I resisted the temptation to write about GM’s internal report on the Cobalt ignition switch crisis until I had the time to review the entire 315-pages. The details of the report by Anton Valukas, partner at the law firm Jenner & Block, reveal a catastrophic breakdown in communication. Today’s column isn’t just for those readers who want to know more about theGeneral Motors failure to recall thousands of cars with safety problems. It offers valuable lessons for any leader who wants to improve the communication of critical information.
“As a whole, from beginning to end, the story of the Chevrolet Cobalt is one of numerous failures leading to tragic results.” Most of those ‘failures’ can be directly tied to poor communication, according to the Valukas report. The investigation reviewed 41 million documents and hundreds of witness interviews. The report covers 15 years of failures and gets highly technical, but it’s clear that poor communication, information overload, and bewildering PowerPoint slides take much of the blame for the loss of 13 lives.
Read more about these two misleading words here.
