Grassroot Leadership - Ford Motor Co.
Ford has always attracted and nurtured capable managers and technicians, but it has failed to do the same for change agents and leaders. So, as part of the automaker's cultural overhaul, Ford is embarking on a sweeping attempt to mass-manufacture leaders. It wants to build an army of “warrior entrepreneurs” — people who have the courage and skills to topple old ideas, and who believe in change passionately enough to make it happen. Ford Motor Company announced key changes to its senior management team as it continues to strengthen its automotive business, improve the company's operational fitness, and accelerate a strategic shift to capitalize on emerging opportunities. In announcing the leadership changes, Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett said Form is “very fortunate to have an experienced and committed executive team in place to significantly strengthen their business while building towards their vision of becoming the world's most trusted mobility company. Their objective is to lead business to new levels of operational fitness, product and brand excellence and profitability”. Ford views grassroot leadership as the best vehicle for creating a successful business
Ford's approach of nurturing capable managers but not enough “change agents” earlier suggests which aspect of leadership?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Encouraging innovation and adaptive thinking
Option (1) Encouraging innovation and adaptive thinking — Correct. Ford had good managers and technicians who could run things well, but not enough change agents: people who bring new ideas and help the company adapt. That shows the side of leadership it was missing, innovation and adaptive thinking, which it now wants to build through grassroot leadership.
Option (2) Leading by authority — Incorrect. Managers already lead by the authority of their posts. The passage says what Ford lacked was people who drive change.
Option (3) Maintaining discipline and order — Incorrect. Capable managers keep discipline and order well. This was not the gap.
Option (4) Strengthening financial incentives — Incorrect. The passage says nothing about pay or rewards.
Note 1: The passage is the NCERT case study ‘Grassroot Leadership - Ford Motor Co.’, the opening case of the chapter Directing, which has been reproduced by NTA in the exam. Note 2: It seems that there is a mistake in the original NTA paper, which prints “Jim Hackett said Form is …” in the passage when it should read “Ford”. The slip is NCERT’s own: both the current NCERT book (2026-27) and the pre-rationalised NCERT print “Form”. NTA copies lines from NCERT word for word, even where the book is wrong.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Ford has always attracted and nurtured capable managers and technicians, but it has failed to do the same for change agents and leaders. So, as part of the automaker’s cultural overhaul, Ford is embarking on a sweeping attempt to mass-manufacture leaders. It wants to build an army of “warrior-entrepreneurs” — people who have the courage and skills to topple old ideas, and who believe in change passionately enough to make it happen.” |