底特律雙雄記

????背道而馳：通用掌門丹尼爾?阿克森與福特領袖艾倫?穆拉利

????通用汽車（General Motors Co.）首席執行官丹尼爾?阿克森正嘗試領導公司實現轉型。兩周前，他解雇了通用汽車的首席營銷官，并引入不少外部人士，震撼了整個公司。他提拔意料之外的人選充實頂級職務，還經常直言不諱地指出，“新”通用必須更快、更有創新精神，提高盈利能力。

????據報道，阿克森就快完成對通用汽車的改組了，他希望以此打碎該公司著名的“封地”，消除運營中的“煙囪”?？墒?，這位前海軍軍官的措施越有力，似乎也就越容易使該公司的失誤暴露在聚光燈下，不得不為之一再辯解。比如通用汽車與曼聯之間那份價值5.59億美元的合同，據報道，喬爾?伊萬尼克正是因此丟掉了首席營銷官的飯碗。阿克森通過內部電話怒斥通用員工向媒體泄漏信息——結果沒過多久，這通電話的內容也泄露了出去。

????密歇根州安娜堡汽車研究中心（Center for Automotive Research）名譽主席戴維?科爾稱，阿克森“仍在學習汽車業務，大多數外部人士不知道它比幾乎所有其他行業都更復雜?！笨茽柗Q，阿克森的履歷與汽車行業沒有關系，使他未能做好領導汽車廠商的準備。他曾經有一次公開預測雪佛蘭沃藍達（Chevrolet Volt）的銷量，但實際業績遠遠無法達到這一目標，此事正體現了他的經驗匱乏。

????福特汽車（Ford Motor Co.）與通用汽車同處一市，對前者的首席執行官艾倫?穆拉利來說，汽車制造業同樣復雜。穆拉利曾執掌波音（Boeing），作為噴氣客機設計及生產巨頭，波音面臨的挑戰也很多：產品交付周期極長，需要與工會不斷斗爭，并制造能同時滿足各種偏好的客機，因為其產品行銷全球。值得注意的是，除了出售沃爾沃之類的品牌外，穆拉利掌權六年來并沒有正式重組福特。

????與阿克森一樣，穆拉利認為自己的使命是領導底特律汽車廠商實現現代化，而扮演的角色與其說是艦隊司令，還不如說是教練。穆拉利的領導風格與阿克森截然不同，他對福特公司及其車型與員工向來只有贊譽之詞——至少在公開場合如此，他總是滿臉笑容，還愿意花時間給粉絲簽名，與他們閑聊、合影。

????穆拉利領導福特的戰略很簡單：“一個福特”（One Ford）。換句話說，他指揮員工們停止內部對抗與爭執，在穆拉利的新世界秩序中，團隊合作勝過幫派主義，通過恐懼進行管理的方式也不受歡迎。一些無法接受穆拉利新戰略的高管和經理人最后離開了福特，但從來沒有像通用汽車那樣通過官方聲明解雇的現象——伊萬尼克離開通用汽車時，公司聲明稱他“未能達到公司的期望值”。

????當然，福特與穆拉利本人也極為幸運。就在信貸市場坍塌之前，穆拉利成功地將公司上下全部的資產抵押了出去——就連著名的藍色橢圓標志也成了抵押品，籍此獲得了巨額貸款。這個舉措幫助福特避免了破產的命運，沒有像克萊斯勒（Chrysler）和通用（GM）那樣遭遇巨大沖擊。阿克森沒有這樣的優勢。

????阿克森說過，他認為重振通用汽車是個“愛國”義務，而不僅是職業生涯中的新一頁。他的職業生涯為他賺得了不少財富，特別是領導私募股權巨頭凱雷集團（the Carlyle Group）的經歷。顯然，他誠摯地希望給汽車城留下一個好印象，他已多次宣布為底特律地區的慈善事業慷慨解囊，比如為Cornerstone特許學校捐贈100萬美元。上周他還宣布將拍賣自己收藏的名車1958款克爾維特（Corvette），拍賣所得將捐給國際仁人家園組織（Habitat for Humanity）。

????一位通用前高管認為，通用汽車的上上下下頗為自豪。許多通用人締造了屢獲好評的車型，而正是這些車型的上市使該汽車廠商過去五個季度里獲得了近80億美元凈利潤?！昂芏嗳藢ψ约涸谕ㄓ玫墓兏械阶院?，為公司持續一個世紀的文化自豪，”這位前高管說?！熬瓦@么走進來，說他們以前所做的一切一文不值恐怕行不通?！?/p>

????譯者：小宇

????Two roads diverged: GM's Dan Akerson and Ford's Alan Mulally.

????Daniel Akerson, CEO of General Motors Co., is struggling to lead the transformation of GM. Akerson, who fired GM's chief marketing officer two weeks ago, has shaken up the company by recruiting outsiders, promoting unexpected candidates to top posts and making it clear -- often in blunt language -- that the "new" GM must be faster, more entrepreneurial and profitable.

????Akerson is reportedly on the verge of restructuring GM (GM) to quash its famed "fiefdoms" and eradicate operational "silos." But the more the pugnacious former naval officer pushes, the more the company seems to find itself in the spotlight explaining missteps, such as the $559 million agreement between GM and the Manchester United soccer team that allegedly led to the Joel Ewanick's ouster as chief marketer. Akerson berated GM employees in an internal call for leaking information to the media -- and, in short order, the contents of the call leaked.

????David Cole, chairman emeritus for the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, says Akerson "is still learning the automobile business. Most outsiders don't realize how complex it is compared to almost every other [business]." Cole says Akerson, who had little in his background that prepared him to lead an automaker, showed his inexperience when he made public sales forecasts for the Chevrolet Volt that didn't come close to being fulfilled.

????Automaking's complexity wasn't lost on Ford Motor Co.'s (F) Alan Mulally, CEO of GM's crosstown rival. Mulally had run Boeing (BA), which operates on long lead times for the design and manufacture of jetliners, contends with labor unions and must make its products amenable to global tastes as it markets to airlines the world over. Significantly, aside from selling off brands such as Volvo, he hasn't formally restructured Ford in his six years since taking over.

????Like Akerson, Mulally sees his role as leading the modernization of a Detroit-based automaker, perhaps more as a coach than as an admiral. Mulally's style is in stark contrast to Akerson's. Unlike Akerson, he speaks only positively about his company, its vehicles and personnel -- at least publicly. He smiles. Constantly. And, he takes time to sign autographs, chat with, or have pictures taken with fans.

????Mulally's Ford strategy is simple: "One Ford." In other words, he's directed employees to stop internal rivalries and bickering. Teamwork trumps factionalism in the Mulally world order. Management by fear is likewise discouraged. Executives and managers who can't embrace Mulally's strategy have left Ford, but never under the cloud of an official statement such as issued by GM when Ewanick left, stating that he "failed to meet the expectations" of GM.

????Ford and Mulally were extremely lucky, of course. He was able to mortgage the company to the hilt -- even tossing in its Blue Oval logo as collateral -- just before the credit markets fell apart. That allowed Ford to stay out of bankruptcy and void the major shocks that Chrysler and GM have both faced. Akerson had none of these advantages.

????Akerson has said he regards fixing GM as a "patriotic" duty, rather than a facet of a business career that already has brought him wealth, notably in his role at the Carlyle Group public equity firm. Clearly he's trying earnestly to make a good impression on Motor City. He has announced several personal donations to Detroit-area charitable causes, such as the $1 million to the Cornerstone charter school. Last week he said he would auction off his prized 1958 Corvette, the proceeds to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

????A former GM executive observed that the GM work force is proud. Many GMers are the same ones who created the highly rated vehicle models that are now reaching the marketplace and responsible for the automaker's nearly $8 billion in net income over the last five quarters. "A lot of people have pride in what they've done at GM, in the century of culture," said the former executive. "It's not going to work to come in and suggest that everything they've done is dog meat."