Organizational-Culture-at-GE potx

GE International "As one of the world’s most diverse and best performing global enterprises - recognized repeatedly for leadership and innovation - they offer our employees an environmen

GE International

"As one of the world’s most diverse and best performing global enterprises -

recognized repeatedly for leadership and innovation - they offer our employees an environment where what we imagine we can make happen, developing new

technologies and services to grow our businesses

About the company

GE traces its beginnings to Thomas A Edison, who established Edison Electric Light Company in 1878 In 1892, a merger of Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company created General Electric Company GE

is the only company listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also included in the original index in 1896

Today GE is a diversified technology, services and financial services company with operations in more than 100 countries and with over 300,000 employees worldwide The Company has 11 global businesses, ranging from Advanced

Materials, Commercial Finance, Consumer Finance, Consumer and Industrial, Energy, Equipment and Other Services, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Insurance, NBCUniversal, and Transportation

GE is a company where possibilities are unlimited You can change jobs, change industries, even change career direction, without ever changing companies Our diversity provides limitless educational opportunities, which is unmatched in worldbusiness We invest $1 billion per year in training our people

Why we choose GE

GE and its employees are committed to being a good corporate citizen through

high ethical standards, leadership in corporate governance, environmental

compliance and community engagement

GE continues to earn the respect of the business world Once again, GE topped Fortune magazine’s top 500 companies It holds 6th position consecutively for the second time

GE is recognized as being among the world's best-run companies and was named the World's Most Respected Company for 2003 for the sixth consecutive year by the "Financial Times" GE was also presented with the Catalyst Award 2004 for itsinnovative, effective and measurable initiatives to advance women employees GE

was honored as one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers

GE has a long and proud history of supporting the communities where its

employees live and work Contributing more than $140 million and over one million volunteer hours worldwide in 2003, GE is making an impact in local

communities, educational standards and the environment in its communities all over the world

BIBLE OF GE

‘THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER’

Former CEO Jack Welch (now retired), introduced this concept at GE During his work period GE was prized most deal-making, cost-cutting and efficient

organization Every day, everyone at GE has the power to influence company’s reputation — everywhere they do business The Spirit & the Letter helps to ensure that, after more than 125 years, we still conduct our affairs with unyielding

integrity For well over a century, GE employees have worked hard to uphold the highest standards of ethical business conduct They seek to go beyond simply obeying the law — they embrace the spirit of integrity GE’s Code of Conduct articulates that spirit by setting out general principles of conduct everywhere, everyday and by every GE employee

GE’s code of conduct

The laws and regulations governing the business conduct world wide

• Be honest, fair and trustworthy in all your GE activities and relationships

• Avoid all conflicts of interest between work and personal affairs

• Foster an atmosphere in which fair employment practices extend to every member of the diverse GE community

• Strive to create a safe work place and to protect the environment

• Through leadership at all levels, sustain a culture where ethical conduct is recognized, valued and exemplified by all the employees

It also provides other information regarding the rules and regulations of the business like hoe to deal with the government; customers etc Employees and leaders who violate the spirit or letter of GE’s policies are subject to

disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment

OTHER IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE

• Six sigma

Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process that helps us focus on developing and delivering near-perfect products and service The central idea behind Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many "defects" you have in a process, you can

systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to "zero defects"

as possible To achieve Six Sigma Quality, a process must produce no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities An "opportunity" is defined as a chance for nonconformance, or not meeting the required specifications This means we need

to be nearly flawless in executing our key processes

• Fair practices

Fair employment practices do more than keep GE in compliance with applicable labor and employment laws They contribute to a culture of respect GE is

committed to complying with all laws pertaining to freedom of association,

privacy, collective bargaining, immigration, working time, wages and hours, as well as laws prohibiting forced, compulsory and child labor and employment discrimination Beyond legal compliance, we strive to create an environment considerate of all employees wherever GE business is being conducted

• Base employment decisions

On job qualifications (e.g., education, prior experience) and merit Merit includes

an individual’s skills, performance, values, leadership and other job-related

criteria without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex

(including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status or other characteristic protected by law

• Provide a work environment

Free of improper harassment and bullying

• Respect the privacy rights

Of employees by using, maintaining and transferring personal data in accordance

with GE’s Employment Data Protection Standards and related procedures found at

integrity.ge.com (While seeking to maintain employee privacy, GE reserves the

right to monitor use of company property, including computers, e-mail, phones, proprietary information, etc., in accordance with applicable law.)

• Take lawful affirmative actions

In the United States, and elsewhere if required by local law, to increase

opportunities in employment for women, minorities, people with disabilities

and certain veterans

Working Environment

Employees’ performance can only flourish in a sound work environment

That is why GE is committed to supporting its leadership culture through systems and policies that foster open communication, maintain employee and partner

privacy, and assure employee health and safety

• Operating with Integrity

The way they deliver results is as important as the results themselves GE seeks to

lead in workplace and marketplace integrity by respecting the human rights of everyone touched by our business, and by enforcing legal and financial

compliance

• Work and Life Balance

Naturally, the passion that our people bring to their work extends to their own private worlds, and GE is committed to enabling a healthy balance between the two GE encourages our people to meet their work commitments while balancing their own life responsibilities

To support this balance, flexible work arrangements are an integral part of the way

we conduct business The Company also offers many programs and resources to support employees including financial management, family counseling and more

• Quality of work life

GE assures complete support to all its employees on both professional and personalfronts Apart from creating a friendly and stimulating work environment, GE also extends support to its employees in their domestic lives

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AT GE

1) Leadership at GE

GE views its leaders as an extension of HR with the capacity to communicate how each employee fits within the overall business strategy A leader must: create a culture of compliance in which employees understand their responsibilities and feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of retaliation; encourage ethical conduct and compliance with the law by personally leading compliance efforts; consider compliance efforts when evaluating and rewarding employees; and ensurethat employees understand that business results are never more important than ethical conduct and compliance with GE policies

Leadership Development

The Corporate Leadership Development group's mission is to run training

programmes to develop high-performing leaders, introduce and drive cultural change, and spread key corporate initiatives These programmes can be held at business-owned training facilities like the GE Energy Learning Center in Florence,Italy or at our head quarters in Brussels Such facilities bring people together to work, learn, and share across boundaries It is also where we introduce newly acquired companies to our culture, offering them a network of peers enabling them

to share best practices and business successes

GE also offers intensive management training through special leadership

programmes These programmes are designed to accelerate learning for high

performing employees, using a variety of methods from e-learning to action

learning, from boot camps to leadership summits A core curriculum is managed at

a corporate level, but each GE business complements these with business specific just-in time learning opportunities

All Leadership development programmes have similar core objectives:

• Educate employees- focusing on leadership, change, and Six Sigma

• Communicate and strengthen our employee's commitment to GE and the GE

Values

• Build bridges across boundaries by letting people interact across businesses,

functions, and hierarchies

• Enhance our customer focus; build relationships with strategic customers

and other key stakeholders

GE works at being a true learning organization - instilling learning not only as part

of the everyday work life but also counting on employees to help train their

colleagues in their field of expertise

2) Communication

GE views communication as the most critical element The most important thing that they see with the HR function is that there always is a constant dialogue, as they don’t like to hide things in GE GE offers several channels for raising

concerns Use the channel that is most comfortable for its employees

The GE Ombudsperson process allows an employee to voice his integrity

questions and concerns,

• Within the business

Generally, the supervisor or manager will be in the best position to resolve an integrity concern quickly However, the direct supervisor is not your only option Other resources include:

• Your compliance leader or auditor

• Company legal counsel

• Next level of management

3) Measuring performance

Beyond the idealized growth traits, GE also upholds four basic actions to drive performance: imagine, solve, build and lead Stemming from those action-oriented qualities are the foundational values that represent GE and its common set of beliefs: passionate, curious, resourceful, accountable, teamwork, committed, open and energizing This specific set of corporate values lies at the heart of GE’s

unique approach to leadership development

Ongoing appraisal processes and evaluations help to measure performance and also

to sustain the values that GE leaders aim to embody “Your ticket to entry at GE, your base premise to be a part of this game, is you have to perform and you need tohave the GE values,

4) STRESS MANAGEMENT

factors such as increasing completion, corporate restructuring and downsizing havecompelled employees to work for longer hours to meet their deadlines This stress could lead to various health problems At GE, they have professional agencies to organize regular stints of aerobic exercises, meditation and dancing sessions for

employees as part of stress management They also provide counseling to the

employees how to manage work and stress.

5) ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

It is a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the

organization from other organizations, this system of shared meaning is, on closer examination is a set of key characteristics that the organization values

 individual effort is much more important than group or collective efforts

 rebels are heroes (Jack Welch was an effective rebel against most of GE's official management practices throughout his career before he became CEO)

 going around the hierarchy is encouraged (this is the hidden purpose of work-out, not team-based participation and improvement)

 competition is king, internally and externally

 loyalty is determined by performance

 poor performers lose face publicly

 communications are direct and confrontational

 leadership comes from individuals, not groups or teams

At General Electric, they have all begun programs aimed at keeping women

professionally engaged The results are starting to show, as more women who skipped out on companies that did not offer them intellectually challenging work resurface at companies that do

G.E has women's networks, coaching and mentoring programs, and

family-balance policies But Susan P Peters, vice president for executive development, says G.E.'s insistence that "everyone has quantity and quality to their work" may

be most responsible for the fact that 15 percent of its officers are women, up from

9 percent in 1997

Jeanne M Rosario is a case in point While rearing her two children, she worked truncated hours and even turned down a big promotion But, she said, G.E never put her on a mommy track "They gave me as much work as I could handle; they always let me be the one to say, 'No more!' “She said Ms Rosario, 53, is vice president for commercial design and services engineering at G.E Transportation, making her G.E.'s highest-ranking woman in technology

Women’s network

The GE Women's Network (GEWN) was formed to support the professional development of women at GE, with the mission of fostering professional women's

development to help grow, attract and retain successful women throughout GE Development is focused on leadership, advancement and career-broadening

opportunities in a variety of ways including information, education and networkingwith other men and women to learn best practices

GE was honored as one of the 100 Best Companies for Working

Mothers

A "Best" Company for Working Mothers.

Competitive pay and a great job

In addition to great career opportunities GE offers very competitive compensation and benefit packages While plans may vary from business to business, they all are comprehensive and include such things as:

 Stock Purchase Plan

GE’s life and accident insurance plans provide eligible employees and their

families with financial protection And, if you need more coverage than the

company provides, you have the option to purchase additional coverage at

excellent group rates

OTHER SERVICES PROVIDED BY GE TO ITS EMPLOYEES.

• Employee Programs

Committed to building stronger GE communities and strengthening education and human services, the GE Foundation supports various employee programs to encourage personal philanthropy Empowering participants to help shape and direct our giving in their communities, we can support local organizations that address the greatest needs and highest priorities

• United Way

GE’s partnership with the United Way goes beyond employee campaigns and financial contributions

• GE star scholarships for children of GE employees

Each year hundreds of children of GE employees and retirees receive scholarship support from the GE Foundation through a highly competitive selection process

• Parenting assistance

The company assures complete assistance in childcare and adoption processes It extends financial support for the education of the children and also provides

parents with the confidential and expert counseling in raising the child and

balancing work and family