What future changes does Mary Barra have in mind for GE? Her previous position as senior vice president of global product development, whose decisions shaped how fast new products came to market, may provide some clues. Her streamlining of the product development group's structure was an important rst step. Barra, whojoined GM as an electrical engineer and worked her way up, also simplified systems. Instead of letting managers constantly tweak their four-year plans, she held twice-yearly meetings for reviewing plans and discussing major changes. Her audit of processes in product development showed that the people in her own group were the ones slowing development due to inefficient processes. Under Barra, such uncoordinated conduct was not tolerated. Barra has the daunting task of changing the way managers and employees behave at GM. She has made it clear that GM's inward-looking culture and slow responses to major safety issues and product defects will no longer be tolerated. She has pledged to hold people accountable for their actions. Barra refuses to sweep the tragic events of 2014 under the rug. She wants GM decision makers to remember the pain that the ignition switch problem (and 10-year delay) caused for victims (and the company): \"I never want to put this behind us. I want to put this painful experience permanently in our collective memories." Changing a company's culture is difficult, but some signs indicate that Barra's efforts are paying off. General Motors recently unveiled the Chevy Bolt, which she long championed, as an \"affordable all- electric vehicle with over 200 miles per charge." Immediately named Motor Trend's 2017 Car of the Year, the Bolt represents an opportunity for GM to be first in a potentially large and growing market for a new kind of car. It also suggests a once staid and slow company's newfound ability to maneuver quickly and successfully push into uncharted markets. Industry observers believe that, aided by a new willingness to seek partners among tech companies, GM is correctly foreseeing a future in which cars will be electric, self-driving, and linked to the infrastructure GM also see a future in which drivers will be less willing to own cars outright. The company has already invested $500 million in the ridesharing company Lyft, has started car-sharing programs in the United States and Germany, and is entering new markets such as India where traditional ideas about car ownership will not apply o How might Barra's efforts at changing the culture at GM increase the chances that the structural changes will be effective in the long term? 0 What personal, human factors are likely to affect GM's success in achieving greater organizational integration
