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VW’s HR Chief Says Corporate Culture Overall Will Take Time
Volkswagen AG’s head of human resources concedes it will take time to replace the company’s hierarchical management with a more nimble, decentralized and responsible operating structure.
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Volkswagen AG’s head of human resources concedes it will take time to replace the company’s hierarchical management with a more nimble, decentralized and responsible operating structure.
Karlheinz Blessing tells Reuters that “structural blockades” are a huge potential threat to his effort to make management more accountable. Blessing arrived in January 2016, three months after VW admitted rigging 11 million diesel vehicles to cheat on emission tests. He vowed to rewrite the company’s structure, principles and values.
Blessing has streamlined product development methods, cut the number of committees and shuffled managers more often to bolster their leadership skills. He also is trying to teach managers to take more responsibility. But one source tells Reuters the company continues to attach more importance to finding who is responsible for mistakes rather than searching for the mistakes themselves.
Critics say Blessing’s efforts also are being stifled by strong labor unions, a lack of young leaders and the tight control exerted by the company’s Porsche and Piech founding families and home state of Lower Saxony.
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