My Years with General Motors
(Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.)

Why Read It?

Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. is one of the very few figures who undoubtedly changed the world of management. He was also one of the first managers to write an important theoretical book. My Years with General Motors is an account of his remarkable career and the creation of a new organizational form, the multidivisional form, that spawned a host of imitators.

Getting Started

Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., a leading figure at General Motors from 1917, became its chief executive in 1946 and honorary chairman from 1956 until his death in 1966.

When he joined, the automobile market was dominated by Ford, and GM’s market share was a mere 12 per cent. GM was then an unwieldy combination of companies with eight models that competed against each other as well as against Ford. Sloan cut the eight models down to five and targeted each at a particular segment of the market. The five ranges were updated regularly and came in more than one color—unlike Ford’s Model T. He also reshaped the organization so that it was better suited to deliver his aspirations.