G.E. Training and Development

Reorganization of his predecessor (Reg Jones) CEO of the year (3 times), CEO of the decade (1979)… Recession of US economy (1981): High interest and unemployment rate(s), strong currency Strong

Analyzing GE’s corporate-level strategy from 2001 – present with Jeff Immelt as CEO, GE focuses on the growth and development platforms. Technology is the key driving force for GE’s future and growth. Advancements in industries such as energy, health and aviation fueled demand for cleaner and more efficient energy production. GE identified new markets with potential high-growth that offered attractive returns through strategic mergers and acquisitions. As CEO, Jeff Immelt established a process for identifying projects that offered attractive growth potential which were then nurtured and treated as special projects or initiatives that were not subject to strict budget constraints. Immelt introduced GE’s three strategic imperatives as: (1) sustaining its strong business model, (2) strengthening the business portfolio, and (3) driving its growth initiatives. www.ge.com

GE healthcare is one of the best firms in leadership development. The firm’s Human Resources Department is keen in developing a strong workforce that responds to changing global needs. It employs strategically employs and motivates the best qualified talents globally. It invests more than $100 million annually on educational training and staff development. The GE Healthcare Institute provides advanced training for GEHC employees and customers. It combines Technical training, Applications and Leadership trainings. More than 70 laboratories with the latest equipment provide GE and customers world class instruction in all areas of equipment maintenance and operation. The Training in Partnership curriculum provides a full range of training programs. GE managers are considered one of the firm’s distinctive competencies and strengths. The challenge is maintaining employee motivation through better remuneration in a time of global economic meltdown and declining profits for the firm.

* Technical Leadership – Immelt identified technology as a key driver of GE’s future growth and emphasized the need to speed up the diffusion of new technologies within GE and turn the corporate R&D into an intellectual house.

Canadian General Electric Co. Limited (CGE) was incorporated in Canada in 1892 at the same time Edison Electric Light Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Light Company merge into General Electric (GE) which continues to the present day as a major international conglomerate. GE is investing in software and analytics, healthcare, energy, lighting and bio-energy systems, and advance manufacturing and enterprise. With each investment, the company strategy to grow and enhance productivity and reduce environmental impact at a global scale becomes apparent. At GE, research and development has been the cornerstone of innovation for over a century. GE has approximately 36,000 technicians that are used to solve some of the world’s toughest problems

Since its forming the General Electric Company known as “GE”, has become one of the world’s most powerful and inventive companies to exist. “Electric lighting, power transmission, medical equipment, and transportation were all areas in which Edison held patents and had formed small companies, and are all areas in which this conglomerate today has large holdings” (Wisegeek.com, 2015). It still is today the number seventh on Forbes list of the world’s biggest companies (Forbes, 2015). This can be

When Reg Jones, Welch’ Predecessor, became CEO in 1973, the company organization was just completed to be centralized, but Jones could not able to keep up with reviewing massive volume of information generated by 43 strategic plans. Finally in 1977, he capped GE’s departments, divisions, groups, and SBUs with a new organizational layer called “sectors”, which represented macrobusiness agglomerations.

General Electric is a highly diverse corporation, manufacturing a wide variety of goods from light bulbs and appliances to aircraft engines and nuclear weapons. GE enjoyed national recognition as a model of American industry, as well as rising profits

During the first quarter, Stephen Hand met with members of the executive team to outline the process of communicating with participant selections with identified employees. Each functional executive in turn met with participants from their areas to inform them of their selection into the program and provide them with a brief summary of expectations. Stephen Hand in turn met with each of the twenty-eight (28) participants to provide a detail summary of the program and to craft employee development schedule drafts for courses identified during year one of the program. These drafts were communicated and approved by members of the executive team and will serve as the curriculum timeline for each employee. Courses identified for the first year include, Situational Leadership II (SLX), The Voice of Leadership, Developing Executive Leadership, and Critical Thinking. Courses will be completed during a twelve month period.

This report’s objective is to provide analysis of the leadership challenge that General Electric (GE) is currently facing, and to recommend solutions. The primary problem is determining what kind of candidate is required to replace retiring CEO Jack Welch. This has left GE to question how much does the company want to change policy over the previous era, and where does the company want to be in future?

The third factor is Innovation. GE is at the forefront of innovation in the technological and services field. With 11 different operating units that make GE a Fortune 500 Company, it has to be constantly working to create and implement new technology and better service for the clients they serve. One example of its innovation prowess is that over the 110 plus year history of GE, it has amassed more than 67,500 patents and the firms scientists have been awarded to novel prices and numerous honors. GE needs to be innovating constantly because it operates in more than 100 countries around the world and generates approximately 45 percent of its revenues outside the U.S. mainland. A manager at GE needs to put innovation to work and function for his or her team. In order to do that the manager has to plan ahead taking in consideration that innovation leads to changes and he and his team have to he prepared to undertake them with or with out notice.

* Technical Leadership – Immelt identified technology as a key driver of GE’s future growth and emphasized the need to speed up the diffusion of new technologies within GE and turn the corporate R&D into an intellectual house.

Analysis - GE has likely been so successful over the years because of its ability to foresee major trends and capitalize upon them. In the 1960s, for instance, GE was one of the eight major computer companies. Even recently, since 1986, GE has continued to acquire several organizations; portions of NBC, wind manufacturing, universe pictures, aerospace industries, international firms, software and hardware manufacturing, even oil companies abroad. The company culture describes itself as not one company, but many each unit a vast and complex enterprise in and of itself, with a corporate

Within this new business environment that GE was facing, customers needs, wants and expectations of what products can offer them is forever changing. Immelt saw and understood this from the amount of time spent with customers, and implemented this idea within GE through the IT

The pattern of management development at GE reflects the pattern suggested by management theory. Management theories are a guide that managers use to efficiently and effectively manage an organization (Ricky,32). In order to create and sustain competitive advantage GE has used strategic management to stay ahead of the game. GE made decisions based on what’s best for the whole organization and placed an importance on including multiple stakeholders in the decision making process. GE implemented a technique called “Blue Books” which governed a manager’s every move (Ricky,54). Blue books were similar to the theory of administrative management in which theorists such as Fayol, Weber, and Barnard focused on management processes and principles of the entire organization (Ricky,40). GE also implemented a pension and profit sharing plan that came from the human relations movement. Elton mayo and his group of researchers conducted a series of experiments on worker productivity and found a link between employee satisfaction and workplace productivity. Lastly, GE used management science to create more customer value at a lower risk which came from the quantitative management perspective (Ricky,55).