Introduction

General Electric Company (GE) was incorporated by Thomas Edison, who established Edison
Electric Light Company 1878, in 1876, in Schenectady, New York. GE was created by merger of
Edison General Electric and Thomas-Houstan Electric Company in 1892. It is a multinational
conglomerate headquartered in Fairfield. GE is a technology, media and finance services
company. GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and has more than 323000 employees
around the world. GE participant in a wide variety of markets provide products and services
ranging from generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, aircraft jet automation,
medical imaging equipment, railway locomotives and aviation.
Since its incorporation in 1876, the company has grown into a successful organization and one of
the largest companies in the world. The company learned to pay attention to its leaders on all
levels which has helped the company get linked to the daily needs of the employee and
customers.
GE is a divisional company. Divisional structures are more decentralized, each division has its
own senior management teams. For example, in the organization chart of GE show that each of
GEs division has its own president and CEO, who in turn has vice president. Constructed on
divisional structure, GE can easily contain a product or service structure within it.
GE culture is clearly expressed by its slogan imagination of work. GE is constantly struggling
to create new and innovative products or services for their company. With their ability to adapt to
the very changing environment around them has leaded the companys success. GEs objective is
making and changing the life become well with new ideas and technologies. At GE, they are
willing to learning in order to improve their skills, knowledge, and technologies for innovation.
GE was operating in transnational strategy. This is a combination of global and multi-domestic
strategy which means the balance of authority between the central office and business units, and
the degree to which products and services are customized in order to accommodate tastes and
preferences of local markets. GE is looking to achieve both global competence and local
receptiveness. GE develops home innovation to develop competitive position abroad. They also
frequently change technologies that are transforming the nature of organization and location of
international production. To achieve tremendous success in the industry, GE is able to exploit
technological forces, produce new products, drive innovation, build relationship, and duplicate
the process in different national market.
GE is conglomerate industry; they generally expand their business through the equity based,
which is acquisition and joint venture. GE employs a strategy of acquisition to maximize revenue
and profit of the company. GE adjusts its portfolio of offerings to take benefit in any one market
or industry, by entering and exiting various industries. For example, to reduce commercial airline

operating costs, allowing them to expand their fleet of airplanes, GE has improved the fuel
efficiency in airplane engines.

HR Practices at General Electric

HR program at GE is well-equipped to develop and challenge its employees. The program is a
combination of GEs acclaimed leadership development, and their beliefs that people and HR is
their competitive advantage.
Since 1953, program continues today and has maintained it focus on recruiting talented people,
providing them with diversified challenging experience and developing them into world-class
HR leaders. Its 60 years old Human Resources Leadership Program (HRLP) is perhaps the
innovative program for developing future HR representatives. Most of the candidates straightway
enter to HRLP after graduating from business school. The company reflects the global nature of
its business by having half of the HRLP candidates from outside the U.S. The HRLP program is
divided into three eight-month rotation, includes areas such as HR generalist, employee relation,
specialist roles such as benefits and compensation, staffing and organization design.
Being at the No.1 position in marketplace, a team of representatives from its several businesses
has been formed for improving and integrating the elements of GEs HR development system.
The team is responsible for identifying knowledge and skills valued in GE HR professionals,
defining success and identifying developmental experiences which enhance career growth.

HR Vision:
GE- The most competitive and productive enterprise in the world
HR- Credible, visible and value-added business partner

HR initiatives and outcomes closely linked to business score card

Anticipating business needs
Best HR talent with business and functional skills
Raising the bar and making job at GE the best job in the world

HR Competency Model:

Business Acumen
Customer Oreintation
Ecternal Relation

GE leadership values
Credibility
Judgement
Courage

Personal
Attributes

Business
Mastery

HR Mastery

Change +
Process Mastery

Organizational design
Selection & Staffing
Meas. & Rewards
Communication
Negotiation and Conflicts etc

Change advocacy
Process Oreintation
Facilitation

Personal Attributes:

GE leadership values:
Advocates and models GE leadership values
Credibility:
Develop and exhibits professional competencies
Maintains confidentiality
Judgment:
Make good decision
Indentifies and acts on critical issues
Courage
Takes responsibility for personal actions
Deliver good or bad news up-front and candid manner

Business Mastery:

Business Acumen:
Supports key business objectives, strategies and initiatives.
Understand the business cycle
Proactively seeks global knowledge
Customer orientation
Demonstrates knowledge of customer gained by interacting with business partners
External relations
Proactively develop cooperative relationship to produce mutual benefits by
understanding the matters of common business
Maintain awareness on public policies and business implications

HR Mastery:

Organizational Design:
Develops and implements a strategy to optimize structures, processes and people
to support business goals
Facilitates the approximate the use of high performance team
Motivates new way of thinking to stimulate organizational innovation
Selection and Staffing
Implements strategic staffing that supports the business goals
Indentifies and select the best candidates
Develop strategies for successful integration of new people
Design strategies to retain key talents
Measurements and Rewards:
Design and implements performance measurement and feedback tools
Design compensation and reward programs that support business and HR
initiatives
Negotiation and Conflicts Resolution
Develops consensus
Resolves issues between business and employees
Generates solutions for conflicts
Negotiates effectively with outside vendors and suppliers
Communication
Promotes communication across all channels
Effective utilization of multi media
Utilizes IT to manage and improve HR processes and services

Change and Process Mastery:

Change Advocacy
Regularly assesses organizational issues and trends to identify opportunity
Creates and environment that supports participation, experimentation and prudent
risk taking at all level
Develops and shares the best practice in an organization
Process Orientation
Involves key stakeholders to improve critical processes
Use appropriate process tools to diagnose opportunities for productivity
Facilitation
Improves organizational creativity, decision making and effectiveness by reducing
conflicts and by respecting the differences to reach consensus
Adapts approach to fit organization and group dynamics

HR Policies at General Electric:

Fair Employment practice on the basis of merits

Leadership Program
Environment Free of Harassment
Follow the Privacy Right
Environment and Health Safety
Communication Standard and Prohibitions
More Focused on Production with Quality

Fair Employment Practice on the basis of Merits

GE is committed to fair employment practice including the prohibition against all forms of
illegal discrimination. It provides equal access and fair treatment to all employees based on
merits (for example education, experience and competencies). They enhance the progress of their
employees and communities where there businesses are located. They recruit, hire, train,
compensate and provide other benefits without regard to a persons race, color, religion,
originality, sex, disability etc.
GE follows all applicable labor and employment laws wherever they operate which includes
freedom of association, privacy, and recognition of all rights to engage in collective bargaining,
the prohibition of forced, compulsory and child labor and those laws that pertains to the
elimination of any improper employment discrimination.
Leadership Program

Human Resources Leadership Program (HRLP) is perhaps the innovative program for
developing future HR representatives. The program consists of three eight-month rotations,
including one job outside the HR field, such as working on the corporate audit staff or managing
a shop floor. The HRLP emphasizes on networking. Twice in a year, all the participants from
around the world gather in one location for a week of training, workshops, presentations, and
lunches and dinners with GE senior executives.
GEs HRLP is a two year program includes three job assignments, global cross-business projects
and in-class and virtual training.
Environment Free of Harassment
Workplace Harassment: Harassment based on sex, origin, race, religion, sexual
orientation, disability, age, etc is prohibited.
Sexual Harassment: includes unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors,
verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature, unreasonably interfering with an individual
work are prohibited.
Anyone violating this policy is subjected to disciplinary action which also leads to termination if
someone found guilty. Any employee who feels he or she might be a victim of such harassment
is required to raise the voice.
Follow the Privacy Right
GE respects the privacy rights of employees by using, maintaining and transferring their personal
data in accordance with applicable Company guidelines and procedures. (While seeking to
maintain employee privacy, however, GE must reserve the right to monitor use of company
property and resources [for example, computers, e-Mail, phones, proprietary information, etc.],
in accordance with applicable law.)
Environment and Health Safety
GE is committed to having a world-class program for managing environmental, health and safety
(EHS) risks. GEs commitment begins with its Board of Directors, which regularly reviews the
Companys environmental and safety performance. This commitment and drive has established
GE as an industry leader in non destructive testing equipment. This ensures environment, health
and safety at GE. GE is equally committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for their
customers, suppliers, business partners, employees, and neighbours by conducting all business
activities with a focus on environmental impact. Recycling of office waste and circuit boards has
been a part of its standard operating procedure for several years.

Communication Standard and Prohibitions

There is extensive and continuing communication of the issue- harassment in the workplace to
all employees. This policy clearly prohibits any form of workplace harassment from GE
employees or third parties that creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment for
any employee that is based on his or her sex, disability, race, sexual orientation or any other
diverse human characteristic. Anyone violating this policy is subject to disciplinary action up to
and including discharge. Any employee who feels he or she might be a victim of such harassment
is required to raise that concern.

More Focused on Production with Quality

GEs success with Six Sigma has exceeded its most optimistic predictions. Across the Company,
GE associates embrace Six Sigmas customer-focused, data-driven philosophy and apply it to
everything they do. They are building on these successes by sharing best practices across all of
its businesses, putting the full power of GE behind its quest for better, faster customer solutions.