Its time to stop the dominance of the numbercrunchers. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading car guys vs. Now you can have a scale replica of the wellknown car guy. The relentless drive towards cost cutting, commoditisation, brand segmentation and regularisation. Bean counters succeeds in the moments that are focused on the dichotomy between the two main characters in this story. The battle for the soul of american business audiobook by bob lutz.
Autoline detroit recently played host to bob lutz, and, as is always the case, the former general motors vice chairman dished out some great commentary. Car guys versus bean counters general discussion car. An illuminating read by a true car guy and an excellent business leader. Spanning a fortysevenyear career with the big three and bmw, and after retiring from chrysler in 1998, he was asked back into gm. Still, the books basic problem was alltoo familiar in the world of auto executive coverage. In his book, car guys versus bean counters, he chronicles the very wary gm of 2001 through its first stillborn turnaround, its acquisition by. Spanning a fortysevenyear career with the big three and bmw, and after retiring from chrysler in 1998, he was asked back into gm, serving as vice chairman from 2001 to 2010, during which time it had filed for bankruptcy. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984, and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred p. On car guys vs bean counters the timesheet chronicles. However, my gut said read it, and am i ever glad i did. But then gms leadership began to put their faith in analysis, determined to eliminate the waste and personality worship of the bygone creative leaders. Read ebooks free car guys vs bean counters the battle for the soul of american business full ebook. I have also followed the stories on this cocky but. Any car nuts with desire to understand what has happened to the american car industry should read this book.
Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz available from rakuten kobo. Frequently described by industry insiders as the ultimate car guya man for whom no vehicle could ever be too big, too fast. At the tableif not running the meetingwhen most of the big decisions came down, the author, now in his late 70s, was often appalled by youthful beancounting mbas with their 4. Things started auspiciously on my first day of work, september 1, 2001. The rest of the book chronicles the more political side of lutzs campaign. And i find the whole issue of what goes on in organisations the politics, the posturing and the crazy bureaucracy all totally fascinating. Bob lutz has written an important diagnostic book on the demise of general motors. Bean counters is a thoughtprovoking commentary from auto industry maven bob lutz. Spanning a fortysevenyear career with the big three and bmw, and after retiring from chrysler in 1998, he was.
The battle for the soul of american business by xxxx there is no question, especially in the light of the rear view mirror of the car industry in the last decade, that any book written by an exexecutive the industry will have some revisionist history. If anyone wants to know exactly how the us auto industry got into trouble. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz financial times. Auto industry icon lee iacocca dead at 94 breitbart. Now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genre car guys vs. The car guys held sway, and gm dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like cadillac, buick, pontiac, oldsmobile, gmc, and chevrolet. I have been in love with american cars since my childhood in cuba.
Chief among his targets, as the books title suggests, is the cult of the management consultancy which has swept the world since the summer of love. Now comes an encore in the lutz on lutz genrecar guys vs. Bean counters contains all the pearls of wisdom i would expect to see from bob lutz. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. According to lutz, one inquisitor asked this isnt an exact quote, but a reconstruction from memory, mr.
With the advice and support of their bean counters, absolutely, but with the final word going to those who live and breathe the customer experience. The battle for the soul of american business by bob lutz 20, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Overall, i highly recommend the first eight chapters of car guys versus bean counters to all designers. The battle for the soul of american business, and talk quickly turned to his role as it related to product development and highlevel decision making at gm. I recently finished reading cary guys vs bean counters the battle for the soul of american business by former vice chairman of general motors bob lutz. Bean counters is the best book written by an auto industry insider since iacocca in 1984 and deserves to be shelved alongside alfred pl sloans management classic, my years with general motors. Cars 2 little golden book disneypixar cars 2 duration. Robert a lutz when bob lutz got into the auto business in the early 1960s, ceos knew that if you captured the publics imagination with innovative car design and top quality craftsmanship, the money would follow. Robert a lutz in 2001, general motors hired litz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. Publication date 2011 topics automobile industry and trade, new products. Read more about car guys vs bean counters in this features article from the automotive experts at automobile magazine. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk av. Lutz built a career as a staunch opponent of bureaucracy and by placing the utmost importance on knowing the product as well as the customer.
This book is an account of bob lutzs stint at general motors from 2001 t0 2010. The bean counters, with their metricsbased costcutting corporate culture approach, are left scratching their heads as customers run screaming from the shoddy gm cars theyve produced. Shoemakers should be run by shoe guys, and software firms by software guys, and supermarkets by supermarket guys. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Car guys vs bean counters the battle for the soul of american business duration. Mixed into lutzs flow of blarney and halfbaked pontificating is one of the most acute books about. Sloans management classic, my years with general motors. Bob lutz wants to screw the bean counters who screwed the u. Pdf car guys vs bean counters download full pdf book. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz, one of the last real car guys at gm, is so on target that everybody should read it whether you care about cars or marketing or not. Bean counters the battle for the soul of american business.
The battle for the soul of american business reprint by bob lutz isbn. In 2001, general motors hired bob lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. Japanese good luck rather than good marketing, health care costs etc. Car guys vs bean counters by bob lutz ft business book. This book lutz second entertainingly recounts that period and gms corporate history leading up to it. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Bean counters which i very much enjoyed reading, you state that you like a management style similar to. One of the most acute books about management and how companies work in practice that i have read in a long time. Now in his late seventies, bob lutz knows his auto industry history, and his latest book, car guys vs. Even then, no one in charge of anything at all, should be that stupid. The battle for the soul of american business kindle edition by lutz, bob. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught.
So its no surprise that the subtitle of the book he has written upon retiring from general motors is an overreach. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught a sideswipe at myself and the truth about cars, which the retired vicechairman of gm describes as a web. Written in an engaging, forthright manner sure to rile the feathers of many, lutz paints a picture of unnecessary. I cant say that i was completely surprised when, about two thirds of the way through bob lutzs new book car guys vs bean counters, i caught a sideswipe at myself and the truth about cars, which the retired vicechairman of gm describes as. I am glad i stuck with a book written with a passion that starbucks howard schultz would be proud of and a book that provides some powerful lessons for all business people. He has lived in the most inner circles at ford, bmw.
Iacocca, why should we ask this of the american taxpayer. As vice chairman, he launched a war against the pennypinching numbercrunchers who. Great marketing books car guys vs bean counters by bob. Bean counters, lutz recalled how iacocca faced tough questioning from members of congress when he went to capitol hill to request the loan guarantees.
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