Working in swarms: how dynamic action learning helped to shift leadership at one of the leading premium car manufacturers in Germany to an agile, iterative approach

Matthias Klein and Joachim Schwendenwein

Chapter 11 in Cases in Organization Development and Change, 2026, pp 101-109 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Major Focus of the Case: The case took place at one of the leading premium car manufacturers in Germany. Reviewing the trends in the auto/mobility industry, said manufacturer came to the conclusion, in light of the increasingly “VUCA” business world, that it needed to adapt its operating models and organization design. The decision was made that a new way of working should be devised and a significant percentage of the organizations should shift to working in “swarms.” This case highlights key elements of the concept and how the authors, as external consultants, assisted this global player in the transition. It explains how the consultants enhanced the existing leadership development program using the principles of Dynamic Action Learning (DAL) to help support the introduction of this new way of working. The case details specifically the principles of DAL program design, contrasts it to other leadership development approaches, and provides two examples illustrating how the swarm approach was adopted by managers in said corporation.

Keywords: Leadership development; Dynamic action learning; Agility; Agile transformation; Improving individual performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035340965
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