Weeks after being appointed to the top of GM’s new product development team, Mary Barra remains something of an enigma to much of the automotive press. Like, what accomplishments earned Ms Barra her lofty spot on GM’s org chart? According to Newsweek‘s Doron Levin
When Mary Barra was a senior manufacturing executive a few years ago at General Motors, she spotted another maker’s car decked out in a rich metallic black color. It was unlike anything GM was offering, so she suggested the color be added to the company’s palette—and was promptly rebuffed by fellow engineers, who fretted about potential quality-control difficulties. But Barra wouldn’t take no for an answer, and before long buyers were able to get their Cadillac Escalades and Chevy Malibus in elegant “Carbon Flash.”
So, now we know.
At least she managed to get the paint through the system.
Presumably, lesser mortals would have died trying.
they may as well make susan docherty CEO at this rate
i will bet some people will be calling TTAC sexist for this kind of article…
they may as well make susan docherty CEO at this rate
i will bet some people will be calling TTAC sexist for this kind of article…
Dude, you’re the one comparing her to Docherty… you might want to read this and then explain what, besides gender, Docherty and Barra have in common. Then we can talk about sexism.
Also, read the linked Newsweek piece. The quote we pulled is the lede, and it represents the first real anecdote about Barra’s leadership style. We know she was in manufacturing before going to human resources in 2009 to “clean up the culture”… but otherwise, she’s being portrayed by many as an Akerson pawn. That’s the basic tack of the Newsweek piece, and admittedly, the anecdote may have been selected to help make the point. Still, it does rather condemn GM’s culture more than it lionizes Barra (as SVX pearlie wittily points out).
Do we have any female commentors? I don’t think TTAC has any female columnists anymore, either, come to think of it. That being said, I think a female exec is a good thing, as a female perspective can have positive benefits as to interior material quality and style, instrument layout and a logical software usability that a male mindset doesn’t always see. So, yes, I think it’s a good thing, but time will tell. Stay tuned…
There used to be an angry Booth Barbie & we all know what happened to her. But, where is Cammy these days?
I missed the “Booth Barbie” thing, I think. Please inform me of that one!
I would also like to know what happened. Wasn’t Cammy Corrigan aka Katie Puckrik or something? Haven’t seen her on here for a while.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/06/the-booth-babe-chronicles-the-song-and-dance-of-car-commercials/
One of many Booth Babe articles. If you look at the comments section, all of her articles we quite controversial
There are times you’d think those designers hadn’t heard of the outdoors, reality, or competition.
The old flashy paint trick. Work a little harder and make the five-door Cruze hatch back happen.
They have it, but have decided not to sell it in the US.
Cool. Now when owners of black Escalades and Malibus get a chip on the front bumper, it’ll require a trip to the dealer for a special two-part tube of $20+ touch-up paint, versus the $5 tube of universal black you can get at any auto parts store. This is also the reason why I may avoid buying another “pearl white” car ever again.
However, I do think that these paint jobs look great in the showroom. They’re just better suited for those who don’t keep their vehicles as long as I typically do.
What is more ridiculous: the claim that she and ‘her fellow engineers’ have a say in selecting paint colors, or that GM engineers think about quality control?
Further proof that GM is doomed.
When the engineer to MBA ratio exceeds 10, I may start thinking about GM.
GM, you’re selling cars…not bras.
Get real and give us something other than that volt joke.
At GM, the Peter Principle is the New Black.
She probably got promoted because of a great set of lungs.
when the going is good u can have as many colour as the Model T, as long as its Black.
any rare colour can be a double edged sword, if u order it u will have to take delivery or cough up your deposit when u dont want it. As dealers will have it stuck there for their subsequent birthday parties. The up side the manufacturer can charge a few bucks more for this rare colour. Or only comes with fully loaded trims, premium sound with 48 speakers, 5,000 watts amplifiers, 60 Tera byte hd music storage system, temp control sensitive to 0.0005 degree accuracy.
You guys are missing the point, she’s the reason why they sold so many Escalade’s to begin with. How often do you see one that’s not “Carbon Flash” black?
I don’t have a business degree, but it must be extremely stressful making paint color decisions from year to year… :P
I’m a product development engineer with a business degree. My observation is that development groups spend more man-hours per square inch fighting over colors or determining the content of a label than testing the product to which it is affixed.
Because everybody’s an ‘expert’ on things they can see.
elegant “Carbon Flash.”
Oh, like the metallic black you could get on a Chrysler Cordoba in 1975?
Q: Like, what accomplishments earned Ms Barra her lofty spot on GM’s org chart?
A: Survival, meaning she didn’t upset the wrong people. Just as it in in many organizations.
I seriously hope that this article has brought a minority scum from the commenter woodwork (or attracted rather bad humorists) rather than exposing the scumminess of the majority. Unfortunately, taken from a large chunk of these posts, The Truth will result in “The Best And The Brightest” consisting entirely of prepositions. They make cars, not bras? Great set of lungs? Really? Whether it’s genuine sexism or merely failed humor – that’s the best you can do?
Sigh.
The article’s scope draws the same scope of comments, as usual. (Yeah, it’s a “nudge-nudge wink-wink”)
Perisoft,
I am glad you posted this, as I feel the same way. Some guys, including some I consider friends, just don’t get it. The days of bopping a woman over the head, and dragging them into the cave are fortunately long gone. I have a few recently divorced friends that have been out of the dating scene so long that they have no idea how to treat a woman. They are intimidated by a modern woman and want to try and control or demean them. Needless to say, it isn’t working out too well.
Sigh indeed.
Uh, what are we “sighing” about here, anyway?
She probably also bowled, and played golf on the appropriate days.
It’s not really about building a quality car, it’s about “pushing for GM to build cars faster and cheaper”.
Peter DeLorenzo has been beating this drum now for several weeks and has made his theories regarding Ms Barra’s promotion well known. Just take a quick look at past “Rants” on Autoextremist.com.
It is DeLorenzo’s guess (which he says is confirmed by GM staffers) that Ms Barra was promoted because she salutes smartly, doesn’t question, and will attempt to ram through any of Akerson’s orders. These can range from mildly amusing to completely out-of-touch impossible, according to DeLorenzo and his friends inside GM. Barra never pushes back, only down, which makes her a perfect lieutenant for a CEO who admitted, when he got the job, he knows nothing about cars.
Maybe, maybe not. Everyone has to earn a living to eat. Is “saluting smartly” a bad thing? Not to me. Every company has its own culture, and you have to “work the room” to be successful and achieve your goals. Just because she may walk in lockstep doesn’t mean she will be “same old, same old” either. Wait and see… Mr. DeLorenzo seems to rant a lot to attract readers to his website. Some of what he brings forth may be the truth, but there’s always two sides to every story, that’s why I respect TTAC so much. Aside from some ignorant and juvenile comments to stir things up, I find it valuable to get others’ opinions about cars and the men who build them. I like to laugh and ponder over the comments and insight that the many commentors bring to the table, whether it be the musings of obbop, the knowledge of Educator Dan, PeriSoft, geeber, Dr. Olds, Buickman and a host of others, I learn something new every day, my own posted nonsense notwithstanding!
Indeed Zackman and jpcavanaugh,
Judgment on Ms Barra must be reserved until she’s on the job long enough to see just what kind of leadership skills she has.
And yes, if you want to succeed in corproate America, saluting smartly and picking your battles is how you survive long enough to get a leadership position.
However, my point is that DeLorenzo has picked Barra to be his whipping, um, girl, in making his point…
Akerson is a clueless bumbler in his current assignment. He makes bad decisions. He has no feel for the business, doesn’t understand car-building complexity, nor the engineering behind the endeavor. The GM board made a horrible decision in appointing him. He’s running roughshod over GM’s engineers and designers, making impossible demands. Morale is low. And he’s chosen a relative unknown to carry out his beatings until morale improves, all while making sure his decisions come true.
Again, who knows. Akerson did admit that he did not know anything about cars or car building when he took the job, and is now dictating build cycles and content, now just months on the job. Maybe he’s a quick study. Or a natural. Maybe Barra’s the next Harley Earl. We just don’t know. But DeLorenzo’s pretty sure these two are bad news.
Every successful person (in every field) was once a novice. Mary Barra could be the greatest product person of her generation. Or not. Nobody knows right now. The company that appoints her takes this chance – we will see a home run, a solid base hit, or a strikeout. Not sure which.
The question is why is GM taking this chance right now. If there was ever a time and a place to play it safe and put a seasoned product person in charge of product at GM (where it has been very weak for the last 30 years) wouldn’t that place be GM and that time be now?
Title of source article: “How Mary Barra Is Supercharging GM”
Content of source article: Anecdotes and speculation and nothing about what Barra is doing at GM.
I’m guessing this quote is relevant:
“Barra is injecting her manufacturing experience into a realm formerly dominated by gut-feel designers. That, Runkle says, could ultimately bring a needed dose of practicality to the design process, signaling that “how vehicles are built will be more important.”
I dont know. I’m starting to get the feeling that I can write for a major news outlet. Just gotta work on my bs a bit.
Too often the manufacturing folks on a new vehicle program would veto anything that may make assembly the least bit challenging, resulting in bland product that is easy to assemble. Given the blandness of the current GM offerings like the Snuze, I thing this would be a bad trend.
I’m glad she was there to use “Carbon Flash” to elevate the prestige of the Escalade and Malibu. I’m mean it so unique. It’s not like something you would see on a Ford Fiesta.
Oh wait, you can get a “Tuxedo Black” Fiesta… Well, I’m sure its only available on “nice” Fiestas… Oh wait, it comes on the Base “S” Sedan… Never mind.
That reminds me of the 1988 Ford Festiva L I bought new in 1987. It was Graphite Clearcoat Metallic, and it was magnifique!
Accomplishments can earn you a lofty spot on GM’s good-ole-boy, fellow-traveller network org chart? Who knew?
The woman who’s really making a difference here is Tina Brown, who is about to put a pitchfork in this style of Newsweek “reporting.” Current version of Newsweek, RIP. You won’t be missed.