At BMW, every associate or rather employee is a leader. The company has in fact maintained a flat organizational structure where both the managers and the employees work hand in hand to achieve common organizational goals i.e. making automobile models which autonomously rule the global automobile markets. Ideally, the autocratic leadership model at BMW has been designed to create a management environment that supports the highest level of collaborative decision making, absolute team work and the highest level of cooperation between the employees and management.
In fact, the leadership model at BMW is championed by the need for the management to obtain the best approach for defining the organizational tasks, roles, and responsibilities based on the agreed objectives between the managers and the employees so that the two groups ultimately unite to achieve the goals as a unit. Also, it forms the basis in which the current organizational culture at BMW is rooted. Hellriegel & John asserts that BMW culture has minimized the gap between the management and the associates fostered a culture of openness and trust as shaped by the great sense of confidence, responsibility, self organization and flexibility and a sense of importance and belongingness that makes every employee feel as part and parcel of BMW.