By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. By now, anyone who is even mildly aware of the public discourse on business leadership has been inundated with the idea of “disrupting” or “disruption.” It is all the rage, in fact, with GM CEO Mary Barra - ably abetted by hordes of PR minions crawling all over the social media space trying to craft her image as the company’s “chief disruptor” – being one of the lead proponents of it.
What is it? The notion of disruption is everywhere. In fact it’s swarming what passes for American culture these days. In past eras, if somebody came up with a quirky little idea or looked at things a little differently, it would be considered a brainstorm and nothing else and if it worked out, great. Some of those ideas were momentous of course – the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, etc., etc., etc. – but some were just nice ideas that resonated over time or simply fell by the wayside. It was part of everyday life.
Now? It’s OhEmGee 24/7. It’s not just an idea, oh no. Now, it’s not just innovative, why, it’s disruptive! Like, oh, let’s see, tail warmers for dogs and cats! Yes, that’s it! You may have realized by now that in this social media swirl we live in today we have been reduced to The Land of Exclamation Points! Everything is amazing! Everything is disruptive! It’s not just an idea; it’s worthy of Silicon Valley seed money!
It has gotten a little tedious, don’t you think? Make that a lot tedious, to the point that it’s sickening.
As for Mary Barra’s disruption (it’s starting to sound like a Lifetime movie title), for those signed up for it (and marching to Barra’s orders), it meant going to Silicon Valley this past summer and being immersed in the so-called “culture” at work in some of the show pony tech companies out there. It’s all in line with Barra’s fundamental belief that the business world begins and ends with Stanford, and that all her company needs is a big dose of clear thinking as presented by The People Who Are Smarter Than We Are, and it will all be good for GM, and of course any other company ready to embrace the idea of becoming enlightened.
For those not signed up for it and who clearly see it for what it really is, which is the new, contemporary spin referring to “outside of the box” thinking, it’s nothing to get worked up about. It’s nice to finally put that hoary chestnut to rest, but I’m not sure this new alternative is all that much better.
But what’s really driving this? Is it because the notion of “disruptors” and “disruptive thinking” is the new greatest thing in corporate America since sliced bread, encompassing everything good and right and powerful and worthy? Or is it because that with the auto companies rushing head first into the autonomous car thing they think their leaders need to be armed with the latest buzz terms so that they can avoid feeling inferior to the Lords of Silicon Valley?
The short answer? Oh hell yes. In fact it’s roiling much of this discussion.
Let’s face it, even though Elon Musk couldn’t execute Tesla without bringing highly experienced auto industry talent from Detroit to make his vision come to fruition, that dirty little secret has been conveniently and permanently swept under the rug in the continuing circus surrounding P.T. Musk because after all, no one in Detroit has the vision to think big things and come up with big solutions, right? At least that’s the narrative being played out and that’s what sticks in auto industry executive craws the most.
So, of course Barra is buying into it. Being able to journey back to her Land of Corporate Awakening and rubbing elbows and tapping into brains of anointed visionaries, while soaking up the nuances and eccentricities of a business culture foreign to the auto industry is like a drug they don’t sell. Especially for someone being projected as Detroit’s “visionary” and “chief disruptor.” That’s heady stuff indeed.
But it doesn’t really mean much in the bigger picture. Why? Because the business of creating, building and developing transportation is unlike any other business in the world. Sure, the Lords of Silicon Valley can create their pod cars – or zoomy six-figure machines for the environmentally enlightened set - to a fare thee well, and they will trumpet their achievements with breathless and rapturous glee, but there’s much more to it than that.
Yes, even though we’re heading toward a world where autonomous cars will thrive in urban centers, outside of those urban utopias is a vast country with diverse transportation needs. Things need to be carried and moved across the country. Big things. Things we all need, in fact. And yes, perhaps the long-haul trucker will be replaced with robotic conveyances one day, but in the meantime the realities of this business have to remain front and center.
So, I would caution the leaders of the Detroit car companies to be careful about embracing everything Silicon Valley. The Blue Sky shtick is great. It propelled inventors and fostered ideas that changed the world. But I am immersed in an industry that fosters incredible inventions and bristles with creativity every single day. And those ideas are no less worthy.
As for Mary Barra thinking that embracing “disruptors” and “disruptive thinking” will be the secret ingredient that changes GM’s so called culture once and for all? I have a tip for her. The next time she wants to bundle up her executives for a Silicon Valley field trip in order to bask in the glow of the best and the brightest, here is an alternative suggestion:
Take your top 30 executives out of Detroit for a couple of weeks, but not to Silicon Valley, somewhere in the U.S. that doesn’t really think about cars (or reinventing cars) every day. A place where auto industry news barely registers a mention in the local business pages, and if it does, it’s so small you’d miss it. A place where company cars and auto industry “deals” aren’t accounting for seven out of ten vehicles on the road.
Then, I would have you and your executives spend time visiting every single dealer in a 25-mile radius. Listen to the dealers. Talk to the people bringing their cars in for service. Spend some time in the showrooms and discover what real people want. Find out what works and what doesn’t. And did I say listen? Because it’s one thing to listen to a Lord of Silicon Valley, it’s quite another to listen to someone who shelled out real money for one of your products.
And then go back home and let what you’ve learned sink in.
And then make better cars and trucks. Vehicles that don’t need to be recalled and don’t let their owners down for any reason, to the point that – and here’s something innovative - they’d actually consider getting another one from your company.
Now that would be truly disruptive.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Check out the latest episode of The Autoextremist on AutoextremistTV below. -WG