Today’s Wall Street Journal published an excerpt from the forthcoming book by former Chrysler and GM exec Bob Lutz. Lutz says that in the auto industry a knowledgeable autocrat is the successful model for a leader. In critiquing the bureaucracy for which GM has been famous for, Lutz says that the autocrat is the model for leadership that is decisive and can make the tough decisions needed to bring new models to the market.
Yet, Lutz does not offer reasons as to why the only cure for bureaucracy is autocracy. See the rest of the story at skoutgroup.com
As vice chairman of global product development at General Motors Corp. Lutz is charged with conjuring up new vehicles that connect with consumers. But changing sheet metal is a lot easier than changing a companys culture Lutz says. I enjoy changing the mind-set of an organization that shackled itself by thinking that anything off the wall was unprofessional Lutz said in an interview last week.