GM CEO Barra Says You Can't Fake Culture - But How Do You Correct A Culture Based On Passing The Buck?

General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra, who for the past year has been working to overhaul long-held bureaucratic behavior at GM, said Monday she and the top 300 company leaders are working to “create the right environment” to break down barriers and solve problems.

“You can’t fake culture. You’ve got to have an environment where people feel engaged, where they’re working on things that are important and they have an opportunity to have career development,” said Barra, keynote speaker at Forbes Media’s “Reinventing America: The Workforce Summit,” on Monday in Detroit. The two-day summit is attracting entrepreneurs, investors, CEOs and policymakers.

TheSteve - 5/5/2015 10:55:40 AM

+2 Boost

An old Italian saying tells us "a fish always starts rotting at the head." It's a poetic way of telling us if you have crummy leadership in a company, don't expect the workers to shine it into success.

If you want a completely revamped GM, start at the top! If you have the ability to sweep aside the upper tiers of the pyramid and replace them with new, capable people, then you stand a chance. If you can't do that, then... well... good luck and all that.

Benzes1 - 5/7/2015 5:57:25 PM

+1 Boost

No truer words have ever been spoken here. Brilliant post.

runninglogan1 - 5/5/2015 11:59:29 PM

+2 Boost

Barra is doing a fine job at GM considering the hand she was dealt.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/gm-posts-higher-than-expected-profit-1423053614

I think she's on the right track. Hopefully her legacy will reflect that.