mackinaw Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 From Saturday's (9/9) Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...UTO01/609090415 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAWHOFFA Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Someone has to pay CEO Mulally Salary !! :titanic: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasik Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 :shrug: It looks like Anne Stevens saw the writing on the wall (loss of prestige and not being able to report directly to W.C. Ford Jr). Also, apparently Ford does not need two manufacturing czars. (What ever happened to all the good things that the last manufacturing czar, J. Padilla, was supposed to have accomplished?). Is Mark Fields next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g48150 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 From the inside looking out, Anne Stevens leaving is a means to an end. Mulally, deep down, is an engineer, and through it all, process and systems based. 5S (sometimes called Lean), Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, World-Class Engineering, et al, THIS is what made Boeing what it is today. Frankly, Anne Stevens came up in the Good Old Boys network, woefully unable to make adjustments to accomplish needed changes. J. Padilla was unfortunately the same way, old ways of doing business through individual heroics is the ONLY way these people know how to do business. Mulally realizes the strength of STRONG processes and looking at the car as a whole to be designed, not a endless series of parts being "babysat" by D&R "engineers". Boeing's supplier base took on A LOT more after Sept. 11. That's what he's going to do folks, the only thing stopping him is lack of understanding at this point. This (lack of understanding) will last all of 3 months (at most). After Christmas look out white collars, Boeing had a white collar union, Ford does not, this is definitely time to make the resume shine, cause he has no problem bending and shaping work forces to meet the company's bottom line. Working Together is Mulally's motto, so don't expect the wishy-washy hero decisions of days past. In 5 years, Ford WILL be THE place for engineering, again. Its sad, but like I keep saying, the post-WWII era is over, its not enough to rely on individual heroics and hope for the best, its time to think like the guerillas that we're facing now, lean, mean, adaptable, team based, able to split the org into pieces and work to achieve the same goal. Sadly, with ALL of the people in Ford now that came up during the "Good Old Boys" days, its over, time to get pushed out, your way of life is over. Mr. Mulally, please overhaul HR, for 60 years that's where Ford's problems have been, its HIGH time to clean house and start over with a new way of attracting talent. We don't need anymore Type A's, we need pro-actives now. I'm sorry to leave now, but I want to come back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 :shrug: It looks like Anne Stevens saw the writing on the wall (loss of prestige and not being able to report directly to W.C. Ford Jr). Also, apparently Ford does not need two manufacturing czars. (What ever happened to all the good things that the last manufacturing czar, J. Padilla, was supposed to have accomplished?). Is Mark Fields next? Anne Stevens never reported directly to Bill Ford. Goes like this: CEO (Alan Mulally) | COO (currently vacant, last Jim Padilla), CFO (Don LeClair), | Group CEOs (incl. Mark Fields--Americas, Lewis Booth--Europe/PAG), etc. | Group COOs (incl. Anne Stevens), Group CFOs (including Robert Shanks) Now, Anne Stevens was also elected an executive VP (Ford only has five), which means that in addition to her role overseeing NA operations (including product development), she plays a role in determining Ford's overall strategy. In that role, she works directly with whoever is CEO. Ford's structure is really a confusing cross between the oldline structure, where you did not have separate business units (which enable better tracking of P&L and company performance), and the newer approach to running corporations, where a diversified company has business units that are structured as separate corporations (with their own CEOs, etc.) and which follow their own chains of command. Ford is also apparently unique in that Group CEOs do not report directly to the company CEO, but report to the COO. This structure has both benefits and drawbacks. Ford's fiscal discipline (their outsize cash hoard, and sound management of it) can be attributed to having group CEOs accountable to the corporate COO and CFO, however, such cautious management has also led to less than aggressive product strategies. Now, it's not like Ford's total abandonment of the passenger car business in the late 90s can be directly blamed on having group CEOs accountable to the COO and CFO, but it certainly played something of a role, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 I don't think this is really bad news, with the hiring of mullaly and promotion of fields, I don't see this as even a bump in the road for recovery, in all honesty if she does leave and they replace her, I would want to see her replaced with someone from outside the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSenstad Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 This might be unfair but all I think of when I hear her name is a quote attributed to her which basically said that Atlanta's quality was nothing, anyone who builds a vehicle as long as Alanta built the Taurus would have that kind of quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballfan Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Is Mark Fields next? I hope so, and I would not be suprised to see it happen. Mark Fields is about Mark Fields. I think that Junior saw that Fields could not handle the responsibility of a CEO that is why he went outside the organization. Furhtermore, fields has too much ego to play second fiddle to an outsider, and Ford needs much more than a part-time, telecommuting executive in fields' position. My prediction: Fields gone by next June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSenstad Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 My prediction, the new guy slices and dices at the Glass house and then retires. Fields takes over. I also think this has already been decided and that is why Stevens is leaving, she would be on hold for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 My prediction, the new guy slices and dices at the Glass house and then retires. Fields takes over. I also think this has already been decided and that is why Stevens is leaving, she would be on hold for several years. she would be on hold no matter what, and she's 57. If so, she's running out of time to be a CEO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSenstad Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 she would be on hold no matter what, and she's 57. If so, she's running out of time to be a CEO Richard, didn't anyone every tell you it isn't polite to tell a ladies age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Richard, didn't anyone every tell you it isn't polite to tell a ladies age? but it seems Richard's post is post on along the report in the paper - whe does not have time left to wait for Mulally to retire and the nFields to finish - she does not have a slot available for her to be a CEO. All the things posted in the thread make sense, although I really liked what I knew about her - she stood up and claimed herself responsible for quality all new products - that really had her gain a bunch of points in my book - but that might be an example of the "individual heroics" G---- was talking about. Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g48150 Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Don't get me wrong, she's a great lady, but just like the way that Ford's culture got the way it is, its time for that era of employee to leave. Mulally, though he has a HUGE task in front of him, IS the future, and Anne realizes that. Looking forward to the next 5 years, and MY return to the company. Don't screw this up Bill, Alan, and Mark, I WANT to come back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Richard, didn't anyone every tell you it isn't polite to tell a ladies age? Women and men are meant as equals -- therefore, factual information is now an open topic. Looking forward to the next 5 years, and MY return to the company. Don't screw this up Bill, Alan, and Mark, I WANT to come back! Oh yeah - who are you? 'Cause if you're not amazing, you're replaceable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemiman Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 From Saturday's (9/9) Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...UTO01/609090415 Good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Well, all I want to know, in order for me to judge her, is whether or not she's a 'car guy'. 'Cause if she's not. Get rid of her. Grease her way out. Send her packing. "don't let the back door hitcha where the Good Lord splitcha" Death to all non-car guys. Viva la revolucion!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemiman Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 (edited) Well, all I want to know, in order for me to judge her, is whether or not she's a 'car guy'. 'Cause if she's not. Get rid of her. Grease her way out. Send her packing. "don't let the back door hitcha where the Good Lord splitcha" Death to all non-car guys. Viva la revolucion!!!!!! No way! Ford should be looking to deversify it's management team as much as possible. Get rid of designers who actually like cars, and hire a team from other industries. They'll work for the pay check. "Car Guys" are the last ones you want designing, manufacturing and marketing cars. Some companies that have had recent layoffs providing a good source of automotive talent. Avon, Kodak, Revlon, K-Mart, United Airlines, MaryKay, Tyco, Fisher Price, Pin Oak Coal... Lets higher these folks to run Ford! Edited September 12, 2006 by Hemiman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 No way! Ford should be looking to deversify it's management team as much as possible. Get rid of designers who actually like cars, and hire a team from other industries. They'll work for the pay check. "Car Guys" are the last ones you want designing, manufacturing and marketing cars. Some companies that have had recent layoffs providing a good source of automotive talent. Avon, Kodak, Revlon, K-Mart, United Airlines, MaryKay, Tyco, Fisher Price, Pin Oak Coal... Lets higher these folks to run Ford! No! I insist. Let's promote from within! Ford, like GM and DCX, are in trouble DESPITE the people working for them, not BECAUSE of them! Ford needs management that can redirect the company's focus away from perennial infighting and power struggles and toward what customers want. As long as you play the 'car guy'/'bean counter' game, IMO, you are never going to stop those battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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