This blog is written from the perspective of Alfred Sloan based on his writings, notes, memoranda and record of achievements.
It is popular today in some circles to blame the decline of the U.S. auto industry on its prolonged adherence to Alfred Sloan’s principles, which he developed and effectuated in his 33 years as president and chairman of General Motors. During his tenure, GM grew into the world’s largest industrial enterprise, and served as the model for big business worldwide.
GM’s success was based upon Sloan’s creative and leadership role in innovating the now-universal concepts of decentralized operations with coordinated control, the integrated multi-brand marketing plan, sales forecasting methodology, engineering research and application, automobile styling, the annual model change, public relations, financial controls, etc.
The truth is that, GM and the other domestic manufacturers did not fail by applying Sloan’s principles, but rather by misapplying them, primarily by directly ignoring one of his fundamental values — expectation that the industry constantly evolves. This failure by Sloan’s successors has in effect perverted the dynamic and flexible machinery for success that he left the company upon his retirement in 1956 at age 81. GM’s decline can be traced almost literally from that exact moment.
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