General Motors Leadership Theory

Evaluate Leadership Theory: Leadership Style
The leadership style at General Motors was bureaucratic, and given the nature of their operations and demands for complying strict safety procedures, the foundation of the work environment revolved around strict rules and precise procedures. Within the culture of the organization, employees showed reluctance to challenge the rules and escalate safety issues due to the rigid leadership of the company. The resulting lawsuits for negligence and wrongful deaths led Mary Barra, CEO to shift the leadership style of the company towards the democratic approach as she incorporated processes for escalating safety concerns to the corporate leadership team, as well as incentives for employees to bring attention to issues in a proactive manner. In addition, Mary showed traits of a transformational leader that faced the concerns of GM with levels of integrity, empathy, and …show more content…
Given the complexity of safety regulations in the automobile industry and the nature of work that the employees perform as a vehicle manufacturer, the bureaucratic leadership style performed efficiently for many years. However, within the culture of the organization, the display of poor character, lack of focus and enthusiasm to follow through on issues, and nonexistent accountability were relative to the decision-making process within the organization. It appeared that the culture of the organization felt a sense of exoneration for taking responsibility for decisions made on behalf of the company, allowing the responsible parties to remain unclear for several circumstances. In addition, Mary Barra, CEO, demonstrated the lack of accountability in the leadership of GM, although she showed authenticity and empathy towards the affected families and the