Steelcase CEO Jim Keane jokes the Grand Rapids furniture-maker partnering with Microsoft is as surprising to some as his predecessor Jim Hackett recently being named CEO of Ford Motor Co.
But both are tied to Steelcase being an industry leader when it comes to the intersection of office furniture and technology.
Microsoft wanted to work with the world's biggest office furniture company, as the software giant began looking at ways to stay relevant to its customers.
"If you are in their business, they are realizing the days when they sold software in a shrink wrapped box are long gone," Keane said. "And even now as they move to more subscription models, the key for them to be successful is not how many users sign up -- but ultimately how much do people use the software they signed up for."
Microsoft realizes use of its software is tied to productivity. There's nothing wrong with the software or the devices, but people are using a very small percentage of the capability in those tools, Keane says.
When Microsoft launched its Surface Hub product line a few years ago, companies were interested in the technology but had questions about how to integrate the bigger devices into their workspace.