4 ms·

> Boeing needs to dump the CEO and install someone from an engineering lineage if they want to build their reputation back. I'd argue they need an effective en

> Boeing needs to dump the CEO and install someone from an engineering lineage if they want to build their reputation back. I'd argue they need an effective engineering culture, and leadership that enables and values and fights for it, not a former-engineer figurehead. Good engineers within Boeing need to be enabled to do their job properly, within normal business constraints, and bad engineers need to be removed. The business needs to understand that good engineering is a necessity and a profit centre in aerospace. I don't know how they'd achieve this change. The company seems to have rotted from the head down since it merged with McDonnel Douglas, and its possible that the senior leadership lack the self awareness to comprehend the problem.

hinkley 3y ago
Move headquarters back to Puget Sound. It’s the only way.
AaronM 3y ago
I think the MD merge gets the blame by many, however, it seems as though the shift in the market that started around the same time to optimize shareholder value at all costs is really to blame.
- kelnos 3y ago
  I think it's both in a sort of chicken and egg sort of situation. The MD execs taking over Boeing had a terrible effect on safety culture, but the reason the MD execs took over in the first place was because of this shift in the market that you describe. If the pre-MD Boeing management had managed to retain control of the company things may have been ok from a quality and safety perspective... but the stock would have declined because they would have refused to chase short-term quarterly success at the expense of the long term.
  - p_l 3y ago
    Phil Condit was a Boeing engineering lifer who spearheaded the first steps that led to things described as "MD takeover". And was still in charge of 7E7 (today's Dreamliner) when the excessive outsourcing and cost targets began.
AdrianB1 3y ago
The senior leadership does not lack the self awareness, they know exactly that they are bad and they act to cover it as best as possible. I saw this up close in other similar companies (manufacturing moved to all non-technical leadership).

hinkley 3y ago

Move headquarters back to Puget Sound. It’s the only way.

AaronM 3y ago

I think the MD merge gets the blame by many, however, it seems as though the shift in the market that started around the same time to optimize shareholder value at all costs is really to blame.

kelnos 3y ago
I think it's both in a sort of chicken and egg sort of situation. The MD execs taking over Boeing had a terrible effect on safety culture, but the reason the MD execs took over in the first place was because of this shift in the market that you describe. If the pre-MD Boeing management had managed to retain control of the company things may have been ok from a quality and safety perspective... but the stock would have declined because they would have refused to chase short-term quarterly success at the expense of the long term.
- p_l 3y ago
  Phil Condit was a Boeing engineering lifer who spearheaded the first steps that led to things described as "MD takeover". And was still in charge of 7E7 (today's Dreamliner) when the excessive outsourcing and cost targets began.

AdrianB1 3y ago

The senior leadership does not lack the self awareness, they know exactly that they are bad and they act to cover it as best as possible. I saw this up close in other similar companies (manufacturing moved to all non-technical leadership).