It
is an industry which epitimises power and control...it creates products of
power and control...its leadership is about power and control.
The
recent scandal at VW has revealed the dark side of this focus. An anthropocentric view of the world, willing
to deceive to get diesel cars sold in America, to supersede the competition, to
win and dominate at all costs.
The
irony is that, as Whiteman points out, only ten days prior, VW was named by the
Dow Jones Sustainability Index as the industry group leader for sustainability in
Automotive and Components, with the now ex CEO Martin Winterkom saying “it confirms that the Volkswagen Group is
well on the way to establishing itself long term as the world’s most
sustainable automaker”.
And
so to the words of Eckhart Tolle..”Are
you polluting the world or cleaning up the mess?”. As he points out, “the more the dysfunction of the human mind plays itself out on the
world stage, clearly visible to everyone in the daily television news reports,
the greater the number of people who realise the urgent need for a radical
change in human consciousness if humanity is not to destroy itself and the
planet”.
In
many ways, VW has responded in typical fashion – with Winterkom’s
resignation. The new CEO Matthias Müller has come in, with
the “urgent task to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no
stone unturned with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right
conclusions from the current situation”.
I
can understand the logic of such an approach. However, perhaps counterintuitive and risky, what
if they took the alternative to this traditional reaction of damage control
designed to sooth the market...and Winterkom stayed not out of denial or defiance
but out of integrity?. To enable the
real wound to show. To enhance the
prospect of authentic, open and honest conversations to take place internally
and externally.
As
the poet Rumi wrote “the wound is the
place where the light enters you”.
Arguably
removing Winterkom reduces the appearance of the wound...and therefore the
amount of light able to enter.
Perhaps
true transparency can only come with true vulnerability, where there is a
willingness to expose and engage with an undefended heart as opposed to the
default of power and control. Müller
does have a huge challenge – he has to create that space for deep reflection, deep
listening and deep inquiry. To be
willing to not rush to get answers and solutions, but to allow the hurts,
doubts and worries to surface. To allow sense making to occur. To have the courage to explore the failings
of the company and look into the shadows that allowed such betrayal to people and
planet.
The
extent to which VW and indeed the rest of the automobile industry responds to
this scandal and engages in exploring their individual and collective
unconsciousness to create real transformation, will be when the rubber hits the
road. The real moment of truth.
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