Assignment 3
Due: After completion of Lesson 10
Credit Weight: 25% of your final grade
Summary: Case study essay (1000–1200 words; word-processed and double-spaced)
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Case Study: Mary Barra — CEO of General Motors
Adapted from Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, application, and skill development (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
On January 15, 2014, Mary Barra became the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a major global automaker, General Motors (GM). Mary was also a member of the GM board of directors. Commenting on her appointment, Hillary Clinton, former American secretary of state, said, “I guess you could say she broke through the steel ceiling, not the glass ceiling.”
Ms. Barra was not new to GM. Before becoming CEO, she was an engineer who rose through the ranks, serving in a wide variety of jobs, including plant manager and vice president of manufacturing, of engineering, of human resources, and of new product development. Barra had been with GM since 1980, when she started there as an intern. She is seen as smart, tough, and highly skilled. Barra represents the new face of GM and an end to old thinking about the automobile manufacturer.
Asked to describe her management style, Barra answered with one word: “collaborative.” She is a strong believer in the power of teamwork. “We come together as a team,” she said. “Putting a can truck or crossover vehicle on the road is a team sport, and I just view myself as part of the team.” Given the tough decisions that have to be made on GM’s direction and strategies, Barra says she welcomes the constructive tension that comes with vigorous debates. “I try to create an environment where people feel they can voice their concerns so that we can get the best ideas on the table and then make the right decision. But at the end of the day, when the decision has to be made, if we don’t have complete unanimity, I have no qualms about making it. But I want that tension in a constructive way to make sure we evaluate things from every angle.”
Barra leads a company that strong in many ways but still has significant weaknesses. GM faced mounting losses in Europe as it fought to hold on to its gains against a resurgent Volkswagen. GM has had to re-establish itself as a technology leader after losing more than a billion dollars on the failed Chevrolet Volt. Just about all the experts or analysts believe that Barra is highly qualified to deal with these issues. She proved herself in the restructuring of Europe’s Opel. Her engineering background and active involvement allow her to efficiently supervise the rebuilding of GM’s product portfolio. And her earlier appointment as VP of human resources gives her rare and valuable insights into GM’s evolving employee culture.
Some say Barra’s biggest challenge will be to win over surviving GM traditionalists — those who wanted her job or who wanted someone from the old-boys network to get the job. Ms. Barra says she will know she has succeeded when people stop referring to her as a “car girl” and just call her “boss.” Under her leadership, GM is striving to become the global industry leader in automobile design and technology product quality, customer service, and profitability. Her goal is to make sure that GM is profitable and “wins” in every segment of the market where it competes.
Barra credits her parents for instilling core values about integrity and the importance of hard work. She has taken these values with her to every job she has ever held. On being a role model for aspiring young women, she said if by being a woman CEO she can encourage young women who like math and science to embrace these subjects and pursue technical careers, she has no hesitation being that role model.
Instructions
Answer the four questions below, in essay format, using specific information from the case and relevant course concepts from the course and textbook to support your answers. You are not required to use sources external to the course materials to complete this assignment.
Your answer to each question should be two to three paragraphs long; your essay should be 1000–1200 words.
The Evaluation Rubric at the end of the assignment shows how your assignment will be evaluated.
Format
You are required to format your paper and cite and reference your sources correctly, using APA Style (7th ed.).
Please prepare your assignment using a word processor. Double space your essay and use Times New Roman 12-point font. Submit your assignment file with your first and last name, course abbreviation, and assignment number in the file name:
Example: SallyJones_ORGB327v9_Assignment3.docx
Questions
1. In your opinion, what type of culture is Mary Barra attempting to foster at GM?
2. In what ways has GM’s Board of Directors shown that it embraces and supports diversity?
3. How does CEO Barra exemplify the principles of authentic leadership?
4. Transformational and transactional leadership are two leadership styles commonly associated with senior leaders of corporations. Which of these leadership types does Mary Barra better represent?
