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I think this is a pretty good piece written by Jim Collins. While his article, which is featured in the May 5, 2008 edition of Fortune Magazine and largely seems to be filled with excerpts from his well-written book, "Good to Great," does not specifically reference General Motors, I do think a lot of the principles that he raises apply to GM. I love the idea of creative-destruction that could occur right inside GM but that probably will not occur.
A lot of people on this site seem to think that GM is destined to fail because it's old, because new competitors are entering the market. This brief article rightly shuns that twaddle. If you hold GM's management to a higher standard, a standard that has been used at other successful decades- and centuries-old institutions, you will find that GM could thrive... if it had proper leadership. I think Wagoner et al. are good. Unfortunately, I don't think they're great.
And to counter the argument of the many on this site who seem to subscribe to victim politics, in which the world happens to you, and you are a hapless victim going along for the ride, I think this quote nicely sums up GM's unfortunate predicament:
"...Companies do not fall primarily because of what the world does to them or because of how the world changes around them; they fall first and foremost because of what they do to themselves."
Read on here. Of course, "Good to Great" is a better read. I imagine "Built to Last" is, too, but I haven't gotten off my fanny to buy it.
A lot of people on this site seem to think that GM is destined to fail because it's old, because new competitors are entering the market. This brief article rightly shuns that twaddle. If you hold GM's management to a higher standard, a standard that has been used at other successful decades- and centuries-old institutions, you will find that GM could thrive... if it had proper leadership. I think Wagoner et al. are good. Unfortunately, I don't think they're great.
And to counter the argument of the many on this site who seem to subscribe to victim politics, in which the world happens to you, and you are a hapless victim going along for the ride, I think this quote nicely sums up GM's unfortunate predicament:
"...Companies do not fall primarily because of what the world does to them or because of how the world changes around them; they fall first and foremost because of what they do to themselves."
Read on here. Of course, "Good to Great" is a better read. I imagine "Built to Last" is, too, but I haven't gotten off my fanny to buy it.
