The year $2021$ heralded the fourth consecutive C$-$Class launch for the Mercedes$-$Benz

manufacturing plant in East London, South Africa. As with so many other industries, both

locally and globally, Mercedes$-$Benz South Africa $($MBSA$)$ has weathered the Covid$-19$

pandemic throughout $2020.$ During this tumultuous time, a young, agile, inspirational

leadership team has led the plant through tough times as a decision had been taken to

ramp down production of the W$205,$ the predecessor of the current new C$-$Class, the

W$206.$

Mercedes$-$Benz South Africa, a key player in the global C$-$Class manufacturing network

within Mercedes$-$Benz AG $($MBAG$)$ is currently producing world$-$class, C$-$Class vehicles

for both local and export markets. This is despite experiencing global supply chain and

other logistical shortages. The key task mandated by the plant$$s senior leadership to the

organisational development $($OD$)$ function was clear: recalibrate and re$-$energise the

workforce, notwithstanding difficult times. Despite the VUCA environment and the impact

of the Covid$-19$ global pandemic, the aspiring leaders and employees at MBSA are young,

driven, and motivated to succeed. They also engage with the $4$IR and artificial intelligence

$($AI$)$ practices.

The OD team conceptualised the metaphor of $$Walking our journey$$ through W$206$ and

beyond. The analogy brought with it the idea of a shoe, a local South African shoe,

bespoke to the culture of the plant and its people.

Bathu Sneakers South Africa, an African sneaker brand, was approached about the

possibility of co$-$creating a shoe together with the local OD and corporate affairs teams.

Once all the design and cost elements were finalised, and with the blessing of the local

senior leadership team, it was time for another first. The shoe had to be approved by the

MBAG head office in Stuttgart, Germany, as the dream of the plant was that Bathu

Sneakers would become the first South African$/$African shoe to bear the Mercedes$-$Benz

branding.

With this first, the East London plant, is once again living the dream, $$Out of Africa for the

world$.$ The Bathu Sneakers shoe is a symbol of the W$206$ journey for the plant. It

embodies the essence of the people of the plant and is synonymous with $$Yeyethu$($It is

ours$),$ which is the W$206$ logo of the plant itself. At the time that the announcement of the

shoe was made public, the plant had to stop production due to global supply shortages.

The spirit of the people of the plant, however, was visible. Every single employee came

to the plant to size their shoe personally and to order their shoe digitally via their

smartphones.

The delivery of the Bathu Sneakers shoes to the plant and its employees caused palpable

excitement. Through this initiative, the plant is one clear step forward to achieving three

of its global manufacturing operations strategic themes: passionate people, pioneering

digitalisation, and sustainability. Sustainability $$ yes, all Bathu Sneakers shoes delivered

will be gifted in a sustainable bag, instead of the traditional Bathu Sneakers shoe box.

There are a few key lessons here for MBSA. These lessons are associated with the

importance of the organisation$$s responsibility towards its people as well as towards the

local community. This demonstrates that co$-$creation between a multinational and a local,

highly successful entrepreneur is possible. In the current Covid$-19$ landscape, it shows

that there is room for volatile creativity in order to bring people closer to the strategy of

the organisation, and yet achieve a spirited, dynamic workforce, committed to achieving

its objectives now and in the future.

Group Assignment Questions:

$1.$ Leadership Agility and Decision$-$Making:

$$ How did the young, agile leadership team at MBSA demonstrate agility

during the decision to ramp down production of the W$205$ in response to the

Covid$-19$ pandemic?

$2.$ Organizational Development and Employee Engagement:

$$ Discuss the role of the Organizational Development $($OD$)$ team in

recalibrating and re$-$energizing the workforce at MBSA. How did the OD

team contribute to employee engagement during challenging times?

$3.$ Global Collaboration and Local Entrepreneurship:

$$ Analyze the collaboration between MBSA and Bathu Sneakers. How does

this collaboration exemplify global$-$local partnerships and

entrepreneurship?

$4.$ Employee Involvement and Symbolism:

$$ Explore the significance of every employee personally sizing and ordering

their Bathu Sneakers during the production pause. How does this reflect

employee involvement and the symbolism of the Bathu Sneakers shoe in

the context of W$206?$

$5.$ Strategic Themes and Sustainability:

$$ Evaluate how the Bathu Sneakers initiative aligns with MBSA's global

manufacturing operations strategic themes, specifically passionate people,

pioneering digitalisation, and sustainability.

$6.$ Lessons Learned and Organizational Responsibility:

$$ Identify and discuss key lessons for MBSA regarding th