My Years with General Motors | 
 enlarge | Author: Alfred Sloan
Publisher: Doubleday Business
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 15362
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0385042353
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.762920973
EAN: 9780385042352
ASIN: 0385042353
Publication Date: October 1, 1990
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Condition: Very Good - Free shipping confirmation & tracking. 100% of your purchase helps Goodwill create jobs and change lives. A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition (including dust cover, if applicable). All pages are intact with very limited markings or highlighting. Some copies may include "From the library of" labels. The spine remains undamaged. Limited usage wear with some reading creases and/or bent corners. If CD/DVD- A well-cared-for CD/DVD that has been listened/watched to, but remains in great condition. The item, box or jewel case may show limited signs of wear or markings, as may the liner notes.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 The Reason General Motors Was Once Dominant... June 26, 2008
"A car for every purse and purpose". This was the reason that GM was once the world's most successful company. Alfred Sloan succintly details how he directed the company to take not only financial considerations, but also product planning into account. His hierachy of models, ie Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac, in that order, was stroke of genius, virutally guaranteeing that the entry level buyer who started out with an economical Chevy would continue to buy more expensive GM brands as his income increased. Only now is GM moving back to that mantra, albeit with unfortunate hesitation. Had GM kept each of brands as a distinct marque, there is no doubt the company would still command at least a 50% share of the North American market share.
 My Years With General Motors February 26, 2007
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Must reading for all business owners, executives, college business majors and not just in the automotive or related fields on how a stuff shirt
could set a management control system up that was from its start up over bearing, self serving, cause different levels of management to establish surfs and kingdoms making it not only impossible to settle operational differences in a smooth transaction between production and marketing, but in fact Impossible!
Even worst he was able to sell his concept of " In The Land Of The Blind, The One Eye Man Is King" to not only his company but to the American general business community and at one time the world.
In his company it became the one and only way to run the company, by his book, of course he hated unions and any Govenment control, he was a true Hilter with no soul or feeling for his fellow man.
His way, even today the idiots controlling General Motors are stuck fast unable to do what is required as they continue to lose market shares to other countries including Japan, and loss money billions of dollars yet these morons sit in their towers expecting a miracle.
There is no Durant coming from that company.
To see how this man became so powerful, read Billy, Alfred and General Motors.
Thank you for your attention to this review.
Joseph R. Pugia, Sr.
Sloan and the old GM January 12, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
An incredible man! We need more like him to throttle the huge corporations and return us to making America prosper. Keep your dollars in the USA!
Excellent Historical Account of Management at General Motors. March 21, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book "My Years with General Motors" was originally published in 1963 and is just as relevant reading today as any books written by top managers since then. The book is not easy to read, it is well over 400 pages of thoughtful text, but it is well worth reading for people with an interest in the history of General Motors, the history of the automobile, history of industrial technology in the 20th century, etc...
It was published shortly after I was born and I was aware of it during grade school but unfortunately didn't bother reading it until recently. The book is well-positioned with the Bill Gates quote on the cover that reads, in part, "... the best book to read if you want to read only one book about business...". I completely agree with that!
This book is better than any other book I am aware of regarding the Automobile industry if you are interested in business and management evolution. It provides much better insights into business than books I have read by and about say John DeLorean, Lee Iacocca, or Howard Hughes. Those other books may be more entertaining however for people looking for entertainment. This book provides broader insights into general industrial management for contemporary use than say the two books written by Bill Gates do.
This 1990 edition of "My Years with General Motors" also provides an insightful introduction by Peter F. Drucker that adds considerably to the understanding of Alfred P. Sloan. This book is interesting for what it doesn't cover as well as for what it does cover.
It does seem Mr Sloan believed in the importance of a well defined structure for management, a constitution if you will. However, the ultimate goal is to put people to work to produce the best possible result. Leadership is seen as more important than structure by Sloan, this is not what the popular opinion of General Motors would be however.
That is why I recommend reading this book as an Excellent Historical Account of Management at General Motors. Four out of Five Stars.
Insightful, in the trenches information February 27, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In this book, Alfred P. Sloan tells the story of his years as president and CEO of General Motors. His story is relevant for anyone who needs advice on how to save a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy and get it growing. Sloan has divulged his insights on organizational structure, management processes, financial control, product strategy and research. Here is some of the advice he offers:
Balance cooperation and control: Sloan implemented a framework of coordinated policy and decentralized operations. Top managers made policy, and individual business units were free to implement the policy in the way they wanted. He created interdivisional committees to ensure continuity.
Management. Rather than expecting managers to behave like drill sergeants, Sloan pushed for "selling" at all levels. Corporate leaders were expected to sell their policy decisions to divisions. Division managers were encouraged to sell operational initiatives to top management.
Finances. Sloan created a system for reviewing appropriation requests to control spending. He also created a system of four-month forecasts to make sure the size of inventory did not exceed the needs of production.
Product Strategy. Sloan developed a marketing strategy for General Motors to offer an automobile for every price range. The company had previously been stuck offering cars only in the mid-price range, and had lost considerable market share to Ford.
Research. Sloan recognized that research was just as important as manufacturing and put both research and operations on the same organizational plane.
Distribution. Sloan turned automobile dealers into business partners and simplified the process of distribution for General Motors. He also created GMAC, a financing entity that allowed the "average man" to buy a car and pay in installments. When he began this program, banks refused to lend money to working people to buy automobiles, considering them a bad risk.
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