Synthesis Essay – Henry Ford
Henry Ford
When we think of the successes in the automotive industry Henry Ford comes to mind. Almost every automotive industry book highlights the positive impact Henry Ford had on automotive manufacturing and all label him as a visionary and ethical leader. Anyone striving to become a more influential leader need not look any further than Henry Ford for inspiration. His story highlights his strong self-beliefs, hardworking mentality and a visionary approach of what the automotive industry could be and he believed that vision was achieved through ethical leadership decision-making. While being a leader alone is a tough task in it’s own right, Henry Ford understood where his industry was at the current time, saw where he wanted it to be in the future and created specific, achievable goals and articulated it with great inspiration. In doing so, his vision became a reality.
Visionary Leader
Henry Ford was a visionary leader as evidenced by his trail blazing efforts to revolutionize the way automobiles were assembled and unwavering dedication to the men and woman that assembled them. Ford’s understanding of the “path-goal theory” of leadership facilitated his ability to correctly assess the current situation and the needs of the workers, leading him to use supportive behaviors to transform the organization (“Full Range,” 2012a, p. 7). He recognized automotive production was a slow and full of waste, with long hours that drove employee morale way down. His supportive behavior to the process and his employees is what brought about Henry Fords vision and implementation of the automobile assembly line. “His vision was implemented first at his Highland Park plant on December 1, 1913, transforming...
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... you are making is the right one. After all, being a visionary, ethical leader is not always the popular thing to be…but it is the right thing to be.
References
PBS Alef, D. (2008). Henry Ford, American experience. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/henryford
Gunderson, A. (2009) Great leaders series: Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company. Retrieved May, 5 2014, from http://www.inc.com/30years/articles/henry-ford.html
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S.) United States. Department of the Air Force. (2012a). Full Range Leadership Development (CF02). Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Departement of the Air Force.
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S) United States. Department of the Air Force. (2012b). Ethical Leadership (LM01). Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Departement of the Air Force.
Henry Ford was a captain of industry. He owned Ford Motors, which was an automobile company. Ford was a man who always wanted his own way and he got it most of the time. The creation he is most famous for is the FORD MODEL T, the car for the commoners. His car became an instant hit amongst the people- the local people and the working class of people because it was very affordable and was not just for the rich. Ford was a very successful businessman but not particularly a nice guy. He expected a lot from his workers but thing is that he also cared for his workers, because he knew that not only were they dependent on him but also that he depended upon them, they were the ones due to which he was gaining popularity and success throughout America. Ford’s great strength was the manufacturing process for his cars. Instead of having people put together the entire car he created organized teams that added parts to the Model T as it moved down the assembly line, this lowered the production prices and also the time and energy required to put together the cars.
LM01, Ethical Leadership Student Guide. (2012). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
The automobile went from being a toy for society’s elite to being an essential item within the economic reach of nearly every American, all thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of Henry Ford. His dedication to quality and attention to detail earned him not only dozens of racing titles, but also the reputation of a respectable businessman. Ford understood his market so well that he knew what the people wanted before they could even ask for it, always ahead of the curve. Ford was a pioneer of American commercialism, and so his production methods were centred around efficiency and mass production, thus allowing him to increase productivity and decrees cost to meet the demand of the masses. Lastly, consideration of the working class and philosophy of raising the wages instead of raising the price point and focusing only on profit. There are a great many lessons to be learned from distinguished businessmen in history, and Henry Ford is no
In the end it's clear that Henry Ford did our country a very big survase and he did the right thing. Sticking with his ideas and standing by them the whole time and fighting for them. And coming out on top.
Henry Ford is responsible for “perhaps the most revolutionary development in industrial history.” (Watts 2005,
Henry Ford was born on July 30 in 1863 in Greenfield Township, Michigan he was one of the first American industrialists and wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Back then, before 1908 automobiles were expensive that only rich people could afford. Henry Ford wanted to change this and wanted everyone to have a vehicle to drive. He was able to accomplish this by the assembly line, in which it created more cars in less time. The first car Henry Ford made was the Model T created on the assembly line. Ford’s innovation in manufacturing created less expensive cars and higher wage jobs.
new level. Ford was also very focused on the well being of his workers along with the
Henry Ford was one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in creating the automobile assembly line, it was his controversial characteristics and unorthodox approach towards administrating the Ford Motor Company which resulted in the conglomeration of one of the most successful corporations in the world. At the turn of the century everything was booming! The growth of the economy and stock market increased the job opportunities as well as morals. As a result of this industrial revolution, out of the woodwork came a humble yet driven man, Henry Ford. Between the five dollar/day plan, his policies on administrating the company, and his relations with his customers, Ford was often presented as a suspicious character. This controversial behavior epitomized the success of the company, it did not lead to his own downfall as many suspect. The Anti-Semitic accusations, and the belief that Ford was taking advantage of his customers, were by far overshadowed by his brillianc!e and strong hand in running his company.
Henry Ford, the man who revolutionized the car industry forever, founded his company under the beliefs that a car wasn’t a high-speed toy for the rich but instead a sturdy vehicle for everyday family needs, like driving to work, getting groceries or driving to church. However, Henry ford did much more than just this feat. He also tried to make peace in WWI before America had joined the war. In addition, Ford made the radical new five dollars a day payment. However, Ford also had his lows. At an early age, his mother died. His first two companies had also been failures. Against many of his closest friends protests, he published an anti-semitic (Jewish) newspaper. Ford had a very interesting and unique life and he changed the automotive industry forever.
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S.) United States. Department of the Air Force. (2012b). Ethical Leadership (LM01). Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Department of the Air Force.
This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all credit renowned to Henry Ford. Observed as a technological mastermind, Ford commenced experiments involving machinery from the time he was adolescent to launching his career working at the Edison Illuminating Company. He examined internal combustion engines and gasoline buggy ideas eventually resulting in removing himself from Edison’s company and his introduction in the emerging automobile industry. Following in 1903, he established the Ford Motor Company, which expeditiously became a leader in the automotive industry and would gain extensive wealth within only a few decades. While other manufacturers strove to produce automobiles to be extravagant and luxurious predominantly for the wealthy, he immensely focused on efficient mass production of durable, affordable vehicles for the expanding middle-class market.
Behind every great business these us a great vision from the founder. We all know or should know that the future hold for us. Henry Ford was one of them people that had a great vision for the future. He was for the Americans with average incomes. He a vision to change the way we get around in our everyday lives. Mr. Ford was born on a farm in (birthplace). Where he spent his time indulging into his engineering efforts on the farm by working on ways to work smarter and not harder. Henry Ford did not like working on the farm as he was coming up because he found the work very tedious. His parents put a work bench in the house so Henry could study things such as a watches. He would take something a part such a watch and analyzed the inner moving
LM01, Ethical Leadership. (2012). Maxwell Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC)
When Henry Ford was born on June 30th, 1863, neither him nor anyone for that matter, knew what an important role he would take in the future of mankind. Ford saw his first car when he was 12. He and his father where riding into Detroit at the time. At that moment, he knew what he wanted to do with his life: he wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Through out his life, he achieved this in an extraordinary way. That is why he will always be remembered in everyone’s heart. Whenever you drive down the road in your car, you can thank all of it to Henry Ford. Through his life he accomplished extraordinary achievements such as going from a poor farm boy to a wealthy inventor who helped Thomas Edison. When he was a young man, he figured out how to use simple inventions, such as the light bulb. He then taught himself the design of a steamboat engine. His goal was to build a horse-less carriage. He had come up with several designs and in 1896, he produced his first car, the Model A. When Ford’s first car came out, he had been interviewed by a reporter and when asked about the history of the car, he had said “History is more or less bunk.” Ford worked in Thomas Edison’s factory for years and the left to become an apprentice for a car-producer in Detroit. While working there, he established how he was going to make the car.
Henry Ford was one of the most important and influential inventors and businessmen in the short history of America. He revolutionized the business world and he changed forever the efficiency of factories around the world. One of the reasons that Henry Ford can be considered such an important man is that his ideas and concepts are still used today. Boron on July 30, in the year of 1863, Henry Ford was the oldest child of the family. His parents, William and Mary Ford, were “prosperous farmers” in his hometown of Dearborn. While they we’re well off for farmers, Ford certainly wasn’t spoiled and fed from silver spoons. Ford was just like any other typical young boy during the rural nineteenth century. From early on there we’re signs that Henry was going to be something more than a farmer. He looked with interest upon the machinery that his father and himself used for their farming, and looked with disdain at the rigorous chores of a farmer. In the year 1879, Henry being a meager 16 years old, he moved to the city of Detroit where he would work as an apprentice machinist. Henry would remain in Detroit working and learning about all varieties of machines. Although he occasionally came back to visit Dearborn, he mostly stayed in Detroit, picking up more and more valuable knowledge. This apprenticeship allowed him to work in the factories of Detroit and learn what a hard working blue-collar job was like. When he did return to Dearborn he was always tearing apart and rebuilding his fathers machines, along with the dreaded farm chores. Henry Ford was a hard worker and that was proven by him getting fired from one of his jobs in Detroit because the older employees we’re mad at him because he was finishing his repairs in a half hour rather than the usual five hours. Clara Bryant would represent the next step in now twenty-five year old Henry Ford’s life. The two lovers we’re married in 1888 and would endure good times as well as bad. In order to support his new wife Henry was forced to work the land as he ran a sawmill that was given to him by his father. His father actually attempted to bribe Henry to stay in the farming business as he gave him the land only under the condition that he would continue on as a farmer.