Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Prior to McNerney's 7/1/05 takeover, Boeing was ethically challenged and facing an obvious need for greater fuel efficiency of its products. When McNerney took over, Boeing stock was at $64.68; it now is at $40.86. The company is two years behind on promised deliveries for its new 787, as well as other new plane programs. A recent two-month strike, and major supplier problems (a record 70% of the 787 was outsourced) largely account for problems. Employee unions are also upset over Boeing's use of contract employees.
Cohan derives his material from second-hand sources that know or have studied McNerney. That is probably a major the reason the book lacks any great insights.
A major future problem for Boeing is that other nations, especially Japan, have long pursued aviation knowledge to permit their future competition with Boeing. Some believe that the 787's outsourcing (achieve lower costs, foreign airline participation, and faster development) will finally allow this. Cohan does not address this issue.
Cohan's emphasizing McNerney's focus on cost reduction, reducing time-to-market, improved ethics, increased fuel economy is not helpful to anyone knowledgeable about the industry and Boeing's recent problems. Neither is Cohan's 40,000 ft. overview of how Boeing is improving. Readers looking for such details would do much better reading material about the Toyota Production System (which Boeing is trying to follow) - especially works by the original TPS developers. Even following Boeing through several years of Business Week, Fortune, etc. articles is better than "You Can't Order Change."
Bottom Line: My beef is not with Mr. McNerney - I'm sure he is a fine manager, though he doesn't walk on water as Cohan sometimes alludes. The problem is that Cohan just didn't put much effort (or value) into this book.
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The first book to explore the unique leadership style of Boeing's acclaimed CEO Jim McNerney was one of Jack Welch's top protégés at General Electric and a finalist to replace the retiring Welch as CEO. McNerney lost that competition in 2001, but since then he has emerged as one of the most effective leaders of his generation. You Can't Order Change tells the amazing story of McNerney's turnaround at the world's leading aircraft manufacturer, which had faced a series of tough problems. Boeing is extremely hard to run, with more than $66 billion in annual revenue and 161,000 employees. A new product like the 787 Dreamliner costs billions to develop over many years, with global production hurdles and little margin for error. Peter Cohan interviewed people who worked with McNerney throughout his career to explain why his consensus-driven style sets him apart. The title comes from a McNerney quote about the importance of winning hearts and minds with a clear vision of future success. McNerney combines Midwestern integrity and humility with the brilliance and drive of a Harvard Business School and McKinsey alum. This book reveals his approach to accountability, growth, cost cutting, leadership development, customer focus, and other universal challenges.
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