Extreme Makeover, GE Edition

At General Electric Co.'s 2017 outlook event this month, CEO Jeff Immelt was asked how he can get investors to appreciate the company's new digital transformation and 3-D printing investments. His response: It "makes a shitload more sense than Six Sigma did."

It was a telling quip. The popularization of Six Sigma -- a numbers-driven business-management strategy -- is one of the more enduring legacies of Immelt's predecessor, Jack Welch, a man whose shadow at times loomed large well after he was gone. But as Immelt completes his 15th year as CEO, it's his impact, not Welch's, that's in the spotlight. Will he be remembered for his plan to turn GE into a digital powerhouse -- the latest and perhaps boldest of his cultural and operating overhauls -- or for the laggard stock that's undermined his efforts?