Over the last three decades, one of the most successful global firms has been General Electric (GE). Although GE has faced challenges and has shed many of its businesses, including its stake in broadcaster NBC Universal to Comcast in 2013 and its biopharma unit to Danaher Corp. in 2019, it remains a global powerhouse in energy and power systems, health care, finance, and appliances. Go to the company's website athttp://www.ge.com(Links to an external site.)and review its latest annual report. Pay close attention to the MNC's international operations and to its product lines. Also read about the new members on the board of directors and look through the information on the company's Six Sigma program. Then, aware of what GE is doing worldwide as well as in regard to its quality efforts, answer these questions: On how many continents does the company currently do business? Based on this answer, is there one leadership style that will work best for the company, or is it going to have to choose managers on a country-by-country basis?

Additionally, if there is no one universal style that is best, how can current CEO Larry Culp effectively lead so diverse a group of worldwide managers? In what way would an understanding of the managerial grid be useful in explaining leadership behaviors at GE? Finally, if GE were advertising for new managers in England, Italy, and Japan, what qualities would you expect the firm to be seeking in these managers? Would there be a universal list, or would lists differ on a country-by-country basis?