Welch Jack General Electric

A detailed Summary of Welch Jack General Electric

Managerial Leadership: Jack Welch, General Electric

Jack Welch became CEO of General Electric at the beginning of the 1980's. Prior to this Jack was the youngest Vice President in 1972, and was named Vice Chairman in 1979. As Successful as GE has been, Jack did not inherit the company without adversity. However, (Byrne, 1998) he "has transformed what was an old-line American industrial giant into a keenly competitive global growth engine" (par 14). Through much reorganization, he has overcome several barriers. How was he able to do this with such a large organization? My initial answer would be to say "very carefully".

Why is Jack Welch a highly recognized CEO?

Jack is probably highly regarded for a couple of reasons. Most notably would how he has increased his company's market value from $12 billion in 1981, when he became CEO, to almost $280 billion in 1998. That is some truly amazing success. How did he do this? It is possible that it could stem from his personality alone. (Byrne, 1998) "He does it through sheer force of personality, coupled with an unbridled passion for winning the game of business and a keen attention to details many chieftains would simply overlook" (par 16). It is also stated that he is very frank

Boundaryless Learning Culture was a product of the Work-Out. Jack saw the benefits of this new culture. It changed everything about how his employees thought about their jobs, solving problems, the future of the company, etc. Jack wanted this because he saw the benefits of this newfound behavior that became everyday life at GE. This became such a precious commodity to him that he vowed never to hire someone who is not able to adopt such a behavior.

"Work-Out" programs, simply stated, involved getting people together to discuss a problem or an opportunity, find a solution or idea, and implement that solution as fast as possible. These focus groups would involve all levels of the company as well as even customers and suppliers. It was a product of the 80's that enveloped, and became the "Boundaryless Learning Culture" of GE. Continually the company believed that there was always a better way and this new culture was used to find it. This led to the biggest challenge and implementation that the company has ever experienced, Six Sigma.

Simply stated, if we do not understand the past, we are condemned to repeat it. Jack seemed to keep focus on enhancing the company and position it for future growth. Future leaders can learn tremendously from Jack's experience with GE, and apply it to their own business.

What were his "Work Out" and "Six Sigma" programs?

Why are the challenges he faced important to future leaders and managers?

Do you thi

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Approximate Word count = 977
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History