After his expulsion, VW CEO Matthias Müller suddenly stands as a failed manager. At the same time, the balance of his term of office can be quite impressive.
Still-VW boss Matthias Müller
Wednesday, 11.04.2018
18:01 clock
It is such a thing with public reputation. Inevitably, in the general consciousness, only a few details are reflected in the workings of a prominent personality, which – if it is stupid – distracts one’s gaze from what is essential. The best example of this is Matthias Müller, who is currently considered the most expensive VW retiree in spe. His contract will run until 2020 – but the board had enough: from his self-righteous statements in interviews, from his annoyed reactions to in his view unjustified criticism; and reportedly there were also differences over some issues that affect the strategic direction of the VW Group.
That Müller was not brutally executed, as it once was in VW Group under the influence of Patriarch Ferdinand Piëch It was only common practice Wolfgang Porsche for which loyalty to its employees has a high priority. The clan chief made sure in the background that Müller was involved in the process of his replacement and at least had the opportunity to protect his face.
Three gigantic tasks
Porsche had Müller in the fall of 2015 in the duty taken when the diesel scandal was heading for its peak. A suicide mission, which was really only about limiting the damage that could have led to the downfall of the VW Group in an emergency: Müller had the task to enlighten the diesel scandal (although it must be made clear that he also in the duty to protect the interests of the company, which is not necessarily always in line with the interests of the consumers concerned), to launch new cars that will eventually bring in so much money, thirdly, in addition to penalties To be able to pay for the leap into a completely new mobile age. And he should completely revamp the culture of cooperation within the group.
Under the circumstances described, Müller has delivered an achievement in the two and a half years of his term of office that is barely overestimated. He was able to limit the costs of the diesel affair to between 25 and 30 billion euros (which can only be quantified in a few years). That’s far less than the 40 to 60 billion that analysts had originally expected.
The customers obviously did not scare that much less than expected. Judging by the sales figures, the Wolfsburg remained the number one in 2017, ahead of Toyota. The profit marked with 13.8 billion euros a new all-time high in the company’s history.
Keyword electric age: Here Winterkorn had stopped first – half-hearted – attempts to go and pulped a whole department. Müller started VW’s catching up race virtually at zero. At the end of next year, the Wolfsburgers want to start series production of battery-powered cars. The brand VW alone wants to sell about one million e-cars by 2025 annually, in the entire group it should be up to three million.
And the corporate culture? Here Müller is by his own admission the furthest away from the self-imposed goals. Maybe also, but that does not reduce his balance. For the task was (and is) really great – almost as if the system of Kim Jong-Us North Korea was to be transformed into a society in which more vividly enlightened discourse flourishes.
Because under the aegis of Piëch and his Adlatus Martin Winterkorn, the automobile giant had developed into a totalitarian dictatorship, in which even had to fear for his career, who was only suspected of being skeptical of the given line. Errors were not tolerated, who did not meet the requirements, was off his job. In such a climate, tricks and covert foul play are programmed. Quite a few people are convinced that Piëch / Winterkorn is laying the ground for this exhaust fraud have prepared.
The climate of fear
Since Müller took office, the mood in the group has already changed significantly. Problems, so employees say, are much more openly addressed. But until it becomes an open, constructive discourse, it takes generations.
This revolution will now have to further advance Müller’s probable successor Herbert Diess. He appears less harsh and is considered someone who knows how to inspire people for his cause. In principle, good conditions, especially since the former BMW manager is also said to have an iron will when it comes to implementing a project. This, observers and economists expect, will not reverse the wheel at Volkswagen. How far he can continue to turn, remains to be seen.
However, Matthias Müller does not act as a failure, even if he will be remembered for the first time as someone who has declared his 10 million salary fully adequate and Volkswagen as honest.