How I discovered GM’s Planned Obsolescence

I have just encountered firsthand experience of GM's planned obsolescence. It seems there is a bulb burned out in behind my speedometer in my instrument cluster creating an area of darkness in the dashboard while driving at night. I can't see how fast I am going, which I have found, completely eliminates all conviction when I seem to be going really fast. Ignorance really is bliss.

In my attempt to solve this problem, I discover that it cannot be fixed. I have to replace the entire instrument cluster. What used to be a $2 bulb and minimal amount of time will now cost me around $600.00, not including labour . . . for a burned out light bulb. The old one? Garbage. One would think that environmentalists would be all over this and have had speedometers tattooed on their foreheads by now. I haven't noticed a picture of my Instrument cluster on the list of returnable / recyclable items.

Planned Obsolescence is the practice of intentionally making a product obsolete after a relatively short period of time so that the consumer is obliged to buy yet another product at the end of the original product's lifespan. It did work. Consumers were obliged to buy another vehicle. However, for obvious reasons, they decided to buy from a different manufacturer.

If the plan of obsolescence is to replace a product with a must-have better product with more features and advanced technology – great idea. But, how does a group of talented people come up with the idea to build stuff with limited life, that breaks and cannot be fixed, so that people will have to replace in a short period of time?

I didn't have to work at or with GM to know the answer to that question. They have certainly not cornered the market with this phenomenon that conceives and births really dumb ideas.

I know that there were people within GM advising against this idea, suggesting to the senior leaders that this was a bad idea and bad business, predicting and forecasting the potential problems with a plan of this nature. I know this because that is what good leaders do – they stand by their convictions – they do the right thing.

Unfortunately, I also know that there were leaders inside GM who allowed their title and the power that comes with running a large corporation, to go to their head. I know that they didn't listen to what people inside and outside their organization were warning them about.

. . . and, we think is was the recession that brought GM to bankruptcy.

If you don't agree with me on this, then you are either one of those former, close minded leaders in GM, or you don't have a burned out bulb in your instrument cluster that is going to cost you $600.00.

How I discovered GM’s Planned Obsolescence

Obstacles

There will sometimes be obstacles. Obstacles are not distractions.

Obstacles are barriers in the way of the Vision – they impede progress. They are real and cannot be ignored. Obstacles don't just go away with hope. If they cannot be taken down, a detour must be built around them.

Some leaders ignore obstacles, thinking that by pretending an obstruction is really just a distraction, it will somehow magically disappear. They demoralize.

Great leaders:

1. Identify and acknowledge obstacles – they do not ignore them or confuse them with distractions.
   
2. Deliberately and quickly collaborate with the team, developing plans and strategies to effectively deal with them.
   
3. Don't allow obstacles to cause them to lose sight of the Vision.

They energize!

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No Pain – No Gain

The term "no pain – no gain" has often been misunderstood. Positive and beneficial exercise or change (gain) will cause some short term discomfort(pain). If we do not experience the short-term discomfort, it means that we have not pushed ourselves hard enough.

There is a huge difference between this "beneficial short-term discomfort" from profitable change or exertion and the intense throbbing of injury. The pain experienced from a back injury does not bring any gain. Neither does continuing to run with a knee injury.

How do you know if you have made a decision or change that has caused your organization to "jog with a knee brace?" How do you know if it was the wrong decision?

1. The pain doesn't go away
   

The discomfort caused by beneficial change always goes away. The new level that we have pushed ourselves becomes the norm. On occasion, we may push ourselves a little too hard and as a result may take longer to recover, but we do recover.

If the pain never goes away – injury has occurred.

2. Symptoms prevent normal activities
   

Physical injury makes it impossible to carryout normal everyday activities. Business decisions that have caused injury to the business do the same – stop the essential everyday activities. For example: If you can no longer provide the service to your customer that your business was built on – something is seriously wrong.

Pushing through "knee injury pain" (unwise business decisions) is a terrible idea. Don't let pride get in the way.

Knee replacement surgery means it is too late.

Photo by: notcub

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Character

No Pain – No Gain