Annual Report 2012 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

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the values were not being defined
by a small group of people, but
that many of our colleagues
contributed to the process. In all,
more than 100 employees from
over 20 countries were involved.
This meant we had access to a
wealth of experience that was
much broader and more diverse.
Open communication and
discussions allowed us to build
awareness at a fundamental level.
During this process, a clear picture
began to emerge of where we are
coming from as a Knorr-Bremse
family and what drives us.
Dr. Marc Pastowsky: Thanks to this
openness, the process of identifying
the values was a genuine
dialogue in which we learned a lot
– about others, but about ourselves
as well. “Passion”, for
example, conjures up other
associations in the USA than in
China, which in turn differ
somewhat from the connotations
of our German word. When
looking at Knorr-Bremse, however,
we discovered that despite all the
cultural differences, there are
unifying elements that form the
core of our company; a hub
around which everything – everyone
− revolves. Our values don’t
add up to a single fixed image,
however. They are points of
reference, defining a space in
which we all move – a framework
with room for individual interpretation.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE VARI-
OUS STEPS THAT LED TO THE
ROLL-OUT OF THE NEW VALUES
Julia Thiele-Schürhoff: Essentially
there were three workshops plus
a lot of one-on-one and group
discussions with international
managers from both divisions. In
the first workshop we looked at
the factors that had shaped our
success to date – at our corporate
heritage, so to speak. Next we
asked ourselves what challenges
we’re going to be facing in the
future and what system of values
will help us to master them. In the
third workshop we discussed our
findings with the Executive Board.
Before we finally signed off the
five core values, my father, Heinz
Hermann Thiele, also contributed
to the process in his role as
company owner and Chairman of
the Supervisory Board. By the time
we rolled out the values across the
Group, about a year had passed.
Dr. Marc Pastowsky: As we worked
to identify the core values we
didn’t apply any kind of predefined
formula or special
methodology or delegate the task
to external consultants. Although
we did seek professional advice
during the process and employ
moderators from outside the
company, the actual back-andforth
about content and priorities
took place internally. We were
convinced that this was something
we had to tackle ourselves,
so we had our own team set up
the “corporate DNA” project and
work out the conclusions. We had
a goal in mind, but not a predefined
outcome.
Julia Thiele-Schürhoff: That’s right.
It was an honest and constructive
process in which we openly
discussed our strengths and
weaknesses. That’s why the values
also represent challenges we need
to meet as a Group, like continuing
to improve our management
performance and teamwork. This
motivational aspect was very
important to us, because the
launch of the new values is also
intended to trigger further
progress.
THE NEW CORPORATE VALUES
WERE INTRODUCED IN EARLY
2012. HOW DID YOU COMMUNI-
CATE THEM TO EMPLOYEES
WORLDWIDE AND WHAT DID
THE INITIAL RESPONSE LOOK
LIKE
Dr. Marc Pastowsky: On the one
hand we communicated the new
values via our traditional internal
channels – employee magazines,
a special values brochure,
presentations and so on. We also
held a Values Day on 12 June
2012 at all Knorr-Bremse locations
around the world to mark the
kick-off. Our aim was to launch a
process in which the employees
engage with the new corporate
values and ask themselves
questions like: What does each of
the values mean to me To my
department To the way the
company operates On Values
Day all Knorr-Bremse employees
had a chance to discuss these
questions in departmental
workshops. We gave the individual
departments a lot of freedom
to decide what shape these
would take. And the program was
rounded off with additional fun
activities that were designed to
create a relaxed, open atmosphere.
The feedback from the
various regions was extremely
positive, which not only made us
very happy, but also confirmed
that we are on the right road.
IN WHAT WAYS ARE KNORR-
BREMSE’S VALUES VISIBLE TO
EXTERNAL PARTNERS SUCH AS
CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS
AND HOW DO THEY STAND TO
BENEFIT
Julia Thiele-Schürhoff: Our values
don’t just encourage a culture of
fair play within the company. They
also guide our behavior towards