Impact of Autocratic Model on General Motors’ Culture
This paper is focused on the study of the culture crisis at General Motors (GM) and the analysis of this company’s organizational behavior model. Due to cultural weakness, the company could not address the problem with ignition switch quality, which caused 13 deaths among customers (Kuppler, 2014). Having an autocratic behavior model characterized by significant control and the need for constant instructions from management, this company could not effectively organize managers and administrative work to support the employees. Such features led to the fact that neither managers nor workers could take responsibility and initiate measures to solve the problem, the seriousness of which was underestimated because of the culture.
The publicity of the crisis led to an investigation and the company’s announcement of measures to address the concerns. However, the efforts did not pay due attention to the organization’s culture and leadership (Kuppler, 2014). Moreover, GM has retained the signs of an autocratic model, which has many disadvantages and is no longer relevant.
The model does not encourage innovation and creativity or support cooperation between management and employees, which is necessary for modern organizations in the automotive industry. The collegial model can promote high collaboration and creativity for innovation (Kashyap, n.d.). Transforming GM to establish such a model would help solve the company’s problems and improve its work.
Related Personal Experience
My opinion on the crisis in GM and its organizational pattern has not changed in recent weeks. The autocratic model is ineffective, and the company needs to change its work approach to maintain innovation. Working as a medical secretary at a pediatric urology department, I noticed that too much managerial scrutiny and control discourage employees.
I lost motivation when I worked with a manager who monitored my every task and did not allow me to make even the slightest decisions. However, personnel changes in management led to the fact that I worked with another person who listened to my proposals and provided support and autonomy. As a result, I became more interested in and involved in the job. My experience supports my view of GM’s culture and work, which has also contributed to the fact that I have not changed my perspective.
References
Kashyap, D. (n.d.). Top 5 models of organizational behavior – explained! Your Article Library. Web.
Kuppler, T. (2014). The GM culture crisis: What leaders must learn from this culture case study. Web Archive. Web.