“Faster with small steps” – Porsche DEU Newsroom

The Volkswagen Group is facing a major challenge to survive in the information age. And you, Mrs. Stars, you are a member of the IT board and therefore you control the digital transformation. How do you approach such a challenging task?

When I joined Volkswagen in 2022, I initially gave myself three months to get to know the company and its models better. It quickly became clear to me: The Volkswagen Group has a lot of power. First and foremost, there are our strong brands, quality products and highly motivated employees. However, the biggest challenge with digitalization is how it works. Volkswagen is in the midst of transforming itself into an app-focused mobility provider. Our focus so far has been mainly hardware development, which involves long development cycles. You set the end result as a goal and work specifically for the longest time. Software and ultimately digitalization work differently. It is important to understand the architecture and define the goal. Then you grow in short, agile cycles. The results keep coming. We are in this phase of rethinking.

Does that mean the software was developed like a new car model?

There is a historical complexity of IT systems in our company. So we covered the most important ongoing digitization projects in the first year. Some were planned for several years. But in IT, speed is the key to success. So, we started cutting projects to make a measurable contribution to the business step by step. This brings new flexibility. And on the other hand, we as an IT organization are making ourselves more efficient, faster, looking for collaborations and reducing bureaucracy.

Do we understand this correctly: you are trying to keep the change steps as small as possible?

Many small steps bring us forward faster than one giant leap. If only to reflect regularly on progress and make short-term adjustments.

So no more Big Bang?

It is better to continue with agile cycles. We learn quickly and can make short-term adjustments if necessary.

Do you think Volkswagen can be one of the leading players in the IT industry?

We focus on delivery. We are getting better and better. Example: Together with HR Director Gunnar Kilian, we are currently rolling out the “Hello Success” program worldwide in HR. We are now the benchmark in the industry. Other companies reach out to us to understand how we’ve helped with IT skills and role management and employee development.

She studied Computer science at Magdeburg University. This was still unusual for a young woman even in the 1990s. Where did your interest come from?

Computer science was still a new topic at the time. And MINT studies are my great passion. I have always loved them. That’s where the future lies.

Was computer science not a career decision for you?

It was a gut decision. I grew up in the former GDR. I had the impression that computer science opened up many options for me. That was the best decision I could have made.

Can you really organize yourself?

Yes, I do that with my kids often. Those languages ​​are called Scratch and Python. And I am the home expert…

You can feel proud of your voice…

(laughs) Yes, yes. If the children have planned something and it doesn’t work, they say: Can you check again? And then we’ll go through it step by step and I’ll explain where there might be an infinite loop in the program. And here too, many small steps lead to great success.

They have gone through the “Who’s Who” of German corporations: Bertelsmann, Thyssen-Krupp, Deutsche Börse, now Volkswagen – and Hewlett-Packard in between. Photo book work. Was that planned?

Part planning, part bad luck. For me it is always about working in an interesting environment. That supports me, inspires me, challenges me. When the request came from Volkswagen, my first thought was: What can I contribute? Then I looked at the strategy and understood: Wow, this is going to be a big evolution toward e-mobility, more sustainability, and data-driven software and products. This is exciting! I wanted to be there.

Germany and its car industry now need bits instead of gasoline in their blood. But maybe not everyone sees it that way. As a woman with no driving history, was it difficult to move there?

I received a very warm welcome at Volkswagen. We all understand that digitization is an important success factor to be faster, better and better. That is exactly what I focus on, along with my team.

Do you see yourself more as a strategist or an implementer?

I always keep the big picture in mind. That’s my job. But if necessary, I will go into a special topic. I sit down with the team and we work out a solution together. After all, success is always teamwork.

And do you go this deep often?

Yes. This is very important. You cannot lead a large IT organization if you are not willing to dive deep and take technical discussions.

Are you regularly assessed by your staff?

Yes, of course, that happens. But I see it through sports. I want this challenge.

How do you work as an IT director? And augmented reality with a supercomputer outside the office?

We actually have both at Volkswagen, but my laptop and iPad are more important to me. I carry them wherever I am (laughs).

So you have no secret magic bullet, no artificial intelligence to help you?

Not yet. I recently checked out Metaverse’s latest hardware that can display super-realistic faces. That is very interesting. But I don’t see this technology being used every day yet.

Why not?

You should always keep a goal in mind. Lights and gadgets are great, but we need to be faster and more efficient overall, enhance collaboration, and deliver real business value. In short: achieve the best for our company.

How does artificial intelligence fit into these tasks? Companies like OpenAI are revolutionary and disruptive. How can a car company with nearly 670,000 employees survive?

Artificial Intelligence is already helping us reduce costs, use energy and materials more efficiently and improve the daily work of many employees. The potential is huge, but greenfield artificial intelligence doesn’t work. So we have developed a clear strategy for the use of AI.

Employee representatives often think that expanding IT always costs jobs because your co-workers take computers. Is that true?

This effect has not been seen since computers were introduced to companies. But we take those concerns seriously. It is important for us to take people together, to inform them, and to be open. So we’ve launched a group-wide initiative “You and AI”. We want to provide our employees with detailed information about AI, give them knowledge about the technology, provide insight into practical examples, provide training and further education – and above all, show the opportunities and potential of this technology for each individual. Despite all the enthusiasm for this technology: artificial intelligence is not an end in itself. It cannot replace the joy of innovation, determination and decision-making skills of our employees.

So is AI a game changer for Volkswagen – or not?

We have already successfully introduced a variety of AI solutions. There are already hundreds of data and AI applications in production or being implemented within the group. There is a lot of speed there! But I would be careful when using the word game changer. Here it is also better to go step by step.

And last but not least: If you had three wishes for Volkswagen, what would they be?

… that we constantly develop digital improvements. That we reduce bureaucracy further. And that we look forward to. We approach the future with confidence and determination.

Information

The text appeared first Porsche Consulting Magazine.