Ms. Nagashima, which of the strategic changes that B. Braun—the next decade introduced have been difficult for you?
The world in which we have been operating has come apart at the seams in recent years. In order to meet new challenges, we must continue to develop, both personally and professionally. With this knowledge, changes whose advantages and disadvantages are obvious to me at first glance and whose results I can imagine are easy for me to cope with; on the other hand, I have a harder time when it comes to abstract changes when I do not fully understand their meaning. However, the four major areas covered by the B. Braun—the next decade strategy are a clear guideline for our future direction. For us, as an HR department, Shared Commitment in particular is what leads the way. I love the phrase, “Culture is alive when everyone participates.
In which areas is the change most noticeable?
With initiatives such as the TND Café, a cross-departmental working group designed to drive change in the corporate culture, we want to encourage employees to engage in open exchange, they should chat freely and relax with each other in the group as if they were sitting in a café. The team consists of 42 colleagues who volunteered to discuss and implement goals to improve our workplace. They are currently working in six groups, and I’m very excited to see what it will bring us and how we can change as a result.
Where do you see need for additional changes?
I believe it is important that all managers receive sufficient training with regard to change management—in order to adapt their own way of thinking, but also to be able to inspire employees for necessary change processes. This is where a change in our mindset matters, and for this, I believe we should value much more on altruism, compassion and empathy.
How can transformation processes be implemented in your daily business?
In my case, it helps to take the broadest possible perspective on change processes in everyday life. This enables me to set priorities—and I think I succeed in this by receiving valued feedbacks from my colleagues. Above all, it is important to me that we all understand that even if the results are uncertain at the moment, the transformation will eventually prove beneficial. If we don’t dare to change, we take a much bigger risk.
