That doesn't mean top-down management, though. It's a bit of both. The art of management can't be anything but communication. When I'm anywhere but my car, I'm talking to people. As a result, you're as likely to find him today wandering through the silver BMW towers or at the nearby technical center, known as FIZ, as you are in his office.
Most people think communication is what happens when they talk.
I think communication is when you have an exchange of information with others. At the end of the day, you have to know who you can trust, and you'll never know that through a memo. Smart, open to new ideas and challenges, Pischetsrieder was clearly the man on the move. In 1982, his big move was to South Africa to take charge of the company's beleaguered operations in the apartheid-torn nation. Returning to Germany three years later, Pischetsrieder finally got the assignment he'd joined the company for, but by this time, he was put in charge of all quality assurance.