Teaching Note: Too fast, too high – and definitely too far: Volkswagen and the Diesel-Scandal
Type
case study
Date Issued
2024-03-13
Author(s)
Abstract
This case portraits the events leading up to the notice of violation issued against the Volkswagen AG by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on September 18, 2015. Following the discussion of two fictional students working on a class assignment at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, it portraits a systemic understanding of legal, ecological, technological, and organizational contexts of leadership within Volkswagen at the heart of the largest automotive scandal in recent history. This case primarily focuses on Bachelor-and Master-level students. However, despite elaborating on its theoretical foundations and thusly not requiring significant pre-knowledge, the case's complexity allows for insightful discussions at a postgraduate and executive level. Although the case's reading time necessitates substantial preparation by the students, we have made good experiences with both positioning it at the beginning and the end of our courses. Teaching Objectives This case focuses on three main objectives. Specifically, students will be (1) introduced to a real-world example of the importance of systemic and holistic approaches in modern leadership models, (2) familiarized with the concept of public value, its measurement and implications for leadership, and (3) given a platform for reflection on and discussion of held beliefs and values and how they shape one's own leadership style. To that end, the case includes condense illustrations of legal, technological, ecological and organizational contexts relevant to the scandal itself.
Pages
19