A Lesson Learned @ General Motors

The first time I got to work as an engineer was at the General Motors Grey Iron Foundry in Defiance, OH, as a summer intern. I learned many things during that summer; however, the most important was "everyone must work together to succeed". The foundry was a union plant and it was my first time working in such a plant. At that time, GM's management and the union had little interest or desire to work together making it incredibly difficult to accomplish anything. Even as an intern, I was required to wear a tie, so I could be distinguished from the union.

I had a summer project which should have taken me less than one month to complete; however, it took me the entire summer. My project required me to obtain castings, move them, test and measure them and then move them again. The reason it took so long to complete my project was the union and management couldn't work together. I was not allowed to do any tasks consecutively without having to get (and wait for) someone to help me. The 'help' was not needed, it was just required because the union and management couldn't work together.

Needless to say, experiencing this culture for a summer made a lasting (life long) impression. I got to seen first hand the harm and pain, the dysfunction of not working together can create. Of course, General Motors and its continual trials serve as constant reminder of this lesson.