By Maiken Piil VW has unwillingly become the best business case for conscious capitalism, showing us what happens when ego, arrogance and profit becomes a driver for business, and why traditional management has outplayed its role. By all traditional measures Martin Winterkorn was a very successful top executive. In his nearly 8 years as CEO for Volkswagen, he nearly doubled the company’s turnover to €200 billion, he conquered China, and won the race to become the world’s largest car manufacturer, overtaking Toyota and General Motors. With support from the Board, he won a power struggle with Chairman Piëch, pushing Piëch out of the game and securing himself an extended contract. On paper, everything looked like […]