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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

Teaming Up To Win The Rail Deal At GE (A)

by Amy Edmondson, Ranjay Gulati and Rachna Tahilyani

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Abstract

In 2012, Nalin Jain, then head of GE aviation for South Asia, was given the added responsibility for GE’s transportation business in India, including bidding for a $2.5 billion contract to manufacture, service and maintain 1,000 diesel locomotives for state owned Indian Railways (IR). The deal, which would have been “the largest deal on the planet” for the transportation business, had been under discussion for six years, and many within GE had given up hope that it would materialize, but Jain persisted. In February 2015, when IR requested companies to submit a financial bid in six months, Jain quickly built an autonomous team, sequestered from the rest of GE, with people from multiple businesses and functions. His team overcame internal resistance from people at headquarters and stiff competition to help GE win the deal by a narrow margin. Jain was then tasked with executing the deal. As many of his earlier team members had moved on, Jain hired new people and built a new diverse yet integrated team for execution, with members able to put aside their many differences, look beyond their functional silos, and focus on the project deliverables. However, 2017 brought a series of challenges. GE changed India’s organization structure, making India business leaders report only to their respective global business leaders instead of reporting to both their business leaders and the India country leader. Jain’s mandate was expanded to include the entire international operations of GE’s transportation business. And, sub-optimal company performance forced GE to announce cost cuts of $2 billion. In the face of this turmoil, Jain wonders, “Have I created an agile team that can succeed in GE’s matrix environment and deal with the internal challenges? Do the team members have the maturity and motivation required for the project to succeed?”

Keywords: Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Capital; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Industrial Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Rail Industry; Transportation Industry; United States; India;

Language: English Format: Print 21 pages Educators

Citation:

Edmondson, Amy, Ranjay Gulati, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Teaming Up To Win The Rail Deal At GE (A)." Harvard Business School Case 420-058, September 2019.

Related Work

  1. Supplement | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

    Teaming Up to Win the Rail Deal at GE (B)

    Amy Edmondson, Ranjay Gulati and Rachna Tahilyani

    Citation:

    Edmondson, Amy, Ranjay Gulati, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Teaming Up to Win the Rail Deal at GE (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 420-059, September 2019.  View Details
    CiteView Details Related

About the Authors

Photo
Amy C. Edmondson
Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management
Technology and Operations Management

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View Publications »

 
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Ranjay Gulati
Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration
Organizational Behavior

View Profile »
View Publications »

 

More from these Authors

  • Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2019 (Revised November 2019)

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    Krishna G. Palepu and Rachna Tahilyani

    In October 2013, when Mehta had taken over the reins of Unilever’s business in India and the larger South Asia region, HUL had been going through a difficult time. Caught in the midst of a weakening economy, falling consumer spending and increasing competition, growth at the firm had slowed. HUL was underperforming not only the market index but also the FMCG index. At the same time, HUL was struggling with many internal woes, ranging from slow market responsiveness to a higher cost structure. The next quarter had not brought any relief. With the external situation worsening, Mehta wondered what changes he needed to make to ensure consistent, competitive and profitable growth at HUL. The case is accompanied by a video in which the CEO outlines his thinking, and the choices he made. The video can be used in class as the class discussion unfolds to bring closure to the discussion, and to brief the class on what actions were taken.

    Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Leading Change; Performance Improvement; Consumer Products Industry; India;

    Citation:

    Palepu, Krishna G., and Rachna Tahilyani. "Transforming Hindustan Unilever." Harvard Business School Case 120-022, August 2019. (Revised November 2019.)  View Details
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  • Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

    Funding Sources for Science & Technology Start-ups in India

    Tarun Khanna, Arjun Swarup and Rachna Tahilyani

    India's start-up ecosystem is amongst the largest globally, with a variety of funding options from angel investors, venture capital and corporate venture capital to debt. Classic consumer focused start-ups which look to leverage technology have been able to raise significant amounts of capital but the situation is more challenging for deep science and technology focused startups. This note focuses on these issues and the factors behind them.

    Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups; Science; Technology; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; Technology Industry; India; South Asia;

    Citation:

    Khanna, Tarun, Arjun Swarup, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Funding Sources for Science & Technology Start-ups in India." Harvard Business School Case 720-401, September 2019.  View Details
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  • Supplement | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

    Building a Flexible GGO Model for Different Regions

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    Gulati, Ranjay. "Building a Flexible GGO Model for Different Regions." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 420-708, September 2019.  View Details
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