To the Editor:Re “‘Shortcuts’ Paint a Picture of Boeing Ceding Quality” (front page, March 31):The sad story of Boeing unfortunately seems to be a metaphor for this country.
Boeing — before being taken over by management brought in through the McDonnell Douglas acquisition in 1997 — was by far the best plane maker in the world.
But new management in the post-merger period stressed return on investment and profitability rather than engineering and quality, and the company’s culture shifted over time.
To the Editor:Re “Boeing Chief to Resign in a Major Reshuffle” (Business, March 26):Boeing’s latest leadership overhaul will achieve the necessary results only if the company does the hard work of changing its culture as well.
For years, Boeing has been plagued by a culture that has been described as “broken,” “sick” and filled with “secrecy and intimidation.” Employees were notoriously afraid to speak out about problems they saw internally.
Persons:
McDonnell Douglas, —, Charles H, ”
Organizations:
Boeing, Quality, Swissair, Employees
Locations:
Marblehead, Mass