General Motors: Back from the Dead | In With the New | 1
Jul 1, 2021
37:02
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Quick takeaways
Mary Barra revolutionized GM's production system for efficiency.
Barra prioritized excellence and safety in vehicle manufacturing for long-term success.
Deep dives
Mary Barra's Revolutionary Standardization System in GM
Mary Barra, while a low-level GM manager, revolutionized the production system at the GM assembly plant in Fairfax, Kansas. Recognizing the need for change to compete against Japan, she implemented a standardized production system she had created. Despite resistance from plant managers like John, the new system led to significant efficiency improvements and successful model launches.
Mary Barra's Leadership During GM's Financial Crisis
Mary Barra faced immense challenges at GM during the financial crisis of 2008, where the company was losing market share and hemorrhaging billions. She focused on transforming GM's culture by introducing standardized processes and making tough decisions to cut costs while empathetically managing factory closures and layoffs to ensure the company's sustainability.
Mary Barra's Ascendancy to GM's Leadership
Mary Barra's path to becoming GM's CEO was a testament to her hard work and dedication. As an insider who understood the company's operations intricately, she navigated GM through turmoil, earning trust from leadership and employees. Her appointment as CEO, the first woman to lead a major car company in the US, marked a historic moment in GM's history.
Mary Barra's Focus on Excellence and Safe Vehicles
As GM's CEO, Mary Barra prioritized excellence and safety in vehicle manufacturing. Her rigorous standards and demand for top-notch performance led to the development of successful models like the Chevrolet Impala. Barra's focus on teamwork, innovation, and customer-centric design reshaped GM's image, ensuring the company's long-term success.
General Motors is America’s carmaker, an empire that helped build Detroit Motor City. Since 1908, General Motors has been a key driver of the workforce, the economy and American culture. But in 2008, the once-thriving car business came to a screeching halt. In the wake of the Great Recession, an engineer turned human resources executive named Mary Barra [BAR-uh] rises to power at General Motors and helps bring America’s automaker back from the dead.
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