Ed Whitacre is trying to do some big things for GM, and I hope for the industries-sake, he accomplishes them.  As former chairman and CEO of AT&T, he created one of the largest telecommunications corporations with the mergers of Cingular, Bell-South and SNET.  Now, as the new face of GM (including appearances in GM's latest TV ads) he's taking the job seriously:

 

"Whitacre made it clear that every top executive's job was on the line. The executive told Walsh that if progress in sales, market share and profitability don't come soon, heads could roll in the next two or three months."

 

(Source: egmCarTech)

 

And he's also setting a path for a new, more efficient, cutting-edge car company, with the today's global presentation to GM employees:

 

DETROIT - General Motors Co. Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr. urged the troubled automaker's employees to forget their old bureaucratic culture, telling them Friday not to fear being fired for taking risks.

 

Whitacre, who also announced key management changes, wants to speed up the automaker's shift to an entrepreneurial culture where decisions are made quickly.

 

"We want you to step up. We don't want any bureaucracy," Whitacre told employees, strolling back and forth across a stage at the company's headquarters here. "We're not going to make it if you won't take a risk," he told the audience of 800.

 

In a 45-minute presentation that was broadcast to employees on internal television networks and over the Internet, Whitacre also unveiled a mission statement to design, build and sell the world's best vehicles.

 

(Source: AP|MSN)

 

So here's the question, is this a good thing for consumers or not?  Will quicker turn-around lead to lower prices and better products?