GE's Jeff Immelt: The Voyage from MBA to CEO

Christopher A. Bartlett; Andrew N. McLean

Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2006 (Revised May 2007)

GE's Jeff Immelt: The Voyage from MBA to CEO

by Christopher A. Bartlett and Andrew N. McLean

Abstract

GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Traces the development of a 25-year-old MBA named Jeff Immelt, who 18 years later is named as CEO of GE, arguably the biggest and most complex corporate leadership job in the world, and how he frames and implements his priorities for GE. Describes the processes that guided Immelt's own developments and the strategic changes Immelt adopts in his first year as CEO, when he pulls hard on the sophisticated human resource levers his predecessors left him. Immelt questions whether the changes in place will foster the development of the next generation of GE growth leaders.

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Human Resources; Leadership Development; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Energy Industry; Technology Industry;

Format: Print

18 pages

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Citation:

Bartlett, Christopher A., and Andrew N. McLean. "GE's Jeff Immelt: The Voyage from MBA to CEO." Harvard Business School Case 307-056, September 2006. (Revised May 2007.)

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GE's Jeff Immelt: The Voyage from MBA to CEO

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