Leadership

In this 1970 classic HBR article, Harry Levinson shares practical insights into the mysteries of motivation and takes a fresh look at the use and abuse of the most powerful tools for inspiring and guiding complex organizations. He argues that to motivate people successfully, management must focus on the question, "How do we meet both individual and organizational requirements?" When we make assumptions about individual motivations and increase pressure based on them, we ignore the fact that people work to meet their own psychological needs. Commitment must derive from the individual's wishes to support the organization's goals. Yet, the individual's desires are entirely absent from most performance measurement systems; managers assume that these desires are perfectly aligned with corporate goals and that if they're not, the individual should move on. Self-motivation occurs when individual needs and organizational requirements converge. Successful management systems begin with the employee's objectives. The manager's task is to understand the employee's needs and then, with the employee, assess how well the organization can meet them.

GE is faced with Welch's impending retirement and the question on many minds is whether anyone can sustain the blistering pace of change and growth characteristic of the Welch era. After briefly describing GE's heritage and Welch's transformation of the company's business portfolio of the 1980s, the case chronicles Welch's revitalization initiatives through the late 1980s and 1990s. It focuses on six of Welch's major change programs: The "Software" Initiatives, Globalization, Redefining Leadership, Stretch Objectives, Service Business Development, and Six Sigma Quality. Teaching Purpose: Can be used to develop multiple lessons, including corporate strategy development, transformational change, management and leadership, and corporate renewal.