What kind of place is this really, behind the colorless scen-

ery? It might surprise you to learn that it s the kind of place

great novels are made of, full of drama, intrigue, and high

adventure. What goes on here may well be the ultimate

example of the heartbeat of American business. GM is a

study in many of the things that are right about corporate

America... and much that is wrong.

One cannot fail to give General Motors its due, for what a

remarkable history it has had l What a tremendous influence

it has been on this country and the world. Even today, in

spite of the grave afflictions of recent decades, General

Motors has an uncanny ability to rise from its deepest peri-

ods of sleep and, in a sudden stroke of genius, send industry

spinning. Indeed, there are signs as we approach the 1990s

that change and growth are once again in the wind for the

unpredictable giant.

But a note of caution is indicated. For even if General

Motors rises again to the lofty heights it once knew, the vic-

tory is bound to be short-lived unless change occurs at the

very core of its corporate culture. Ultimately, it will be the

company s ability to shift its fundamental assumptions that

will determine whether it will maintain stature into the next

century. It has been suggested that there have been four ail-

ments festering beneath the rosy complexion of General

Motors. It is for us to decide the extent to which these ail-

ments are now being cured.