Ford’s turnaround team made big splashes in the news today with the announcement that Bill Ford would step aside as CEO while remaining company chairman. Now in the driver’s seat is Alan Mulally, the Boeing executive who oversaw the comeback of Boeing against Airbus.
Amidst all this hubbub, Ford has been conducting a splashy but candid self-examination on its Ford Bold Moves Vlog.
In episode two, “Commitment to Design,” Ford gives its critics within and without ample opportunity to talk about their dissatisfaction with the cars that are currently rolling off the assembly line. “The cars that are being produced now have no style to ‘em,” said Anthony Dettore, a Collision & Repair Center owner. “they all look the same.”
The response from within was all but an echo of Detorre’s sentiments. “We all have a different perspective on who the customers are” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s Director of Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team. “More often than not, the thing you can get everyone to come to common ground on is the lowest common denominator and you go to the market with vanilla instead of rocky road.”
The rest of the episodes are riddled with similar self-critique on everything from business model to corporate culture to fuel efficiency and design. Ford has made it clear, they are dedicated to change, and they’re making an impression.
Thanks to Tom from Terrapass for tipping me off to the existence of this very interesting site. We’ll be covering the importance of candor in blogging, Vlogging and corporate blogs at our upcoming conference.
{ 0 comments… add one now }