Revitalization Lessons from G.M.
American industry will never be the same. On Monday, G.M. declared bankruptcy. This story is all over the media and many pundits are weighing in on what went wrong from a business perspective.
I want to turn the conversation to a spiritual one. Now, I am not a businessman or an economist, but I’ve been wondering what our denomination, conferences and local churches can learn from the decline and fall of G.M.
My intention asking this question is not to compare the church to a business or to advocate the “consumer church.” But in terms of human behavior and institutional resistance to change, what can we learn from G.M.’s collapse?
Here are some lessons I’ve learned: Most people within G.M. probably thought the company would be around forever and this perception lulled the company to sleep. They didn’t realize that what got them here wouldn’t get them there. They didn’t seem to pay attention to how the culture was shifting. And for a long time, they were not willing to make the tough decisions. Now, those decisions have been forced upon them.
For sure, this is a complicated issue and one that cannot be oversimplified, but as a community of Christ followers seeking to change the world, is there something God wants to teach us in regard to the health and mission of the church using this very current and painful event?
June 6th, 2009 at 4:14 am
I think a complete analysis would have to include that the changes they did make were more consistent with the misguided values of this world and driven by greed. I don’t think the company was asleep in every way. I think they failed to remember the greater values of commitment and integrity. They began to pursue profit at any cost, and it cost them everything.
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:54 am
I think GM got lost in their own little world. They produced the cars that they thought were cool but didn’t bother to figure out what people really wanted. They also let quality slip. If there’s a better car, people will get it. If there’s a car produced that is what people are looking for, they’ll get it.
September 4th, 2009 at 3:24 am
One example is our human race has strived to improve our lives in planet earth through the use of technology. Toyota builds their cars with quality, dependebility, reliability and kaisan. Kaisan is a japanese expression of constantly moving forward and improving. Our humanity needs God, the father, the son, and the holy spirit to constantly move foward and exist forever in the universe..Toyota has built their cars from the begining of its lives with highly techonological qualities. Just like God made us with exelent qualities and genes. GM should build their cars the same way as toyota to meet peoples needs and wants…and the company will succeed.