ANNUAL REPORT 2008 - Eckes-Granini Group

| People make the difference at Eckes-Granini |
One of our essential beliefs is that “people make
the difference”. This means two things. First of all,
it means that it is people who shape our company’s
success and who get things moving at Eckes-Granini.
But it also relates to how people interact with each
other and how the company – supervisors and corporate
management – respects its employees, takes
them seriously and involves them in processes and
decisions.
What is so special about the people who work for
Eckes-Granini? They are authentic and committed
to the company’s goals. It is also immediately obvious
that they identify closely with the company and its
brands and products. Qualities such as self-initiative,
passion and the will to seize opportunities and create
new solutions for the benefit of all are actively
demon strated by employees in all departments and
at all levels of the corporate hierarchy.
This working atmosphere is fostered among other
things by flat hierarchies that facilitate direct communication
between employees and their super visors
and corporate management. Strong emphasis is also
placed on personal development. Employees are
consistently developed in keeping with their skills
and potential. Advancement across departmental
boundaries also plays an important role – as people
move from Controlling to Marketing, for example,
or from Marketing to Human Resources and Organizational
Development.
Actively promoting dialogue and networking
People at Eckes-Granini are supported and promoted
with the aid of special instruments, such as the “International
Development Programme” for employees in
specific key positions and the “International Leadership
Programme”, in which managers from all national
organizations receive advanced training and the opportunity
to benefit from the experience of others in the
areas of strategy, leadership, people management and
change competence.
Dialogue and networking among national organizations,
departments and employees are actively
pro mo ted on a sustained basis. That is the focus of
numerous international events, such as the Leadership
Forum 2007, at which 80 managers and executives
from all national organizations gathered to explore
and discuss leadership concepts and the organizational
analysis conducted in advance of the Forum.
One of the outgrowths of these activities was the
Purpose process launched in 2008, in the course of
which we defined our company’s “common identity”.
It was important to us to clearly identify what we
stand for and articulate the values and convictions that
form the foundation and the guiding principles of our
actions. “It was overwhelming to see just how much
we have in common – in spite of the existing cultural
differences”. This response by one employee to the
language of the Eckes-Granini Purpose reflected the
feelings of many employees. This was a major step
forward in our efforts to bring our ambitious goals
and our strong emphasis on achievement closer to
our employees at the emotional level. Thus the link
between strategy and Purpose will contribute significantly
to successful realization of our Vision 2010.