1. General Electric Assignment
Planning
This is without a doubt the vital point from which it all spawns. For the
entire project to be successful this project must be laid out effectively and this
map must be used correctly throughout the projects entire lifetime. This step will
help managers know what they want and how to get it. It provides a sense of
unification within the organisation and aligns all workers in the same direction,
towards the same goal. The basic planning process also focuses on external as
well as internal factors of the company like the environment, alternatives for the
stated plan & a final solution, the implementation of the plan and the control &
evaluation of the results.
Its components include the mission, the vision, a strategic plan (goals), a
tactical plan (objectives) and operational objectives. Normally the planning
should answer 6 questions; “What?” “When?” “Where?” “Who?” “How?” “How
Much?”
Initially you must lay out the framework and make sure it is followed. The
goals must then be identified & prioritised in order to achieve them and so they
are not mixed with other functions within the company. The necessary tools
must be identified and confirmed to be within reach when working towards the
stated goals. The actions that need to be carried out with these tools must then
be specified down to every detail so that employees and departments within the
organization can start to work towards the planned goals.
1. Our Culture – At GE we consider our culture to be among our innovations
http://www.ge.com/company/culture/index.html
2. Life at GE – We believe that life at GE leaves you a better person than
when you first walked through our doors. Our culture is all about
providing everyone who works here with the opportunities to exercise
their responsibility integrity and creativity while growing themselves,
their careers and our business.
http://www.ge.com/careers/life_at_ge/index.html
Organizing
Another of the core management functions in a business. This is the next
step to achieve a goal after planning; trying to organize the available resources to
get the desired result. You’d need to determine the tasks that are required to
succeed. Dividing the workforce into teams by employee and position, each
having its own set goal, will speed up the process. The relationship between each
one of these teams must also be clearly stated to make sure that communication
and group progress are a common goal.

2. 1. Board Of Directors – GE’s culture of integrity starts with our board of
directors and touches ever member of the company
http://www.ge.com/company/leadership/directors.html
2. Functions – We are always looking for dedicated individuals, at any stage
in their career, who want to make the most of their future. Look through
the categories below and see if your experience makes you a good
candidate for working at GE
http://www.ge.com/careers/functions.html
Staffing
This is the process by which a company or a department within a
company determines the skills they need and the experience level required in
each position. The number of people required to carry out the work effectively
and the training these people must go through before being ready to join the
workforce. The steps in the staffing process are as follows: attract & hire the
worker, retain him and offer him a reward, to then develop and train his skills
within the company. Managers divide the staffing cycle into three different
environments, to facilitate the requirements an employer must meet: the legal
environment (equal employment opportunity, sexual harassment, etc), the
sociocultural environment (diversity, drug tests, etc) & the union environment
(collective bargaining & grievance processing)
1. Engineering – The Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP)
develops technical problem-solving skills through advanced courses in
engineering and technical projects and presentations to senior
leadership that are aligned with business objectives.
http://www.ge.com/careers/students/experienced.html
2. Human Resources - The Human Resources Leadership Program (HRLP)
is a challenging rotational program focused on accelerated development
of top potential human resources talent, with the purpose of creating a
pipeline for HR leadership roles across GE.
http://www.ge.com/careers/students/experienced.html
Leading
Leadership is probably one of the most important managerial functions
and without a doubt one of the ones I have learnt most about. It helps companies
& its employees achieve goals, leaders serve as role models and don’t always
have to be managers. Leaders should always be ready to communicate and listen
as well as disposed to coach, counsel, inspire, and encourage. They are there to
respond to concerns and to resolve disputes for the workforce. Leaders always

3. ‘pull’ others towards them voluntarily and therefore are a much more interesting
piece for a company’s hierarchy rather than a regular grumpy, pushy, manager
that only damages the teams morale. They get commitment from those around
them to pursue the same goals and they do this by inspiring their values, skills
and abilities. The acknowledgement and celebration of progress is a vital
function that a good leader must cover, this maintains the positive spirit and
makes the worker feel appreciated by the organization. An effective leader can
easily communicate, model and reinforce change into the workforce if the
company wants it to.
1. Leadership – We have always believed that building strong leaders is a
strategic imperative
http://www.ge.com/company/leadership/index.html
2. Executive Leaders - Meet GE's new generation of growth leaders - the
men and women who are driving GE's many businesses.
http://www.ge.com/company/leadership/executives.html
Controlling
Once all the groundwork has been established for the previous points, it
links them all and makes the managerial cycle come all together. A company
needs to make sure the direction it has set is being maintained; controlling can
only do this. It is the easiest way to prevent future problems, as well as
identifying them and correcting them to fit the planning process once again or to
adapt it to a new goal. It helps identify the causes of the deviations as well as the
deviations themselves. It is without a doubt the one function that allows a
company to improve endlessly through problem solving techniques.
Controlling can also be called the management of risks. It sets
performance levels and makes sure they are met to maintain a company’s work
pace and increase its stamina.
1. Rewarding effective risk management - Over the past year, our leaders
have demonstrated the ability to identify risks and adapt our strategies to
protect the Company.
http://www.ge.com/ar2008/governance.html
2. Risk Management & Portfolio Quality - Data-driven analytics – identify &
monitor key risks, measure capital & leverage
http://www.ge.com/pdf/investors/investing/fixed_income/ge_Risk3Q11
.pdf

4. Motivating
This is the first criterion outside the five core functions of management,
however it is not less important than the previous. It is the key to a good
performance. A motivated worker is an asset to a company, while a non-
motivated worker is a liability. It is vital to keep workforce morale high, however
this is a hard task to do if it has to be done one by one. Therefore a better
solution is to have a motivating environment for the workers to be in, this will
maintain the levels of inspiration and positivity high. Maslow was a pioneer in
this field and determined the factors that affect this emotion within a worker,
establishing lower levels as needs and the higher ones as the ones to achieve to
have a fully motivated and effective worker. Herzberg also had his own theory
where he believed in two main sets of factors that influence motivation& worker
satisfaction, Hygiene factors & motivational factors. Motivational factors include;
achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement & work content.
1. Working Environment – Our employees performance can only flourish in
a sound work environment
http://www.ge.com/company/culture/working_environment.html
2. Our People – We are GE’s greatest asset.
http://www.ge.com/company/culture/people.html
Decision Making
Also external to the five core functions of management, decision-making
is a very strong support for the previous methods. This represents the choices
that a manager faces between different alternatives in his daily job. The two
main situations that call for this function are either; a recurring problem that
needs a programmed solution, or a unique situation that calls for a non-
programmed change with unpredictable results and important consequences.
Decision-making can be a process carried out either in groups or individually.
Different companies have different ways of attacking these situations,
advantages and disadvantages exist for either method, however the importance
is that the decision is taken following thesesteps: the definition of the
problem/opportunity, the identification of the factors limiting this situation, the
drafting & analysis of alternatives, with the selection of the best one. This choice
must then be implemented and a control system must be developed to maintain
the solutions effectiveness.
1. Press Releases - MyFleet Plant Performance Monitoring Solution
Empowers Plant Operators to Make Smarter Decisions
http://www.genewscenter.com/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=12602&
NewsAreaID=2

5. 2. Press Releases - Proficy® Real-Time Information Portal Provides Web-
Based Usability and Performance Improvements to Facilitate Business
Decisions Based on Real-Time Facility Data
http://www.genewscenter.com/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=11749&
NewsAreaID=2
Quality
Last but not least. Quality determines customer satisfaction. It goes as
deep as the criteria used to hire, train and evaluate workers. These quality filters
will be visible in the final product of the company; therefore this is a factor that a
company must be very strict with and have very implemented in its culture.
The Quality school of management is the most broadly used throughout
the world. There are different approaches within this school of thought, but the
common grounds state that, whatever a company does must be measured
quantitatively as well as qualitatively and the best way of achieving good results
is by making sure the needs of the person or group demanding them are entirely
met at all times. The alignment between the company’s products and its
consumers needs is mandatory. Once again, controlling and measuring the
performance will avoid any problems.
An example of a quality driven process would be the Six Sigma process
that drives for perfection and aims to get as close to it as it possibly can.
1. Operating with Integrity - How we 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.
http://www.ge.com/company/culture/working_environment.html
2. Six Sigma - Every GE employee is trained in Six Sigma, and most have at
least a Green Belt certification.
http://ge.geglobalresearch.com/blog/how-do-you-measure-a-year-in-
the-life-with-six-sigma/