Integrity & Culture

To us, integrity involves responsible, entrepreneurial action geared towards values and principles that are recognized in society and agreed on within our company. Our corporate integrity forms the basis for our long-term corporate success and is an important element of our corporate strategy.

Integrity is the maxim for our actions and complements compliance, with which we ensure that all processes and decisions within our Group comply with the relevant rules. In an effort to sharpen the employees’ sense of critical situations, Integrity Management makes sure that the topic is visible by means of continuous communication in employee media as well as dialogue events and corresponding workshop and training formats.

The Group-wide compliance and integrity program Together4Integrity and the Volkswagen Group Essentials offer further possibilities for all employees to deal with integrity topics and obtain guidance. The aim of these initiatives is to anchor integrity as an inherent part of our corporate culture and to thereby strengthen the trust of our employees, customers, business partners and the public in Audi. For example, all submissions to the Board of Management include a statement by the specialist area responsible on how an intended resolution is in line with integrity and compliance or whether there are any risks for one or both of these areas.

Furthermore, the aspect of integrity was included in the hiring procedure and in personnel development for managers and supervisors. In addition, managers and supervisors are to use their function as role models actively and in a targeted manner to support and encourage employees to act correctly.

An integrity ambassador network has also been founded. Integrity ambassadors are employees of all hierarchical levels and divisions who concern themselves with questions relating to integrity on a voluntary basis and from an inner conviction. They act as on-site contact persons in the individual departments, practice integrity and thereby serve as multipliers. The network will include around 100 people by the end of 2020.

We will continue to work on being a role model for integrity and compliance in the context of our Group program Together4Integrity.

Corporate culture is a company’s personality. It determines people’s behavior and creates a system based on habits and rules. Corporate culture is expressed in the values that a company determines for itself.

The Audi corporate values of appreciation, openness, responsibility and integrity, as well as the seven Volkswagen Group Essentials constitute the basis of our corporate culture. The Volkswagen Group Essentials are the shared foundation of values that connects all brands and subsidiaries and over 600,000 employees in the Group. They are a promise to our customers, business partners and to the employees themselves. They describe what the Group stands for in all brands, companies and countries. The Volkswagen Group Essentials provide guidance for the daily value-based action of all employees.

For a trustworthy company,

• that accepts social responsibility and keeps its word,
• where honesty and openness are practiced,
• that values diversity and breaks new ground,
• where everyone works together for the greater good and is proud of the work they do.