The senior-level and mid-level managers who once made this company great are all gone. GSK today is a company run by fear and suboptimal managers. The previous focus on sales and marketing is gone. What drives most decisions now is fear of legal action. The lawyers essentially run the company because they so significantly impact key decisions. Marketing and Sales have little say in key decisions anymore, and R&D has turned into a joke, with very little marketing/commercial input . R&D is wrought with number fudging and reluctance to terminate assets despite poor trial results. There is a systematic effort to make it appear there is a robust pipeline, when in fact, half the assets are seriously troubled. Short-term shareholders and legal fears are what drives the decision making at GSK. In addition, the company is pennywise and pound foolish, and many operations decisions are vehemently opposed by staff, which has destroyed morale. Outsourcing is rampant and many managers in the US now have their admin assistants located in India. Yes, seriously. The fear of layoffs is pervasive and the stress levels are high. With so many layoffs and good people jumping ship, the morale has declined over the past 5-7 years. No one smiles, no one jokes around or has fun working. Unlike years past, it is now a miserable, depressing place to work. Stock options are worthless, promotions rarely occur, and the continuing a career at GSK has lost its appeal. The most highly regarded managers have been plucked away by other companies and only the bottom of the barrel remain. So much intellectual capital has been lost. It is a shame to have witnessed a once-great company slide so far downhill.
