Reorganization Audi restructures product development

Flat hierarchies, clear responsibilities, faster decisions: Audi CEO Gernot Döllner implements a matrix organization in vehicle development. Other business divisions are expected to follow.

With the new collaboration model, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and the project team have, according to the announcement, laid the foundation for the transformation of series management, Technical Development (TE), and involved interface partners. At the same time, the executive board announced the reorganization of additional business divisions.

The clear goal of the Matrix Organization and TE Transformation projects was to streamline development, decision-making, and leadership structures, thereby accelerating the entire development process at Audi. "Progress through technology and innovation are two fundamental pillars of our product promise. To continue meeting this standard, we need to prepare Audi for the future," explains Gernot Döllner. Over the past six months, more than 200 experts from the affected areas have worked on the transformation, analyzing workflows and structures, and developing and optimizing the new collaboration model.

10,000 directly involved employees

"We've already achieved a lot since last fall as part of the Audi Agenda. Now, with the implementation of the matrix organization, a crucial phase begins," said Döllner at an information event for the more than 10,000 directly involved employees. "My thanks go to the entire project team, which, along with our over 200 experts, has consistently addressed even the uncomfortable topics. This openness and transparency are what we need for the reorganization of other business areas as well." Vehicle development, he added, is just the first step.

The foundation for reorganizing other areas will be formed by the new guiding principles of organizational development. These are intended to be applied across all business sectors. The envisioned structure includes flat leadership and wide organizational frameworks, a reduction of interfaces, streamlined committees, and a clear assignment of responsibility and decision-making to defined roles.

Substantive separation of strategy, control, and implementation

For the newly introduced structure in vehicle development, this specifically means a clear substantive separation of strategy, control, and implementation. For this purpose, Audi consolidates portfolio and product strategy into one organizational unit that reports directly to Gernot Döllner.

The entrepreneurial responsibility and management of vehicle development for respective projects will be undertaken by the operational model series. This will include direct access to all entrepreneurially relevant topics and a broader decision-making scope in the future.

The Technical Development (TE) department takes on the core development work and is responsible for the properties, systems, and functions within the vehicles. Moving forward, TE aims to align itself as efficiently as possible with the interfaces to the various vehicle projects. At the same time, its ability to act in the specification, design, and integration of software and electrical/electronic platforms is set to be enhanced.

The launch of the new collaboration model is planned for the beginning of 2025.

This article first appeared on our sister website www.Automobil-Industrie.de (German language)