Analysis of Willow Garage - Essay Example

Among the positive values that other companies should emulate is sharing information as well as not concentrating on monetary gains. This way such companies remain productive and relevant, which in turn increases their consumer base relating to more profits.

There is a common cliché that knowledge is power, and information not shared is useless. This, in my opinion, is the light that guided the Willow Garage in its endeavors. The company availed ROS, which was associated with a library of information and tools that equip other researchers with the necessary software needed to develop robot applications. In addition, ROS also provided visualizers, device drivers, package management, and message-passing that facilitated engineers’ understanding of video, 3D data, and cameras (Tobe, 2011).

By availing of this information, other robotics researchers can build off of the company’s foundation, as opposed to starting their research work afresh (Ashlee, 2014). In so doing, Willow garage emerges as the greater party compared to other companies. This is because it shares its findings with the world. In other words, it is more concerned with the advancement of robotics for the benefit of the world than building its name. Furthermore, the work of the company is not lost as other researchers carry on with it. Similarly, companies should share their work and findings with others so that in the occurrence of any event leading to the shutting down of the company, others can continue their legacy.

Most businesses are profit-oriented. Because of this, most of their dealings are quantitative as opposed to qualitative. Such businesses do not care much about the quality of their products and services. Moreover, their dealings are often confidential so that their competitors do not get wind of their work. In cases where they avail some of their information, there is always a cost involved. This is contrary to Willow Garage’s dealings. The company is more concerned with creating a well-developed robotic ecosystem than pumping out products. This is according to Dmitry Berenson who is a robotics professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Ashlee, 2014). Willow Garage was funded privately and the President and CEO of the company, Mr. Cousins said profit is not the primary objective of the company (Brodkin, 2008).

Willow Garage was mindful of its consumer’s interests. Because of this fact, they thought of developing robots that would help people out, both in workplaces and at home (Giles, 2009). This way, work, is made easier, especially for the physically handicapped and the old. This is because the company develops robots that are compliant with the American Disability Act (Brodkin, 2008). The robots are capable of assisting in research work, as well.

The ‘minding about the consumer’ part counts in business. As such, other companies, which are success-oriented and have one of their objectives as satisfying their customers must make it their duty to research and identify their consumers’ needs. The advantage of considering the consumers’ feelings and needs is that the consumer base expands dramatically due to consumer satisfaction. However, the robots developed should not be used to replace the human workforce. Instead, they should be able to work together with humans. An example of such correlation is the development of robots that are capable of asking human beings questions concerning objects that they do not recognize (Giles, 2009).

Unfortunately, Willow Garage was shut down. Its existence today facilitated by the great brains behind the company could have reported many more success stories and advancements in terms of robotics. Nonetheless, the company’s values and objectives have gone a long way in ensuring the name Willow remains relevant in the world of robotics. I would advise other companies to emulate the Willow Garage company in terms of the company values driving their companies. Setting out to satisfy consumers as well as sharing their work with other companies in a similar field of work is essential in the growth of the company. Consumer satisfaction is directly related to increased profits even if the company is not money oriented. Read More