How that happens remains to be seen. Four weeks after reorganizing key positions, Ford is distilling the finer details of how everything will work.
It needs to manage the egos of longtime executives, control decision-making whenever spheres of influence overlap and figure out how its ambiguous mobility branch fits into each part of its business.
Industry observers are optimistic the company can succeed, thanks to its new CEO.
"Hackett has a rare combination of uncommon personal humility and tremendous vision," said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of the Yale University School of Management. "Somehow, he's able to catalyze professionals to get the best out of them."
Sonnenfeld was quick to praise former CEO Mark Fields when he took the reins at Ford in 2014. He called the board's decision to remove him "bewildering," noting that the team must overcome "internal confusion" from Fields' departure before it can move forward.
"I think Ford is especially well-positioned," he said. "Hackett's streamlining the bureaucracy and has created fewer baronies he needs to sign off on and check. He's making the right moves."
Direct reports
■ Bill FordExecutive chairmanJim Hackett (CEO), Mark Truby (vice president, communications), Ziad Ojakli (group vice president of government and community relations)
■ Jim HackettCEOJohn Casesa (group vice president, global strategy), Jim Farley (president, global markets), Felicia Fields (group vice president, human resources and corporate services), Bradley Gayton (general counsel and chief administrative officer), Joe Hinrichs (president, global operations), Marcy Klevorn (president, mobility), Bob Shanks (CFO), Ken Washington (chief technology officer)
■ Jim FarleyGlobal marketsSteven Armstrong (president, Europe, Middle East & Africa), Peter Fleet (president, Asia Pacific), Kumar Galhotra (president, Lincoln), Sherif Marakby (vice president, autonomous vehicles and electrification), Raj Nair (president, North America), Stephen Odell (executive vice president, global marketing, sales and service), Lyle Watters (president, South America)
■ Joe HinrichsGlobal operationsBruce Hettle (group vice president, manufacturing and labor affairs), Hau Thai-Tang (executive vice president of product development and purchasing), Bennie Fowler (group vice president, global quality and new model launch), Kim Pittel (group vice president, sustainability, environment & safety engineering)
■ Marcy KlevornMobilityJeff Lemmer (vice president and COO of information technology), Raj Rao (CEO of Ford Smart Mobility), Neil Schloss (vice president and CFO of mobility), Paul Ballew (vice president and global chief data and analytics officer)