For G.E., planning crowned with success

Innovation remains the catchword at General Electric Co., but the means of its achievement depend not only on developing new products or services, it depends also on a plan. As the company passes $27 billion in sales and $1.5 billion in earnings, G.E.'s widely publicized strategic‐planning system has led the company to invest in everything from ultrasonic cardiac scanners to high‐technology robots and information systems. Planning Review asked Steve M. Cohen, a Review contributing editor, to talk about G.E.'s strategy with William E. Rothschild, staff executive for corporate planning development. Excerpts from their discussion follow.