Description
Drawing on the experience of hundreds of past and present GM insiders, filled with intrigue and humor, dramatic moments, and vivid personalities, Rude Awakening is Maryann Keller's hard look at the once-unparalleled leader of an industry-General Motors. It is a comprehensive examination of a company that defines in microcosm American industry in the 1980s. And it is a compelling account of an enterprise forced to re- examine its entire management philosophy, realize its limitations, and grapple with the chaos of an ever-changing global marketplace.
The hard reality of General Motors is that its original systems have been designed for conditions that no longer exist. However, the company has not been sitting still. Under the leadership of Roger Smith, GM has continued to be surprising and controversial- 1-from its decision to build cars hand in hand with the Japanese, to the undertaking of the most massive reorganization ever attempted in corporate America, to the creation of new models for labor-management relations, to the aggressive pursuit of technological solutions to industrial dilemmas. Yet, except for moments with Ralph Nader and John DeLorean, General Motors has managed to stay out of the public spotlight. ISBN:0688075274
