Mueller seeks to instil new work culture, end hierarchy in MAS

Malaysia Airlines Berhad chief executive officer Christoph Mueller says information dissemination across the company has been slow due to the hierarchy system practised all these years. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 5, 2015.The German boss of the revamped Malaysia Airlines said he had been meeting workers and engaging with former union leaders, in a move to break down strict hierarchy in the national airline.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) today, Malaysia Airlines Berhad chief executive Christoph Mueller said he also preferred a quiet transition last month rather than a "big-bang type", as the company took over from MAS on September 1.

"It was deliberate that we didn't want to have a transition and a big-bang type (of change) from August 31 to September 1," said Mueller, the man tasked with restructuring the airline.

Mueller said he and chief operating officer Peter Bellew had been meeting workers at town hall meetings in their efforts to change the company's work culture.

The new company had earlier this year axed some 6,000 workers and made remaining staff sign new contracts, despite stiff opposition from the airline's vocal union.

MAS had been suffering financial losses annually, and reported more than RM1 billion in losses last year. That same year, two major incidents involving the airline, the disappearance of flight MH370 and the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine, accelerated the company's eventual collapse.

Mueller said Malaysia's management was "very hierarchical" in structure, and that meant information could not be disseminated effectively.

"So there are a lot of layers. Information is not travelling as fast as you wish upstream and downstream," he said.

He said he believed in engaging with the union, adding that heading a company without a strong union was not a position of envy.

"A lot of people said, 'Christoph, I would love to be in your place', particularly my colleagues from strongly unionised airlines," he says of the lack of unions.

"But we didn't take comfort in that," he said, adding that union representatives from the former MAS were invited to meet with the top management last week.

"I said you might be surprised but I would like you to elect work councils in December this year. I have in mind that we work less hierarchical and more as a team," he told SMH.

- TMI