Abstract

The case ‘GE and Jack Welch’ talks about the leadership style of Jack Welch, ex-Chairman and CEO of General Electric. Jack Welch joined GE in 1960, and was named the CEO in 1981. In the initial years as CEO, Jack Welch initiated a restructuring plan, which included massive job cuts, positioning the various businesses as number one or number two in the respective segments, and selling off unprofitable ones. He dismantled the 29 layers of hierarchy and made GE an informal company. The case also throws light on some of the other important aspects of Jack Welch’s strategies like six sigma, globalization, boundaryless organization etc.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Strategies that transformed GE into the most valuable company in the world.

Keywords

Case, GE, Jack Welch, leadership, style, Jack Welch, Chairman, CEO, General Electric, Jack Welch, GE, 1960, 1981, restructuring plan, job cuts, positioning, number one, number two, respective segments, selling off, unprofitable ones, 29 layers, hierarchy, informal company, six sigma, globalization, boundaryless organization