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Mary Barra and the New General Motors

Harvard Business Review

American manufacturing companies were falling behind because of hidebound, privilege-laden bureaucracies that squashed new ideas, failed to listen to voices from below, behaved arrogantly toward customers, and generally stifled innovation. The old GM was the most macho and woman-unfriendly of them all. This situation was untenable.

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How to Transform a Traditional Giant into a Digital One

Harvard Business Review

Sensors, the cloud, mobile and broadband wireless, and other such technologies are increasing the flow of digitized information exponentially. ” Immelt elevated marketing and digital media when he promoted Beth Comstock to vice chair, while other positions, including that of the CFO, are at the senior vice president level.