Ford

Very family-friendly employer. Management understands if you have to pick up a sick child from school, etc., as long as you get your work done and are motivated.

I work in product development on advanced powertrain designs, and the middle management is very hard-working, relatively visionary, and sensible.

It's a very collaborative and helpful work environment. There are many experts whose friendly demeanor makes it easy to learn and grow. There is a strong "can-do" attitude where I work. Management in my organization is open-minded to feedback and suggestions on how to improve procedures, designs, etc.

Cost drives every decision and many times seems to be the only factor when selecting components/designs.

Product strategists can often be obtuse about advanced technology/ideas and squelch creativity, despite the executive management's stated commitments to innovation. It seems they want to be the first company to offer exciting new features (e.g., SYNC, aluminum F150, etc), but internally it seems many of strategists consider features only after the competition offers them, which resembles a "follower" attitude, not that of a leader.

Mgmt needs to welcome and foster innovation at all levels of the company, not simply in a specific organization. Good ideas can come from anywhere in a company.

Before killing new feature development based on cost, understand that the customer may be willing to pay more for desirable features. Therefore, more customer clinics and data should be gathered first.