A survey has deduced that around 80 percent, or 48 out of 60, of Nissan’s top execs will make the move
along with the automaker to the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, this summer. Analysts say the retention rate shows
that a dedicated group of executives is leading the way for Nissan.
That’s the “glass-half-full”
version of the story. Does anybody else feel like 20 percent is a pretty huge loss of top talent? Historically huge.
Changes are sure to abound, not the least of which result from the learning curve for new execs, the loss of
institutional memory, and a drastic shift in culture — and we don’t just mean a new preference for grits instead
of tacos and Dolly Parton over Barbara Streisand. Not to mention the loss of Jack Collins, who has spent the last
16 years of his career at Nissan, the last six of which were spent as VP of new product planning. Collins decided
to retire in July rather than make the move.