Case Study: Leadership at HTC

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Why is it important?

HTC Corporation was started as a manufacturer of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in 1997 and later shifted to manufacturing smartphones for branded handset companies and for service providers such as T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, Sprint, Cingular, Verizon and NTT DoCoMo as an original design manufacturer (ODMs) in 2002. In 2007, HTC had taken a strategic decision to manufacture branded products and sold smartphones under its own name. The main competitors of HTC in smartphone industry were Apple, Samsung, Research in Motion (RIM), Nokia and Huawei. HTC took a number of distinct paths to drive differentiation of its products which included a superb User Interface (UI) and applications (for e-mailing, screen locking, dialling​ and picture taking among others) that provided a unique experience to HTC users. Cher Wang believed that the key to creating a powerful brand was to produce cutting-edge smartphones. Cher Wang introduced a new culture, a culture of innovation in the organisation. Her vision was to create innovative products that could enrich consumers’ lives. Cher Wang wanted to make HTC global organisation to make convergence of Internet, mobile, wireless and IT. HTC’s long-term plan was to distinguish itself in the handsets and tablets markets by offering an HTC-specific experience on both Android and Windows phones.