GE has been constantly undergoing change in 20th century. In the 1930s, GE was centralized and had a tightly controlled corporate form. In the 1950s, decentralization occurred through delegation of responsibility to department managers. In the 1960s, profitless growth was experienced and sophisticated strategic planning systems were implemented. And in the 1970s, the corporation was divided into strategic business units (SBUs) and then to business sectors.
Early GE Restructuring Efforts
When Jack Welch became CEO of GE, he implemented a new set of standards throughout the organization. …
