Tandem training – the Volkswagen‐Skoda approach to know‐how transfer

Know‐how transfer at Skoda‐Volkswagen, a Central European joint venture established in 1991, aims at the development of a company previously characterized by socialist structures into a competitive,learning organization. It requires a high speed of change, and is initiated by project work, coaching and Czech‐German tandem management– a method so far not used sytematically in the Volkswagen Group. Organizational and personal preconditions are required to secure its successful implementation. Tandem partners can be aware of the necessary framework, and still not able to avoid typical mistakes. Communication problems might lead to separation into “the Czechs and the Germans”. Tandem management allows the necessary range of skills to develop faster than “classic” training, and is an efficient means of know‐how transfer, provided everyone concerned is involved steadily. The speedy transformation and integration process,which thus began in 1991, will be continued, and further contribute to Skoda′s role as a model for economic development in the Czech Republic.