I met Dr. Land on one occasion, at a reception at one of his last talks. I got to speak with him for a few minutes, as I was also a speaker at that particular conference and he expressed an interest in my subject. From reputation of those who knew or worked with him, he was a rather stuffy person who set up no management to take over from him at his demise or if he was incapacitated. He brooked no dissention from his ideas and he was rather strict and no-nonsense. Of course, he was most often right, and that helped foster both his attitude and the perception of others.
This sounds a bit like C. E. K. Mees at Kodak, but not George Eastman. Eastman set up a full management team to run the company upon his death or incapacitation, even before he knew of his illness. Mees was strict and authoritarian and also a great inventor, but he did set up a complete management team under him.
Much of the problems at Polaroid may stem from the fact that it was pretty much a one-man-band so to speak. There was no management but Land.
IDK for sure, but that is what I gather from stories inside the industry.
PE |