the planet of fun, is in Capricorn, very traditional and certainly not weird; the Sun is in Capricorn, so company leadership tends to be very serious and focused on success.  They add the caveat in the text, “We’re not looking for crazy or extreme weirdness though.”  Good qualification and one that expresses the Capricorn energy perfectly.  So again, very serious and traditional creates a core value of fun and weirdness. 
  • There are many, many examples like these.  I’ll just cite one more.  One of their core values is, “Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded.”  Their text says, “at Zappos, we think it’s important for people and the company as a whole to be bold and daring (but not reckless).”   You can feel them trying to address that conservatism that comes with the planets in Capricorn and the Moon in Cancer.  The chart also has Mars in Libra, in its weakest position for boldness, and Mars is opposed by Saturn in Aries, which can hold back and even put out the fire of adventurous spirit.  Again, they’ve taken an inherent weakness and turned it into a core value.

Good job, Zappos

As a whole, each one of Zappos core values addresses a very difficult configuration in their chart.  Now I’m not criticizing this at all.  They have created their core values around what they are striving to become. I think there is a very valuable lesson in this for all of us. 

I’m always looking for ways to advise clients around the obstacles in their natal or business chart.  No chart is free of challenges.  And I’ve been particularly concerned about my clients who are starting their businesses this year, under the Saturn/Pluto* square.  But what Zappos has done can be an inspiration to all of us.

If we can identify the challenges that can potentially halt our business success, with clarity and honesty, or with a little discriminating hindsight, we can craft business statements that address and will eventually overcome these difficulties.  Like affirmations, keeping these statements at the forefront of our minds and our business culture has the potential to completely transform them over time.

Who wouldn’t want to be as successful as Zappos?  Let’s take a lesson from them and craft some core values for ourselves.  Not about what we understand and do well, but addressing our honest challenges instead.

Thank you, Zappos!

*(For more on the current Saturn/Pluto Square, see the category at the right.)

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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Google and China – heading for a divorce?

Jan 14

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news, Current Events | 2 Comments

People's Republic of ChinaGoogle

Hello, everyone.

I’ve been on a fascinating adventure today.  It started with an email from a friend urging me to support Google in their January 12 declaration about reviewing their business operations in China.  Google had discovered huge security breaches of Chinese origin on their computers, tied to surveillance of Chinese human rights activists.  In Google’s post. A New Approach to China:

These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

Google has been operating in China since January 2006, submitting to censorship requirements from the Chinese government.  Google could lose $600 million in revenue per year by leaving the Chinese market.

When a story really peaks my interest I like to look at the astrological charts involved to see if there is more to the story.

Google’s date of incorporation is a matter of public record and easily available on the web.  The inception of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is also available.  So I constructed both charts in my astrology software, Solar Fire.

How do they really get along?

Just for fun I ran a synastry analysis between Google and PRC and this is when it really got interesting.  Synastry compares two horoscopes and outlines the strengths and weaknesses in a relationship based on the positions of the planets and how well the charts interrelate with each other. 

Below are excerpts from the report from Solar Fire.  They are really revealing about Google and PRC, and as you read, think about whether you think there will truly be a split between them.  I have edited some of the statements to take out text that doesn’t apply to the business realm.  Other than my edits, these comments come straight from the program.

Google’s Sun is conjunct PRC’s Saturn

  • This combination indicates that Google and PRC both view thier association seriously and are committed to it.
  • As the relationship develops PRC feels threatened by the force of Google’s presence and takes a superior attitude in defense.  As a result Google feels threatened, disliking the authoritarian side of PRC.
  • It is vital that both Google and PRC work at developing a stable basis for communication and understanding in this relationship.

Google’s Mars is sextile PRC’s Sun

  • This combination is a positive one for a working partnership that calls for concentrated effort on a joint project.
  • There’s never a dull moment; they love and fight with energy.  They are hard working and energetic, achieving more together than they can on their own.
  • PRC feels that Google provides the impetus and drive to help PRC achieve its full potential.
  • Google is excited by PRC’s power and is inspired in its ambitions.

Google’s Jupiter is trine PRC’s Venus

  • An ideal combination for a rewarding relationship.
  • Together they enjoy good fortune.
  • PRC is enchanted by Google’s knowledge, experiencing a sense of being led into new and exciting territory.

Google’s Jupiter is sextile PRC’s Jupiter

  • A bountiful relationship, shining good fortune.
  • PRC and Google share common goals and the impetus to explore these goals together, including adventures into other lands.

Google’s Saturn is square PRC’s Moon

  • Both can suffer from discontent and insecurity within this union.
  • Google may feel that its attempts at diplomacy are misunderstood and met with over-reaction from PRC.
  • Much work needs to be done to understand each other.
  • Both are committed to resolve difficulties; therefore there is a strong possibility of staying in this relationship on a long-term basis and reap the rewards of a stable and secure union.

Google’s Uranus is trine PRC’s Sun

  • The relationship brings something new and original to PRC and Google.
  • The relationship may run a somewhat erratic or unorthodox course.
  • Google helps PRC see life in a new and different manner, freeing PRC from past inhibitions.
  • Together PRC and Google may explore something unusual, such as new technology, metaphysics, science, electronics, and humanitarian or environmental concerns.

Google’s Pluto is sextile PRC’s Sun

  • A relationship which is life-changing; it is as if they are both compelled to relate.
  • Power and wealth may result from this relationship.
  • They may become embroiled in a struggle for dominance, resembling a battleground from which neither emerges triumphant.
  • They can be either intensely loyal friends or formidable opponents.
  • Google is a powerful force in this union.

Googles’ Pluto is sextile PRC’s Moon

  • PRC is likely to feel transformed by Google.
  • It’s possible that Google has changed the way PRC feels about the world, making the country conscious of things that have been bubbling under the surface for a long time.
  • Life is not the same for PRC once it encounters Google.
  • This is indeed a passionate union.

 

Don’t you love it?

So, what do you think?  Will there be a divorce?  I would say no; there are too many benefits to both parties and strong Saturn connections that lead to permanence.  It depends on how they handle this juncture, though.  If they let it devolve into a battleground, they can be “formidable opponents”.  It will be intriguing to watch this unfold over the next few months.

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Signs of our Times: Energyville

Dec 9

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news, Current Events, Signs of our Times | No Comments

Wind PowerHello, everyone.

Today I’m starting a new feature in Astro4Business Intersections.  I haven’t found the perfect name for it yet, but something like, Signs of our Times.  I frequently hear or see things that are perfect examples of some current astrological configuration.  If there is a compelling and long-term transit in the sky we should see it reflected in every part of society, and we do.  In advertising, theater, music, politics, education and every other aspect of life there are numerous examples that express the present time.  Rather than rely on wisdom from Chaldean or Medieval times, we can learn from current astrological examples.

I think this will have important business applications, too.  If we can recognize and really understand the times we live in, we can take advantage of this knowledge to gear our products and services toward these times.  It will also be interesting to begin to sight a major change in the sky in advance through the changes we observe in society around us.  I hope you enjoy this feature and that it helps you think about the current times and how we can best interact with them.

Energyville, from Chevron

Have you seen the ad on “Energyville, from Chevron?”  Billed as “An energy game developed by The Economist Group”, Energyville is an online game that stimulates and educates about how to meet the energy demands of a hypothetical city.  I usually cast a pretty cynical eye at advertising; I especially notice which heartstrings the company is attempting to pull.  But this advertisement and online game is an interesting example of the current Uranus transit through Pisces.

A tagline in the ad is “put your ideas to work”.  This is the realm of Uranus, the realm of ideas, innovation, and inventiveness.  This ad is full of text with no supporting photos of humans, animals, or other emotional content.  This is Uranus, too, the cold, rational process that searches for Truth rather than emotional connection.

Pisces is also apparent.  First of all, Pisces rules liquids such as oil and it generally rules the common needs of society as a whole, such as the need for a source of energy.  Pisces also rules the mature and transitional stage of the business life cycle, which is the stage all of the established energy companies are experiencing now.  In the mature stage of the business life cycle, the peak has passed and the company or industry has two choices:  innovate or terminate.

Uranus in Pisces Innovation

In a prior post we reviewed how Cisco Systems was using Uranus in Pisces type innovation through diversification, committee leadership, global connection, and terminating their internal hierarchies.  Now we’ve got Chevron using another type of Uranus in Pisces type innovation:  inviting all of us to help solve the energy problem through an online game.  In other words, they are attempting to make their mature stage business problem into our problem.  Of course, energy is our problem so I think it’s a brilliant marketing strategy that they are at least attempting to look like they are involving all of us in the solution.

And fundamentally, the approach is valid.  If everyone’s involved, if everyone’s thinking, who knows where the most brilliant solution will come from.  Uranus works in the group mind, often building a spectacular breakthrough simultaneously through many minds at once.  And perhaps making a game of it helps to bring the freshness and spontaneity that provides the ground for true breakthrough in a way that fear of scarcity and guilt about overuse do not.

Rational Uranus.  We’re all in this global village together Pisces.  If you go to the site willyoujoinus.com you can play the game yourself.  There is a feature at the top of the game that shows how many barrels of oil are being consumed in the time you are playing the game.  Now that’s something that does pull at the heartstrings.

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Oprah Winfrey – an Astro4Business Profile

Dec 7

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news, Current Events | No Comments

Hello, everyone.

The recent news about Oprah Winfrey cancelling her daytime talk show in 2011 after twenty-five years started me thinking about Oprah.  Certainly one of the most successful businesspeople of our time, I thought I would examine her chart from the point of view of business.  Oprah’s early childhood challenges are well-known and well-represented in her astrology chart, and her personal charisma and creativity is also worthy of analysis, but since this is a business blog, let’s look at what her chart tells us about her as a business woman.  Maybe we’ll learn something we can use!

Profitable Relationships

You may be thinking, where does all her good fortune come from?  In her chart it is clearly shown in two ways.  First, Oprah was born with the Sun and Venus exactly together in the sign of the humanitarian, Aquarius.  This means that her basic drives and leadership style (Sun) are merged with her social instincts (Venus).  This translates into a business style in which she is happy to work with colleagues and employees and to maintain long-term professional relationships.  We can see this in her employee turnover rate of 10-15% and her top executive team average tenure of eleven years.  This ability to relate personally to her team lends stability to her business organization and allows her freedom for her creative and philanthropic work.

With the Sun in Aquarius, her leadership style is decentralized and collaborative.  She encourages input from her colleagues and staff and makes decisions by consensus.  And with Venus in Aquarius she is concerned about the happiness and well-being of her staff and associates.

Winfrey chartThe Sun/Venus conjunction also contributes to extremely abundant financial outcomes.  She established Harpo Productions at age 32, having recognized the potential to bring to market a commodity (Venus) based on her own identity (Sun).  Since 1986, Harpo Productions has grown to 400 employees from the original 8. 

Generosity and Opportunity

Oprah also has Jupiter, the planet of generosity, opportunity, and benevolence, at the top of her chart, in the sector of public recognition and public acclaim.  This is an extremely fortunate position – it’s like a guardian angel sits above her and shines its light on her life.  It provides very public opportunities for communicating, learning, and teaching.  This position of Jupiter is why she is known for her wisdom and trusted for her judgment.

With this Jupiter in the sign Gemini reigning at the top of her chart, she can capitalize on her multiple talents by taking her business in many directions.  There has been television, film, magazines, radio, writing, book publishing, online ventures, and most recently her own cable network,  “OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network”.  Jupiter does everything LARGE and has a penchant for travel and foreign locations.  The Oprah Winfrey show is broadcast to 145 countries all over the world.

Oprah’s Moon is in Sagittarius, opposite her Jupiter.  This indicates someone who, although comfortable in the limelight, has a genuine emotional need to be inspired and to inspire others.  She is independent and unafraid to rework her methods.  Comfortable with change and growth herself, she expects her employees to change and grow along with her.

Ambition and Privacy

Oprah has Saturn in Scorpio, in stressful aspect to the Sun/Venus conjunction.  It is challenging for her to share and be open about her business dealings with others and she has had to learn to trust her advisors.  She is extremely ambitious and probably began her business life with a strong fear of betrayal.  It is well-known that all employees must sign a perpetual confidentiality agreement as a condition of working for her.  But this also indicates absolute and heartfelt loyalty to those who are protective of her.  Saturn in Scorpio gives keen common sense to handling finances and though seeming generous, she is probably extremely careful and aware of the impact of her financial dealings on others.

Mars indicates energy and will power, and placed in Scorpio gives deep reserves of steady energy.  It is well known that in her earlier years she would work 16-18 hour days and not tolerate anything less from her staff.  She has had to learn that not everyone shares the same level of energy she has, and to let her staff abide by more reasonable hours.  Mars in Scorpio also indicates someone who has the drive to rise to any occasion, especially situations of crisis and high drama.

Communications and Tech

With Mercury in Aquarius she is extremely intelligent with a penetrating focused mind.  Deeply effective at communications, with this placement she is also comfortable with the leading edge of technology.   Diane Mermigas notes in her blog post, The Real Digital Drama Behind Oprah’s Move from Broadcast TV, that the real reason Winfrey is leaving her show is to put her “digital tech savvy” to work in cable TV by being the first to integrate interactivity and virtual communications.

As Mercury is the ruler of her Ascendant, Virgo, she is detail-oriented, practical and comfortable with facts and figures.  She thrives on the day-to-day aspect of work.  What some call the daily grind, she finds stimulating.  So she has been able to put in long hours with a sense of pushing into new territory and making a difference to people’s lives through her business.

What a business person!  Oprah has translated her business smarts into one of the wealthiest and most successful people in America.  Yet her common sense, perseverance, willingness to stay current with technology, and her belief in her team make her a role model for all people in business.

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When you wish upon a star – Walt Disney

Nov 24

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news | No Comments

Ellen at Epcot

Ellen at Epcot-with Pluto on my right (the dog!)

A couple of days ago I went to Epcot Center for my birthday.  Epcot Center is a part of The Walt Disney World outside of Orlando, Florida.  I started thinking about Walt Disney: who was he astrologically speaking?  What I found was a complex man, a bit different from the popular conception.

“Innovention”

His chart is multi-faceted, immensely creative, but also dark, brooding, and troubled.  With his Sagittarius Sun in the third house he thirsted for knowledge and once he had mastered a technique, he was anxious to share it with coworkers.  A third house Sun can also indicate someone whose siblings are very important in his life.  Walt Disney’s brother, Roy, was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney’s Sun was conjunct Uranus, the planet of innovation and originality.  This is the mark of a rebel, such as when Disney insisted on producing Snow White and the Seven Dwarves against the advice of both his brother Roy and his wife Lillian.  Before it was released, this first animated feature length film was known as “Disney’s Folly”.  The other Hollywood studios were certain it was a colossal waste of money and would bring down the company.  When the film was released in 1938 it became the most successful motion picture of the year for which Disney received one full-size Oscar and seven miniature Oscar statuettes in honor of the seven Dwarves.

Creative and Troubled

Disney’s Sun also opposed Pluto.  This is a life of crisis and renewal.  The positive side to this aspect can be seen in his continual transformation of his business from one powerful era to the next.  A business life that included both failures and successes, his life covered many different aspects of business:  from artist to adman, animator, producer, television personality and amusement park designer and creator.

(Source:Wikipedia)

(Source:Wikipedia)

The Pluto/Sun opposition also indicates some of Disney’s darker profile, a feeling of “me against the world” which played out in a childhood marked by poverty and abuse, betrayals by his animators, and set-backs and bankruptcy in his early years.  He was also a founding member of the Anti-communist Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, in which he branded three of his former animators as Communist agitators before Congress in 1947.

Independent and Competitive

Disney’s Moon was in the first house which gives a need for autonomy, independence and a tendency to withdraw in times of stress.  Disney was famous for retreating to develop blueprints for a miniature live steam railroad for his backyard, with loops, overpasses, gradients and a 90-foot tunnel underneath his wife’s flowerbed.

Disney’s Venus was in the 5th house, which is connected to fun, creativity, and children.  This is also a very artistic placement for Venus and since his Venus was sextile Mercury, he was able to take advantage of the technology of the time to express his creative nature.

Disney’s Mars in Capricorn is a very hard-working placement and with a conjunction to Jupiter he was energetic and competitive.  His long career was constantly pitted against the other studios. After the early success of Mickey Mouse, he contended with Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor in the 1930s, and Warner Brothers’ Bugs Bunny in the 1940s.  Mars was also conjunct Saturn which again indicates high ambition and a willingness to persevere to reach his goals.

In tune with the times

Disney had both Neptune and Pluto at the top of his chart indicating his openness to and ability to capitalize on the trends of his time.  He was inspired by the burgeoning field of animation and recognized the desire to escape the Depression and World War II by developing a world of fantasy.  His work spanned and spoke to several generations.  The same children and teens who watched Steamboat Willie in 1928, took their own children to Snow White in 1938, Old Yeller and Lady and the Tramp in the 1950s, and to the opening of Disneyland in 1955.  These same folks then joined their grandchildren to watch Mary Poppins in the 1960s.

Inspiration, innovation, perseverance, and creativity – a recipe for a legacy that lives to this day.

Disney Theme Song

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true   (Disney)

Most of the information in this post was adapted from Wikipedia.

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Uranus in Pisces – Cisco Systems

Sep 23

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news, Signs of our Times, Uranus in Pisces | 1 Comment

Cisco_logo_svg

AUDIO VERSION:  Uranus in Pisces – Cisco Systems Audio File

Cisco Systems is a name we all know, but few of us know exactly what they do.   During the dotcom boom Cisco was the supplier of most of the gear that guides data through the internet, like switches and routers.  In March 2000 it was considered the most valuable company in the world. Then during the dotcom bust in 2001 much of its stock market value was lost.  In the last seven years, it has responded not only by diversifying its businesses but also reworking its organizational model to meet the new realities of today.

Branching out

A company in the Mature Stage of the business life cycle,  by 2001 Cisco’s core business had already peaked and would never again reach the annual average growth rates it once had.  So the company has developed a strategy to move quickly into new businesses, businesses that can capture the higher rates of growth that are expected at an earlier point in the business life cycle.  This branching out has become institutionalized in the company culture in the last seven years.

The company calls new areas of growth “market adjacencies”.  The CEO of Cisco, John Chambers, gives an interesting clue for this kind of diversification.  Of the thirty or more market adjacencies the company is exploring and investing in, he says he hopes that at least half will be successful.  (Clue #1 for small businesses:  don’t expect everything you try to pay off.)

Cisco’s biggest current bet is on video communication, which it believes will increase tenfold by 2013.  (I believe so too, with Neptune moving into Pisces in 2011, but that’s a different post.)  And Cisco’s not waiting passively by for someone else to develop the technology.  It is planning to push its own video communication tool, TelePresence, into homes, and give “match-day experience” in people’s living rooms. 

Cisco’s TelePresence utilizes high-definition screens, spatially sensitive microphones, custom video-processing technology and networking equipment.  Cisco already uses the TelePresence technology at an impressive rate in its own business, turning videoconferences into approximate face-to-face meetings, 5,500 times a week.  These updated, upgraded videoconferences offer the nuances of body language and tone of voice, allowing coordination and cultivation of relationships among employees across the globe.

“Welcome to the human network”

In addition to and really more fundamentally innovative than diversification into adjacent business lines is Cisco’s restructure of its management process.  Cisco has continually restructured internally, first operating in divisions according to lines of business, then changing to a functional structure.  (The company has a Sun/Uranus conjunction in its chart which indicates its leaders, symbolized by the Sun, are engaged constantly with change, Uranus.) 

Now Cisco has developed an elaborate system of cross-functional committees to bring new products to new markets.  Some of these committees function without a formal leader although there is documented “replicable processes” for how groups are set up and how decisions are made.  Jay Galbraith, a noted management consultant, calls Cisco’s system a “culture of collaboration”. 

There have been drawbacks to this though.  Some people can flourish in a structure like this; lone wolves, as talented as they may be, cannot thrive, and loss of talent ensues.  A fifth of Cisco’s leadership has left the company. 

But Uranus in Aries is coming!

So what do we see here, from an astrological point of view?  This is an excellent example of a company using innovation (Uranus) during the mature and transitional stage of the business cycle (Pisces).  Natural Pisces attributes abound in the story:  diversification to deal with new market forces, committee leadership, and collaboration, as well as global connection, dissolution of structures, termination of hierarchies.

And the risks to this strategy?  If I were their astrologer I would tell them, good job!  You used the Uranus in Pisces time well, taking the last seven years to restructure your business innovatively, both in products and internal culture.  But Uranus in Aries is coming!  The innovation during the next seven years will come through the start-up phase, of the business cycle, from the efforts of the entrepreneur, the lone wolf that you just forced out.  The committee/matrix structure will not lead to ongoing innovation.  And the diversification strategy which worked so well with Uranus in Pisces will need to find a single overriding focus as Uranus moves into Aries during the next year.

Over the next two years, we’ll watch Cisco as we go through the transition between Uranus in Pisces to Uranus in Aries.  My hunch is that the current management will not be able to be weather the shift in focus under the weight of all those committees.  They will be forced to segment the company into smaller units to retain innovation and competitive edge.

We’ll wait and see…

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Learning from the Behemoths

Sep 22

Posted by Ellen in Businesses in the news, Introduction to Astrology for Business, Long-term Planning, Uranus in Pisces | No Comments

Cover Image, The Economist, August 29, 2009.

Cover Image, The Economist, August 29, 2009.

The August 29th issue of The Economist featured a cover story called “Big is Back:  The Return of the Corporate Giant”.  The magazine cover pictured a huge whale with a tiny person bouncing around on the jet issuing from the whale’s spout – I guess that’s you and me, small business owners.  I was in the airport when I saw it and I had to grab the magazine:  the whale is a key symbol of the sign Pisces. 

With Uranus in Pisces and moving into Aries soon, I’ve been thinking a lot about innovation (Uranus) in companies at the end of their life cycle (Pisces).  What did they do to embrace the energies of Uranus in Pisces?  And how will they transition themselves into the kind of entrepreneurial companies that will survive the transition to Aries?  What innovations are they bringing in now that will carry them over the cusp into the new part of the cycle?

The end or the beginning?

During the Pisces stage of the business life cycle, the business has gotten so big it has begun to come apart at the seams.  At this stage of the cycle, there are so many “hands in the pot” so to speak that the company runs the risk of dispersing in all directions.  The company needs to focus on how to transition from the dissolution stage (Pisces) into the next stage of the cycle, the entrepreneurial stage (Aries).

But The Economist is saying these businesses are not nearing their end but staging a comeback! 

With Uranus having been in Pisces the last seven years, there has been innovation in this part of the cycle that has allowed certain companies to thrive while others have collapsed.  So what innovations have these large companies made that earns them an “end of cycle” feature on the cover of The Economist and an exhaustive study in a major new business book, SuperCorp: How Vangaurd Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good ?  How have they been able to survive?  What will become of them as we move into Uranus in Aries?  And most important, are there lessons we can learn that will help us make the transition as well?

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor at Harvard Business School, sums it up this way in SuperCorp:

The best of this breed aspire to be big but human, efficient but innovative, global but concerned about local communities.

Sounds a lot like Pisces to me.

What can the behemoths teach us?

Uranus will be in Pisces only a few more months.  During 2010 it progresses into Aries for five months and in 2011 it leaves Pisces permanently (well, about 80 years) and enters Aries where it will stay for the next seven years.  If we can anticipate the movement into Aries and how it will differ from the last seven years in Pisces, we’ll have a leg-up on the changes and innovations we’ll need to bring to our business in order to stay in touch with the current times.

And since, as The Economist states, “the most successful economic ecosystems contain a variety of big and small companies”, let’s see if there is some synergy we can develop between our small businesses and the behemoths.

Happy whale. (Source:Wikipedia)

Happy whale. (Source:Wikipedia)

In coming posts we’ll look at some of these behemoths and how they have managed to stay viable through innovation.   A thorough look at this phenomena will yield insight into the coming times, beginning next year.  And let’s keep in mind the innovations we have brought to our businesses in the last seven years and how we may need a paradigm shift as Uranus enters Aries.

We’ve all been through this phase, either in our businesses or in other areas of our lives.  The Pisces to Aries transition is marked by dissolution of something that has gotten large and unwieldy and eventually finding that spark of your own individual self that allows you to start over with only your own resources to guide you – your inner pioneer.

So what have we seen in the last seven years with Uranus in Pisces and what is coming when Uranus moves into Aries?

To be continued…

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