The Rudolph Factor

The Boeing Company, one of America's oldest and best aircraft manufacturers, has struggled—along with many of its competitors and suppliers—with the cyclical nature of demand for commercial aircraft. Between the difficult integration of the Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas teams into Boeing's culture, increasing competition from Airbus, and heightened market pressure, the company was facing serious financial consequences...until it found its bearings and managed a remarkable turnaround in record-breaking time, putting its competitors on the ropes.The Rudolph Factor explains how Boeing did it. The company's journey back to excellence began a decade ago with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, the U.S. Air Force's newest, most modern cargo aircraft. Hampered by a toxic culture and struggling to stay alive, Boeing C-17 management and employees partnered with the U.S. Air Force to fix the Program. They—all 10,000 of them—instituted a new set of progressive practices from the top down and from the bottom up. One of their primary focuses was finding and nurturing creativity and innovative thinking among their people and teams.