Action learning in Galicia's automobile industry : Creating value in times of economic uncertainty

Purpose – To provide a review of the winning case study from the “special” category of EFMD's Excellence in Practice Awards, 2013. Design/methodology/approach – An independent review of the winning case. Findings – 2007 was a significant year in Galicia's automotive industry. The boom before the bust might have been a way to interpret the sector's economic success that year as a record-breaking 547,000 cars were produced by Vigo's Peugeot-Citröen factory. In 2008 automobile sales declined sharply and the industry has experienced decreasing demand for new cars during the past five years. This reflects the global economic slump but brings its own particular problems to this autonomous region whose manufacturing base is largely comprised of the ship-building and automotive industries. Of these, the automotive industry continues to be the more significant, accounting for 23 percent of all exports from the region. Originality/value – Provides insight for practitioners into a learning and development initiative of proven impact.