Now I Get It

[tw]

Boeing's problems are widespread. Not only is the MD disease appearing all through Boeing, but they are having problems in every segment of their business. All symptoms of technological ignorance at the executive levels.

Boeing was once renoun for their manufacturing abilities. They also went high tech into application design methods. But in the past 20 years, Boeing is doing what MBA dominated defense contractors do. When in trouble, they ran for government contracts. Those air tankers are only typical of what is happening throughout virtually every division of Boeing.

Bad enough that the Osprey was so poorly designed. But then that was from a division that has long been a poor division. Boeing is famous because they identified a new product so fundamental that Boeing would risk the corporation. They did that with WWII bombers - manufacturing at a breakneck pace even when they had no customers (we did not yet think we would be at war). The 707 was another classic example. 747 was another total risk to the company that gave Boeing the only source of the most profitable aircraft for decades.

So where is the next 'breakthrough' aircraft? It does not exist - which is typically what happened even in Apple when MBA took over that company and almost ran it into the ground.

Their spy satellite business is in total chaos. Reports say Boeing could not handle the technical complexity. How can that be? Last time a system was so complex as to require a company that could handle technical complexity? Apollo 1 that killed three astronauts. Boeing was brought in to manage a program in technology disarray. And yet now Boeing cannot handle the technology of spy satellite?

Their rocket business, mostly inherited from MD, is in trouble. So they had to resort to spying just to stay competitive. 777 program is no longer competitive with Airbus. How much innovation does Boeing now stifle? Why do Boeing airliners not have outlets for laptop power in every seat? First class on all Airbus have power available on every seat of every airline. Why can't Boeing even get this simple technology working?

Why move HQ from where the work gets done? Exactly what MBAs believe. A good manager can manage any business. A lie. But then when did an MBA acknowledge he was the enemy of the company? First Energy only being the latest example of anti-business management whose only objective is to enrich the management - employees be damned. Boeing has problems now in virutally every division because top management does not come from where the work gets done. Classic MBA disease. Classic to what happened in McDonald Douglas.

So who do they hire to replace Conduit? The old MD top executive whose MBA background drove MD into the earth. Therein lies the problem with Boeing. They so refuse to admit their reason for failure as to even hire those from MD who destroyed MD.