500强公司中推动行业变革的“小人物”们

    谈及改变世界的创想，创业公司往往抢尽风头。谁都知道，在创新领域，新人没有什么历史负担，有其天生的优势。但是，我们也要看到：有许多里程碑式的工具和技术，要归功于在一些在全球最大的公司里工作的聪明人。上世纪70年代，施乐公司发明了以太网，如今这已经成为现代化互联网办公室的必备装置。80年代，摩托罗拉提出了六西格玛管理策略，这套流程改进技术改变了很多《财富》500强公司的运营模式。90年代，沃尔玛采用库存连续补货策略，成为其十多年来稳居《财富》美国500强前列的一个重要原因。未来十年又会诞生哪些新事物？现在还不好说。但是，这五位行动者和变革者最有可能给我们带来改变。

    When it comes to the creation of world-changing ideas, startups get all the acclaim. We get it—being the new kid on the block is a blessing, not a curse, in the land of innovation. But that’s not the whole picture. A number of landmark tools and technologies can be credited to clever people working for some of the largest companies on the planet. Xerox (No. 143) XRX0.38%in the 1970s invented Ethernet, now a fixture of the modern Internet-connected office. Motorola (No. 363) MSI0.45%in the 1980s developed Six Sigma, a set of process-improvement techniques that changed the way Fortune 500 companies operated. And Walmart’s (No. 1) WMT1.34%use of “continuous replenishment” for inventory in the 1990s is a key reason it has spent more than a decade at or near the top of our iconic list. What will the next 10 years bring? Hard to say—but these five movers and shakers are among those best positioned to grasp it. Read on to discover Fortune‘s 2015 Accelerators.

    谢莉•希柯克，37岁

    下一代全尺寸卡车首席工程师

    公司：通用汽车

    美国500强排名：第6位

    “力保成功，别留下任何遗憾。”

    谢莉•希柯克轻声笑着说：“我觉得自己就像是汽车业的婚礼策划师。把各种零件、部件和制造汽车的人组合到一起。”她领导的团队负责雪佛兰西尔维拉多车型，该部门对通用汽车至关重要，她也承认一个小失误都会“危及公司的长远预期。”但这并不是她最关心的。“我们始终以成功为目标。下一代卡车将使这个行业更上一层楼。”

    Sheri Hickok, 37

    Chief Engineer, Next-Gen Full-Size Trucks

    General Motors

    No. 6

    “It’s about owning it and not having any regrets.”

    “I consider myself the wedding planner of the auto industry,” Sheri Hickok says with a chuckle. “I pull together the pieces, parts, and people who execute a vehicle.” Hickok leads the group responsible for the Chevrolet Silverado, a division so important to GM that a misstep could be “detrimental to the company’s long-term outlook,” she admits. Not that she’s worried. “We have our eyes on the prize. The next truck will take it to the next level.” —Andrew Nusca