Part 5: Jack Welch as a Social Architect
Strategic Leadership
Jack Welch was able to make GE one of the most desirable places to work by using
strategic leadership effectively. Daft describes strategic leadership as, “The ability to anticipate
and envision the future, maintain flexibility, think strategically, and initiate changes that will
create a competitive advantage for the organization in the future” (The Leadership Experience,
page 396). To help illustrate Jack Welch’s effective strategic leadership, the Domain of Strategic
Leadership model will be used. This model consists of four levels; vision, mission, strategy, and
mechanisms for execution.
The first level is vision which describes the future of the company and where it is headed.
Jack Welch’s vision for GE was very clear and that he wanted GE to concentrate on the service
end. Before Jack Welch became CEO of GE, the company’s focus was manufacturing. Jack
Welch’s vision was to be a, “global service company that also sells high-quality products” (Jack
Welch and the GE Way, page 265). GE used to only produce products such as appliances,
