Some credit can be given to Volkswagen for admitting that their emissions cheating scandal was the result of “a chain of errors that were allowed to happen” by a “climate of fear” created by management. However, the focus should be on that culture of intimidation, rather than the notion that the cheating was allowed to happen due to poor organizational management between R&D and implementation of new technologies. While that is certainly a contributing factor, the heart of the scandal is why employees didn’t come forward and blow the whistle sooner, and what cultural elements existed at VW to encourage immoral behavior. VW still has a lot to answer for, and business leaders should be taking notice of the possible results of a psychologically unsafe workplace. See more on the press conference at the New York Times.