Whirlpool, a huge company with 69,000 employees and $19 billion in sales, is borrowing startup strategies as it builds its Internet of Things capabilities–and IT is intimately involved. The appliance maker has put employees from various functions, including marketing, product development, finance, procurement and IT, into what it calls a Connectivity Team to work collaboratively in one physical space.
The nimble team brings technology expertise, business perspective, consumer requirements and operational considerations to the product-development process from start to finish, says Brett Dibkey, VP and general manager of Integrated Business Units. “There’s one objective for everyone, and that single objective is to launch a successful product in the market,” Dibkey says.