Attributes of Jack Welch Compared to The Prince This paper will compare th

This paper will compare the attributes of General Electric CEO Jack Welch to those of a "prince," as expounded by Niccolo Machiavelli. This paper will compare various aspects of Machiavelli's theory concerning the proper behavior of leaders with the record of Welch. Specifically, the paper will look at Machiavelli's theories on a leader's rise to power, the personal attributes needed by a leader, the acquisition of new "principalities," the requirement that leaders shun flatterers, the need to act impetuously to control fortune, and the need to satisfy the more powerful classes.

Machiavelli held that there are different types of principalities, as defined by how their rulers acquire power. First, there is the hereditary principality, in which rulers are chosen from among the members of the traditional ruling family. Maintaining rule in these principalities is much easier than in others because the inhabitants are accustomed to being ruled by the Prince's family. Therefore, the prince need only avoid neglecting traditional institutions founded by his family (Machiavelli, 1995, pp. 5-6).

Strictly speaking, G.E. could hardly be called a hereditary principality, since its "rulers" have not been members of a blood family. However, it is possible to make an argument that the company does indeed share certain characteristics with a hereditary principality. First, the company has existed without interruption since 1889. It has not been

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propriated the property or spouses of his employees (or has not been caught doing so) and has not had any employees executed. On the other hand, many have argued that he was too ruthless in downsizing the company. He eliminated more than one hundred thousand jobs even though the company was in no danger of insolvency. He increased the workload of the remaining employees for the sake of higher profits, which did not go the employees (Lowe, 1998, pp. 180-181). Acquiring New Principalities Machiavelli was very concerned with how rulers should act towards newly acquired principalities. In this subject area, Machiavelli's tenets necessarily deviate from the realities of business. Machiavelli was concerned with what a ruler should do to keep a newly-acquired principality from revolting or seeking outside states to assist in its separation from the acquiring state. Quite obviously, he was concerned with the use of military force and, despite what many business leaders think (few of whom have ever experienced combat themselves), business bears no resemblance to warfare. Machiavelli said that the most important objective for a ruler acquiring another principality is winning the support of its inhabitants. In order to do this, he

Category: Psychology - A