life - GEA Group

2 | i²m i²m | 29
This will be different for I²M. Though on the department level,
supervisors will coordinate the ideas submitted by the employees.
On Group level and among the companies and divisions,
there will be individual people responsible for I²M. For the
Group level this will be coordinated by myself, reporting directly
to Jürg Oleas. There is also going to be software that will support
all the processes. We will make it available to the companies
right from the start. The software will eventually be able to
steer CIP or Kaizen activities.
How would you summarize the i²m process?
Someone usually submits an idea to a supervisor. The supervisor
decides whether or not to accept the idea and how to recognize
it, using predetermined criteria. For bigger things, say a protest,
or if an idea has been submitted anonymously, we have our
idea agencies. A commission then evaluates the proposal.
How is i²m an improvement over the old
suggestion box?
The good old suggestion box is mostly passive. Someone has
a suggestion and either makes it or doesn’t make it. I²M, on
the other hand, is active. We’re looking for ideas and we will
promote them. We want everyone to get involved with the GEA
Group and identify with it. People are not acting out of charity,
but out of self-interest.
r&d,tQm
Systematic development,
improvements and cost savings
Cip, kaizen
Employees systematically improve
work processes as a team
What does i²m need in order to succeed?
Our people have to be sure that their ideas are not only welcome,
but that they will be acted upon. They also have to want
to participate and they have to have the means. They also need
to understand how the process works and know what the rewards
are. Finally, the software has to work.
What potential do you see for i²m?
We’re counting on one suggestion per year from each employee.
But that’s only the beginning, if other companies who are way
ahead of us on this are any indication. But more important than
any hard and fast number is the fact that attitudes have to
change. I²M can only achieve its full potential if everyone contributes
ideas and knowledge freely and without reservation.
What are the chances that suggestions will
be taken?
Good. Fifty to sixty per cent of all suggestions end up being
taken. Our software and our organization assure that we will
arrive at a decision in two to six weeks at the latest.
Where does the project stand at the moment?
We’ve nailed down the procedures, we’ve created company
guidelines for recognition and procedures and we’ve checked
it over with the Works Council. We even have a mascot.
ideas & improvement
management
Additonal potential: ideas and suggestions
from 19,000 employees
• tap new potential and realize savings
• bonuses help motivate employees to
contribute ideas
• the result is an increase in company value
“be open to innoVation”
Jürg oleas plans to launch i²m as an early
warning system to highlight areas in need
of attention within the company.
He certainly can‘t complain about not having enough
work to do. yet he believes that I²M requires the full
force of the Chief Executive Officer behind it in order for
the initiative to succeed. “In my experience, such a complex
system can only be rolled out worldwide with support
from the highest level of the company,” he says.
Jürg Oleas sees three key objectives at the heart of the
project. Firstly, I²M should help to increase the GEA
Group‘s profits. Secondly, it should give employees the
feeling that they can influence their work at the GEA
Group beyond the confines of their day-to-day routine.
But above all, Jürg Oleas is sure that I²M will act as a
highly sensitive and immediate gauge of the general
mood in the company. If there is a decline in the number
of suggestions being put forward within a particular
department, there is possibly something wrong with the
relationship between staff and management. “Conversely,
a consistently high number of suggestions is a
good indication that we are getting things right”, according
to Jürg Oleas.
Similar systems are already in use in some parts of the
company, but in many areas nothing at all is being done.
Consequently, GEA has a lot of catching up to do, but
this also means that it has a tremendous opportunity
to achieve significant improvements in a short space of
time. He asks two things of the workforce: “Be open
to innovation. And if you want to criticize, do so – but
always in conjunction with a suggestion for a better
solution.”
So we’re on our way and we’ll begin in Germany this fall with
the rest of the GEA companies worldwide following by the
middle of 200 .
How are you going to monitor the program?
In contrast to its name, “I²M“, which is still a bit of a mystery, the
program launch is going to be completely transparent. We’ve
got so many people that a database system that’s accessible to
everyone can really guarantee success. We’re not going to use
it to check up on people. Instead, everyone will be able to see
which departments, companies and divisions are doing particularly
well and what other people can learn from them.
Where can people get information about i²m?
We’re going to kick off I²M with a communications extravaganza
so I don’t want to blow my wad just yet. you can be sure
though, that everyone will hear about it.
Professor Geanius is the
mascot of the new
Improvement Management.