Publications
Publications
- October 2003 (Revised November 2006)
- HBS Case Collection
GE's Talent Machine: The Making of a CEO
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Andrew N. McLean
Abstract
GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This case traces the development of GE's rich system of human resource policies and practices under five CEOs in the post-war era, showing how the development of talent is embedded into the company's ongoing management responsibilities. It describes the development of a 25-year-old MBA named Jeff Immelt, who 18 years later is named as CEO of GE, arguably the biggest and most complex corporate leadership job in the world and how he frames his priorities for GE and implements them, pulling hard on the sophisticated human resource levers his predecessors left him. Immelt questions whether he should adjust or even overhaul three elements of GE's finely tuned talent machine.
Keywords
Decision Choices and Conditions; Capital; Selection and Staffing; Leadership Development; Management Succession; Corporate Strategy
Citation
Bartlett, Christopher A., and Andrew N. McLean. "GE's Talent Machine: The Making of a CEO." Harvard Business School Case 304-049, October 2003. (Revised November 2006.)