Case Study: GE's growth strategy - The Immelt initiative

Résumé du document

This report analyses GE's growth strategy, mainly regarding the new management style: since Immelt's appointment as the Chairman and CEO of the American multinational conglomerate, new initiates have been launched. We aim at analyzing GE's businesses and determine how they are driven and how they suite with GE's five-element growth strategy.
Firstly, the study will analyze the whole activities of the firm, the common capabilities and the potential synergies that could be implemented between them and then, we will focus on two specific businesses.
We will base our analyzing on the case prepared by Christopher A. Bartlett from Harvard Business School.

Extraits

[...] P *According to the book: Jack Welch and the GE Way: Management Insight and Leadership Secrets of the Legendary CEO, by Robert SLATER. [...]

[...] In this part we will try to identify the important external factors of each one AVIATION GE is one of the pioneers in the aviation sector. It is among the major companies who produce and furnish engines. Today it supplies engines for all the domains: commercial, corporate, military and marine industry.[2] The Political factor is obviously a very important one, especially regarding the military and marine industries. These sectors are conducted by politic and the decisions to purchase, to conclude deals or to establish a partnership are directed by the government. [...]

[...] He wants to propose unique excellence.[8] So every business has been improved, but sometimes also ameliorated by some acquisitions that allow complete competences and add knowledge. The objective was to provide excellence to the clients. Obviously it created some disagreements; the merger of two firms obviously creates problems of adaptation. The objective of GE to provide commercial excellence was resumed in three points: - The business should be profitable - Leaders should be careful with the expenses - Acquisitions have to fit into the General Electric Culture At the same time it implemented the “Workout” aimed to redefine the traditional concept of management: the goal was to “give every employee a say in the way the organization is managed and to keep bosses from dictating every step in the decision making-making process”[9]. [...]

[...] In a more general view, GE provides as military as civil sector. Its broad range of systems has been selected for large commercial transport, business and regional jets, and rotorcraft, and is in service with the world's airlines. But it is also leader in a wide range of systems and technologies for combat aircraft, military transport, helicopters, land vehicles and UAVs for the world's armed forces.[5] It employs 10,000 people at manufacturing, repairing and overhauling facilities around the world. It propose several products and services such as Actuation and Landing Gear, Electro mechanical systems, Engine actuation, Environmental control, Flight control actuation, Hydraulic Systems, Landing gear or Landing Gear Systems, and so on. [...]

[...] To conclude, he introduced “dreaming sessions”, discussions with senior executives to identify trends, their implications, and how GE can help them. Immelt personally implicated in these forums and discussions and answers f the questions. He is convinced that he should never let the consumer decide and set strategies. He prefers to hear them, and consider it their words while creating strategies. Team spirit and employee motivation is a capability shared by every business of the company. It is also served by the strong personality of the leader, Immelt, who succeeds in motivating every employee. Another important capability is innovation. [...]