馬克?菲爾茨準備好了掌舵福特嗎？

????眼下，福特公司（Ford）即將經歷領導人的更新換代，這個過程可能會十分微妙，充滿戲劇性，并且最終決定福特的競爭力。

????據稱，公司董事會正在考慮由馬克?菲爾茨來接任艾倫?穆拉利出任下一屆首席執行官。穆拉利今年已經67歲，即將退休，正是他一手改造了福特的企業文化。而菲爾茨的主要任務將是證明自己能把新的企業文化很好的延續下去。自2006年穆拉利從波音公司（Boeing）退休后，他就在福特管理層中推行協作管理，從此終結了福特長期以來內斗不斷的歷史。

????菲爾茨之所以能獲選成為接班人，部分原因是他愿意按照福特全新的企業文化來領導公司。2008年的金融危機中，福特一度瀕臨破產，正是這種新的企業文化挽救了福特，使其重回穩定的財務軌道。目前，菲爾茨主管福特在美國的業務，盈利情況一直良好。

????現在坊間盛傳董事會準備提名菲爾茨接掌大權，成為穆拉利的繼任者，對此福特公司拒絕證實。有關穆拉利退休的問題福特也諱莫如深，只是引述了執行總裁比爾?福特的話，邀請穆拉利無限期任職。

????對董事和大股東來說，穆拉利退休是一大損失——但是不公布選拔繼任者的計劃也會帶來風險。不管在哪方面，穆拉利對福特的影響都是深遠的。

????位于密歇根州安娜堡的汽車研究中心退休名譽主席戴維?科爾表示：“穆拉利讓‘偉大領袖’式的首席執行官退出歷史舞臺，讓‘智慧教練’式的當家人取而代之。福特的董事會必須有把握，公司的文化不會回到爭執不休的老路上，這種風格曾是舊管理體制的典型特點?！?/p>

????福特當年與馬自達合作時，菲爾茨就是福特的高管，更早些時候，他曾效力于福特南美公司。人們常常提起的穆拉利上任不久后的一段軼事是，當時菲爾茨是首位肯在首席執行官和其他高管面前承認經營困難的公司高管。而在穆拉利之前，這種坦承會被視為軟弱無能，可能會給職業生涯造成不利影響。

????安娜堡的心理學家兼管理教練羅伯特?帕斯科稱：“有關菲爾茨比較有趣的一點是，他也曾是舊體系的一分子。他能否接穆拉利的班還不得而知。不過他肯定已經證明了自己的價值所在?！?/p>

????路透社（Reuters）的一則報道引用一位匿名人士的爆料稱，菲爾茨上任后，穆拉利可能會在福特的董事會中繼續擔任一段時間的非執行主席。董事會如果疏遠菲爾茨，將會帶來一定風險，還會造成一種不確定的氛圍，讓人無從得知誰會來掌管公司。

????一位不肯透露身份的底特律汽車咨詢顧問稱：“很難說穆拉利會何時退休，但像他這樣謹慎周密的人，對此肯定早有計劃，并且會完美執行這一計劃?！?/p>

????這位咨詢顧問還稱，這一計劃很可能包括徹底解決福特在歐洲泥足深陷的問題。今年第二財季，福特歐洲區虧損4.04億美元，2012年全年可能會虧損更嚴重。咨詢顧問表示：“他考慮的是，一定要扶持一位帶領公司走向成功的繼任者，”同時他指出福特已在中國實施了一項計劃，將增強福特在中國的競爭力。

????股票分析師向福特表示，其股價明顯低于其潛在市值，這主要是因為福特還未證明它能避免在歐洲高達數十億美元的虧損。一旦能擺脫歐洲的困境，穆拉利就能安心向菲爾茨移交大權了——屆時，這兩位就都能安享福特更高的股價。

????譯者：清遠

????Ford is undertaking leadership succession that could be tricky, fraught with drama and ultimately decisive as to Ford's competitiveness.

????The company's board is reportedly considering Mark Fields, 51, to succeed Alan Mulally as the automaker's next chief executive officer. Fields's main task will be to prove he can perpetuate the change in corporate culture initiated by Mulally, 67, who is approaching retirement. Since 2006, when he was hired from Boeing, Mulally has imposed a collaborative management style for Ford's top executives, a departure from the automaker's history of internal combativeness.

????Fields, who is reportedly about to be promoted to Ford's chief operating officer, is being chosen in part for his willingness to lead according to the new cultural norms, which have helped the automaker regain financial stability after near-bankuptcy in the 2008 financial crisis. Fields is currently running Ford's business in the Americas, which has been profitable.

????Ford has declined to confirm widespread reports that the board was preparing to name Fields to a new post, positioning him as Mulally's successor. Ford also has sidestepped questions about Mulally's retirement, except to quote executive chairman Bill Ford's invitation to stay indefinitely.

????For directors and major shareholders, Mulally's retirement would be a loss – yet failing to provide a transparent succession plan carries hazards as well. In any event, Mulally's impact on the organization has been profound.

????"Mulally replaced the 'great leader' model of CEO for the 'wise coach' model," said David Cole, chairman emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "Ford's board of directors has to be certain that the culture doesn't revert to the old way of bickering that characterized the old regime."

????Fields was Ford's top executive when it was affiliated with Japanese automaker Mazda and earlier served in South America. One of the oft-told tales about the early days of Mulally's tenure is that Fields was one of the first to be willing to admit operational difficulties in front of the CEO and other executives. Prior to Mulally, such an admission would have been interpreted as weakness and possibly career-damaging.

????"One of the interesting aspects of Fields is that he was part of the old system," said Robert Pasick, an Ann Arbor-based psychologist and executive coach. "It wasn't clear that he was going to survive Mulally. He must have proved his worth."

????One news report from Reuters, citing an unnamed source, says that Mulally could serve on the Ford (F) board for some period as non-executive chairman after Fields takes over as CEO. The board would risk alienating Fields and create uncertainty as to who was running the company.

????A Detroit-based automotive consultant who declined to be identified said "it's hard to say when Mulally is leaving, but being as thoughtful as he is you can be sure there is a plan and he's going to execute it flawlessly."

????The plan, said the consultant, likely entails a resolution of Ford's troubled European operations, which lost $404 million in the second quarter and are likely to lose more through the end of 2012. "He wants to be sure to set up the next guy for success," said the consultant, noting that Ford has been able to put in place a plan for action in China that can make the company more competitive there.

????Equity analysts have told Ford that its shares are selling at a significant discount to their potential because the automaker hasn't proved it can avoid multi-billion dollar losses in Europe. Once that continent is fixed, Alan Mulally could be in a position to hand the keys to Mark Fields – while both enjoy a much richer price for Ford stock.