Nycomed is an international pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company has 12,000 employees worldwide and partners in more than 50 countries. Nycomed’s portfolio of brands and medicines is focused on gastroenterology, respiratory and inflammatory diseases, pain, osteoporosis and tissue/joints. You will find an extensive selection of over the counter products in their portfolio.
After merging Nycomed and Altana, the company grew from 3,000 to 12,000 employees. The new CEO wanted to ensure that Nycomed’s company values and corporate culture were widely understood and accepted by all employees. The differences between a Nordic corporate culture (high degree of involvement and delegation) and a German one (conservative and hierarchical) were a major challenge for the growing company.
Company culture is built from the inside out, expressed through actions and behaviour. In the case of Nycomed, we firstly focused on leadership skills, prioritising how to engage and manage the workforce from a motivating and value driven perspective.
The purpose was to ensure that leaders had a in-depth understanding of "why, what and how" behind the change they where about to lead. All employees were involved in strengthening ones own and the team's behaviour and performance.
The Dialogue Mat itself focused on various aspects that are key when creating a good work environment, with Nycomed’s values as its foundation. Employees in every department worked together in groups, and through discussions and reflections agreed on what areas should be prioritised for further improvement. Concrete and prioritised action plans, based on this evaluation, was then defined. After the work on the dialogue mat, each department evaluated their unique action plan and to what degree they were able to achieved their established goals. Regular check-ins and evaluations of whether objectives and KPI’s are achieved was established, making the development a continuous process adjusted over time.
The Nycomed Value Process was carried out in 45 countries, and the material translated to 35 languages. Our tools are still used to adjust the continuous work and to inspire Nycomed employees to further develop a value driven performance culture. Leaders and staff at Nycomed has shown a great passion for the company’s values and integrate them in their work. This behaviour is spreading across the organisation, creating a better work environment overall.
In 2011, Nycomed was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
