The problem is that IBM employees across corporate departments are not unified. The best description I have heard is that IBM internal organizations are a loose collection of warring nation states. Organizations are out to optimize their "value" at the expense of other organizations.
Here is an example. The local account team wants to propose a bundle of hardware, software, and services to the client. each group (hardware, software, services) want to maximize their profit on the deal. The local team wants to give the client discounts to make the overall price competitive. Let the war begin! the hardware/software/services folks will point to the other and say "discount them". The account team will put pressure on whichever group appears the weakest. In some cases - e.g. services - they are willing to drop the IBM component if they can get a cheaper third party for the services, or even convince the client that they do not need services.
Given this situation, you can never get the employees in the groups to organize. The early layoffs hit the plants and services the most - and frankly, the sales folks did not care. The situation has not changed. and bear in mind, the more IBM gets newer hires, who are unfamiliar with and have not lived through the history of broken employee promises, the less likely they are interested in any time of employee action. It is truly every person for themselves.
Exellent post!!!. Thanks for pointing out this issue @VVDv8Ow-2pda. No doubt that this post deserves to be a thread.