As the book points out in the preface: “A legitimate question is, Why should a reader who is not in the automobile business expect to learn from the General Motors transformation experience? The answer is simple: GM has a long history with a prolonged era of success. Today [2002], it appears to be coming out of a phase of diminished expectations. GM's actions during this ten year period resulted in significant improvements: Profits went from a negative $4.8B to a positive $3.5B; productivity measurements went from among the least productive to among the most productive; measurement of customer perception of quality went from below industry average to above industry average; share of market went from continuing losses to market share increase; and approach to innovation went from acquisition of technology firms Hughes Electronics and EDS to introduction of new business designs (OnStar, Downstream Revenue, and AutoChoiceAdvisor) and renewed leadership in vehicle design and development.”

One of the premises of the book and this website is that enterprises facing difficult times are more likely than currently successful companies to see opportunities in changing the way things are done. The premise underlying this assumption goes beyond the advice Wayne Gretzky's father gave the great hockey player when he said, “Go to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” The advice to the viewer is to accept the premise that, “Firms who have learned from their mistakes may find it easier to move the puck away from where it is and get the puck to where they want it”

The visitor to this site will not find seven-quick-steps-to-transformation. Although time is short, successful transformations that last do not take place overnight and it will be different for each enterprise.

Welcome to Surviving Transformation and join in the journey to transformation!