DETROIT — General Motors could literally turn green as it readies itself for major management and cultural changes that will coincide with its escape from bankruptcy protection.
People briefed on its plans said the company is looking at changing the background color of its corporate logo from blue to green to show consumers it is leaner and greener, more focused on fuel efficiency and better able to make quick decisions.
Ed Welburn, GM’s vice president of design, is leading a group that is studying name and logo changes, but no recommendation has been made, according to one of the people. Changing the background of the familiar square blue-and-white GM logo has been discussed, said the people, who requested anonymity because no decision has been reached.
What has been decided, though, is the need for management and cultural changes. Chief executive Fritz Henderson is preparing to cut another 4,000 white-collar jobs, including 450 executive-level employees such as plant managers and engineering-group heads.
Henderson, under pressure from the new GM’s largest shareholder, the U.S. government, wants a company that can make decisions faster and is less bureaucratic than the GM of the past.
In the old GM, several committees often reviewed decisions, holding up new vehicles and making it slow to respond to market changes. Designs were often changed from bold to bland, with GM stamping out nondescript cars such as the Chevrolet Malibu.
