Dedication

It is rare that one individual can create large-scale change while at the same time involving others who totally embrace that change. Don Rust did just that.

After taking over as plant manager of General Motors’ largest engine plant, in Tonawanda, New York, he committed himself to changing its toxic culture into one where all stakeholders were partners in its success. His greatest challenge was to overcome the negative impact of a major recession, during which over 2,500 workers had been laid off from his plant. The tension between management and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union had led to an impasse in signing a new labor agreement. He also had a problem with shrinking demand for work from his plant due to poor GM car sales and no contracts for new engines. The plant was in crisis.

Two weeks after his promotion to plant manager, Don was summoned to GM’s Detroit headquarters and told there would be no new business allocated to his plant until its workers had signed a union contract. Furthermore, the plant was perceived as too large to be managed. Don was given two weeks to get a union contract signed and fill the plant with new business, or it would be shut down.

To have any chance of saving the plant, Don knew that management, the UAW union, and key members of the workforce needed to put their hostilities aside and create a plan to save the plant from closure. This alignment could only evolve from trust and mutual respect, two qualities that had been missing throughout the plant’s history.

The first order of business was for Don to set up a meeting with all plant employees to present what he called “the brutal facts” that came out of his meeting at GM headquarters and to outline the challenges facing the plant. His candor and optimism that the plant could meet its challenges became contagious. A plan was created with overwhelming support of management and the UAW. A union contract was agreed to, and 50 grievances were dropped without prejudice due to Don’s growing reputation with the union leadership for mutual trust and respect. The plant’s engineering team was able to take advantage of its plant size to successfully bid for two new engines, saving millions of dollars for GM.

Don’s plan to save the plant energized the workforce and management. One by one, the challenge to improve working conditions and product quality, address worker concerns about job security, involve workers and union leaders in decision-making, and engage workers in improving productivity transformed the plant from one being targeted for shutdown to taking on the role as a world-class manufacturer. Don and the workers not only succeeded in keeping the plant open but also set a world record for engines produced in one day. This was accomplished with the trust that management would not reset production standards.

I was a consultant to the Tonawanda Engine Plant when the culture change Don envisioned was taking place. I observed the renewal of energy and optimism in the plant. Many years later, Don contacted me through a mutual colleague, asking whether I would help him write a book about his transformation of the culture of the plant. I was honored to accept his request. Together, Don and I wrote two books about culture change. My work with him inspired me to continue to examine the role of leaders in creating and maintaining healthy cultures. I hope to continue what Don started by encouraging leaders to create healthy cultures as a critical component of their success.

I dedicate this website to Don Rust, a pioneer and leader in culture change. Healthy cultures don’t happen without strong leadership, and Don is a role model for those who aspire to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture.