Alfred P. Sloan

Alfred P. Sloan was an American automotive executive who led General Motors as president and chairman and established the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

William C. Durant: William C. Durant was an American businessman who founded General Motors and later co-founded Chevrolet. Sloan succeeded Durant as General Motors president after the company’s 1920 financial crisis.
Multidivisional organization: A corporate structure that groups operations into product or regional divisions beneath a central headquarters. Sloan made this structure a defining feature of General Motors’ management.
The Concept of the Corporation: Peter Drucker’s 1946 study of General Motors as a large-scale, decentralized organization. The book examined the company Sloan had reshaped and scrutinized its management practices.
General Motors: General Motors is an American automobile manufacturer founded in 1908. Sloan turned GM into a coordinated group of divisions and led it through its rise to industry dominance.
Pierre S. du Pont: Pierre S. du Pont was an American industrialist who led the DuPont company and served as General Motors chairman. Du Pont helped stabilize General Motors and appointed Sloan president in 1923.
Decentralization: The distribution of decision-making authority away from a central organization. GM divisions gained operating autonomy while corporate headquarters retained strategic and financial control.
Sloanism: A model of corporate organization associated with decentralized divisions and centralized financial oversight. The term captures the management approach Sloan developed at General Motors.
Planned obsolescence: A strategy of designing products or marketing cycles to encourage replacement before products become unusable. GM’s yearly styling changes became closely associated with consumer demand for newer cars.
Charles Kettering: Charles Kettering was an American inventor and engineer who led General Motors’ research organization. Kettering’s engineering and research leadership complemented Sloan’s corporate management.
Management by objectives: A management approach in which leaders set measurable goals and assess performance against them. Sloan’s system used budgets and performance measures to coordinate semi-independent divisions.

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