Consistency
一致性
Consistency: Consistency has been a Jack Welch virtue.
Through the 1980s the GE chairman spoke favorably of managers who lived GE’s values (and the need to rid the organization of those who didn’t). Those who lived the values were the managers who “walked the talk.” One of the underlying reasons for Welch’s extraordinary success has been his remarkable consistency. He not only outlined a vision and a road map for the company, he also described in depth the way a GE employee ought to behave. He then lived that behavior, making sure that the chief executive led by example.He did not recommend that GEers live under one set of rules, while he lived under an entirely different set. That would have undermined his credibility and, with it, the credibility of his ideas and initiatives.
一致性：一致性是韦尔奇的一种美德。
整个20世纪80年代，这位通用电气公司董事会主席时常表扬那些能够亲身实践公司价值观的管理人员，同时也说公司有必要赶走那些不这样做的管理人员。那些亲身实践价值观的管理人员“言行一致”。韦尔奇之所以能取得非凡的成功，一条根本的原因就是他出色的一致性。他不仅为公司勾勒出了一幅远景目标和一份路线图，而且还深入阐述了通用电气公司员工的应当采取的行为方式。然后他自己便身体力行，确保身为首席执行官的自己以身作则。他没有严以待人、宽以律己。那样会损害他的信誉，也会随之而破坏他的创想和倡导行动的信誉。
CONSISTENCY OF THE VISION
In the late 1990s, Welch described another type of consistency that has helped drive GE’s success. That consistency involved the persistence of GE’s success model.Welch said: “The uniqueness of this model lies in its consistency.” Since implementing his hardware revolution, the model has stayed essentially the same: about a dozen large businesses, most number one or number two in their markets, all striving for doubledigit gains and improvements in operating margins and working capital turns.Welch felt that how he applied this model over GE’s diverse portfolio of businesses was not necessarily difficult for other companies to duplicate. However, what were unique, were the results and the consistent growth performance of GE’s vast array of businesses.
远景目标的一致性
20世纪90年代晚期，韦尔奇讲述了帮助推动通用电气公司取得成功的另一种一致性，那就是对通用电气公司成功模式的坚持。韦尔奇说：“这种模式的独特之处便在于它的一致性。”自从实施他的硬件变革以来，这种模式基本上保持未变：大约十来家大型企业，大多数都在自己的市场上数一数二，全都为实现两位数增长、提高营业利润和营运资本回报率而奋斗。韦尔奇觉得，对于他是如何将这种模式应用于通用电气公司多元化业务组合中的，其它企业不难依样画瓢，但通用电气公司庞大的企业军团所取得的成效、以及它们一致的增长绩效却独一无二。
At the center of this model, and everything else that made GE an ultracompetitive, learning organization, was its unique culture.Welch was the first Fortune 500 CEO who had made such a direct connection between values and behavior. He proved that by establishing one consistent set of values, he could create a behavioral ideal that would enhance the productivity of the organization. Other leaders espoused values, but it was Welch who incorporated those values so deeply into the fabric of the organization. By maintaining a consistent strategic vision (number one, number two, global growth, etc.) along with a consistent behavioral model (the GE values), Welch succeeded in creating one of the world’s most competitive corporations. In addition, he showed how learning can lead to self-actualization, and how performance is enhanced by the free flow of new ideas and Best Practices.
在这套模式中，以及在使通用电气公司成为极具竞争力的学习型组织的一切事情中，公司独有的文化都处在中心地位。韦尔奇是《财富》500强企业首席执行官中将价值观和行为如此直接联系起来的第一人。他已经证明，通过构建一套一致的价值观，他可以创造一种能够提高组织生产率的理想行为模式。其他领导人也拥护价值观，但只有韦尔奇才将这些价值观深深地融入组织的构造中。韦尔奇坚持了一致的战略性远景目标（数一数二、全球增长等）和一致的行为模式（通用电气公司价值观），从而成功地将通用电气公司建设成了全世界最具竞争力的企业之一。此外，他还展示了学习如何能够通向自我实现，而新创意和最佳做法的自由交流又如何能够提高绩效。
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CONSISTENCY TO GE
Welch’s consistency played a vital role in the evolution of GE. By building on a consistent vision, GE evolved into a learning culture. Had he sent mixed messages over the years, rather than building on a few well articulated themes (e.g., boundaryless, learning), it is likely that the company would have gotten bogged down along the way. Each consistent message, and each consistent phase, built on the ones that preceded it. Work-Out, for example, was a necessary step toward boundarylessness, and Six Sigma helped prepare the company for the e-Initiative.With each seminal concept, program, and initiative, all based on the same set of internally consistent assumptions,Welch elevated the organization, transforming a century-old institution into a global powerhouse in which ideas and intellect ruled.
一致性对通用电气公司的意义
韦尔奇的一致性在通用电气公司的革命中发挥了至关重要的作用。通过确立一套一致的远景目标，通用电气公司发展了一套学习型文化。如果这些年来韦尔奇不是依靠少数清晰阐明的主题来建设企业（例如“无界限”、“学习”），而是传达出相互混淆的意思，那通用电气公司就很可能在途中不断陷入泥潭。每一条一致的精神和每一个一致的阶段都以之前的精神和阶段为基础。例如，“群策群力”就是迈向“无界限”的必要步骤，而“六西格玛”则帮助公司为“电子商务倡议”做好了准备。韦尔奇每一个影响深远的概念、计划和倡导行动都建立在具有内在一致性的同一套假设条件的基础上，韦尔奇通过它们而提升了组织，将它从一家百年衰迈的机构转变成由创意和智识所统领的全球强势企业。
Lessons in consistency关于一致性的经验教训
1. Remember that consistency is a key to credibility: Welch’s consistency was one of the keys to his success. All of the Welch themes, from values to learning to the “Four E’s of Leadership,” centered on the same construct: lead organizations with good ideas, energize others to come up with their own, and behave in a way that promotes a healthy, growing learning organization.
All of Welch’s initiatives accomplished that goal in one way or another, and, although first greeted with skepticism, the consistency of those themes eventually resonated with employees. Be prepared, however, for the long haul:Welch’s initiatives lasted for years, not months.
1、要记住一致性是取信的关键：韦尔奇的一致性是他取得成功的关键因素之一。从价值观到学习、再到“领导资格四个E”，韦尔奇所有的主题都以同样的观念为中心：凭借好的主意来领导组织，激励他人拿出自己的创意，而且行为方式要能促进不断增长的、健康的学习型组织。韦尔奇所有的倡导行动都殊途同归地达到了这一目标。这些主题尽管一开始遭到怀疑，但它们的一致性最终引起了员工的共鸣。不过要做好路漫漫其修远的思想准备：韦尔奇的倡导计划都持续了数年，而不是几个月的时间。
2. Don’t underestimate the importance of simplicity: Simplicity was another key construct in the Welch playbook, and he spoke often of the simplicity of business. One of the underlying reasons for his success was his ability to articulate his vision in a few well-chosen words and phrases. These goals were easy to comprehend by everyone in the organization. Had he over-whelmed employees with complex jargon, there would likely have been a “disconnect” that would have short-circuited the company’s learning architecture.
2、别低估简约的重要性：简约是韦尔奇行动原则中另一项关键要素，而且他也常常论及经营管理的简约性。他取得成功的根本原因之一，是他能够以简约的精辟字句来阐明他的远景目标，组织中的每个人都能轻松地理解这些目标。如果他用复杂的行话来使员工们望而生畏，那就很可能出现一种“脱节”的现象，并使公司的学习型结构“短路”。
3. Keep the model consistent: Welch’s business model remained remarkably consistent through the years. This is important on several levels. First, it reinforced his message. Year after year, Welch’s communications stressed the importance of creating market-leading businesses (number one or number two) that fired on all cylinders (double-digit growth, growing operating margins, etc.). By maintaining a consistent theme and model, all employees knew what was important (and also worked to speed the learning curve of the thousands of new GE employees who joined the company every year).
3、让模式保持一致：韦尔奇的管理模式在这些年来保持了出色的一致。从多个方面来看这一点都相当重要，尤其是这种一致性使他所传达的精神更加有力。韦尔奇在沟通交流中年复一年地强调，建设全力拼搏（实现两位数增长、不断提高营业利润等）、领先市场的企业（数一数二）有多么重要。由于他坚持一致的主题和模式，所有员工们也就都清楚哪些是重要事项（而且这样也会使每年新加入通用电气公司的数千名员工快速完成他们的学习曲线）。
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