General Electric is a multi-unit international business that manufacturers and sells appliances and other financial and/or healthcare products. It undertook a major change strategy in the early 200s to "go green" and thereby capture new market share. Led by charismatic executive Jeffrey Inmelt, GE has developed a Six Sigma change strategy.
GE undertook a change in response to external and environmental influences, including those focused on "green product" development. It sought to become more competitive internationally, developing new alliances. As a mature firm in a rater static stage of the corporate life cycle, GE needed to restructure and re-envision its role to increase market share.
GE has developed a range of large appliances (refrigerators, stoves, freezers, microwaves, dishwashers, and so forth) that are designed to be "green" in several key areas. These areas include the use of materials that are recyclable, the reduced amount of toxins such as Freon, and machines that operate by using less water, gas, electricity or other products that are themselves unfriendly to the environment.
The following report delineates the success of GE's change effort. It identifies that effort as generally focused on environmental responsibility. Overall, the effort appears to have been successful.
Session paper Draft: Change at General Electric
The purpose of this research report is to examine the operations of a major international company, General Electric (GE) and to describe its efforts in 2005 to change its focus to incorporate a stronger strategy for international expansion. Historical data is used to make the case that by implementing a company-wide reorganization, GE capitalized upon its strengths and positioned itself favorably vis-à-vis competitors. To that end, a review of relevant literature, including information on the firm's financial status and situation, will be presented. It will be dem...