HR STRATEGY
The choice of the Neue Klasse name for BMW’ s new EV architecture deliberately echoes this history. The original Neue Klasse launched at the Munich plant in 1962, becoming the forerunner to the BMW 02 and the 3 Series sedan – the best-selling BMW of all time.
Lessons for the C-suite BMW’ s approach to the Munich transformation offers several lessons for executives managing workforce transitions in traditional industries facing technological disruption:
n The willingness to make difficult strategic decisions early provides the time necessary for proper workforce transition
n Combining strategic decisiveness with individual care builds the trust necessary for employees to become active participants in transformation rather than passive recipients
n Transformation means that change must be viewed through a human, not purely technical, lens.
As Ilka says:“ Transformation doesn’ t just happen in classrooms.”
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