Empowerment is important in all areas of the company – including production

I talk to Hannes Pfister, HR Transformation, about empowerment in the Plansee Group

I am delighted that you have taken the time to talk to us, especially after the end of Dad Month.

What is your personal approach to empowerment?

“For me, it is crucial that my work creates meaning and has an impact – this motivates me personally and also shapes my management style. I see it as my job to create the necessary framework conditions for my team so that everyone can work effectively and independently,” says Mr. Pfister, summarizing his approach. Empowerment, purpose, appreciation and further training are crucial for motivation and good performance. I don’t want to be a manager who decides everything myself – but one who empowers their employees to make their own decisions. This is essential, especially in specialist areas in which I am not an expert myself.

How is empowerment practiced at the Plansee Group, are there any new developments?

The shift towards more personal responsibility is an ongoing process – for managers and employees alike. It requires dialog, trust and targeted support through further training and development meetings. In a company with a traditionally hierarchical culture like Plansee, this transition is particularly noticeable. But a lot is happening: management programs, empowerment initiatives and agile working groups are driving forward a new understanding of leadership.

At the heart of this is the idea that decisions are made as close as possible to the technical expertise – no longer top-down, but directly in the team. Agile projects in particular show how strongly and independently employees can act. The role of leadership is changing: away from the “decision-maker” and towards the “enabler”. The New Work approach also picks up on this development – with a focus on personal responsibility, value work, modern leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The manager sets the strategic goals within which the team is allowed to move. And during the sprint transitions, the manager still has the opportunity to ask questions about the quantitative targets (costs), qualitative targets and adherence to the schedule. Essentially, however, the decision is made where the expertise is, in the teams. “This is the latest development in the Group. You can see that a lot of persuasion is still needed here, because not all managers are comfortable with it, and not all employees are either,” says Mr. Pfister, adding, “it’s a question of type, yes, whether I feel comfortable in such an environment.

What is the company doing in terms of empowerment or how is it being brought into the company?

There has been a culture department in the company for a few years now, a cultural development department, and they are also very concerned with the question of “what is the culture in the company” and “how is the workforce doing”. We work with Hofstede on these cultural levels (as a methodology – model of cultural dimensions by social psychologist Geert Hofstede) We have now developed new corporate values and these are currently being rolled out into the world.

An important topic and a core value: “bringing employees into impact”. Our culture department pays attention to “what do the employees at the locations actually need in order to embody the value well”. What makes Plansee strong in these areas?
There are many initiatives: “management development, further training, agile working groups, cultural work” – but they often work side by side. Our aim is to transform everything into a common strategy – with a “cultural map” as the connecting framework and embedded in our corporate values, which place collaboration and integrity at the heart of our work, among other things.

The aim is for employees to feel the same values regardless of location or function – and to be able to make decisions independently on this basis. The importance of empowerment is clear in all areas of the company. This is also the case in production: “When every employee understands their role in the value chain and acts responsibly, not only does quality improve – motivation and a sense of purpose also increase,” explains Mr. Pfister.

Especially for employees in monotonous and routine jobs, new ways are needed to enable genuine participation and personal initiative. This is challenging, but crucial for long-term corporate success. Because: “When empowerment also reaches the machine, it unfolds its greatest leverage,” Mr. Pfister is convinced. We also need to counter monotonous activities and routine work with AI and automation. (This is where agile projects are particularly called for).

How do the managers at the Plansee Group live the topic of empowerment? Is there the same drive everywhere, do all managers say that it is important to empower employees, or are there still different schools of thought?

Empowerment is increasingly being practiced in upper management – with an understanding of leadership that is based onservant leadership and coaching. I find my own relationship with my manager to be particularly supportive. Nevertheless, there are differences within the company: In traditional, operational areas, a hierarchical management style still prevails in some cases, which occasionally leads to conflicts. A complete cultural change therefore takes time – and in some cases will only be achievable through generational change.

The cultural change towards more personal responsibility and agile collaboration is a long-term, evolutionary process at the Plansee Group. Initial progress is visible, for example through cultural work and internal campaigns. The “New Work” concept is now also supported by the Executive Board. After some initial persuasion, there is now a common understanding at the highest level – the implementation of a comprehensive, agile transformation project is imminent. The important thing for Mr. Pfister is: “The change must be broadly anchored in the Management Board – only then can it have an impact throughout the company”.

Finally, I would like to ask you for a stress tip of your own:

“Interesting question, I’m a soccer referee, which isn’t necessarily good for low cortisol levels in my free time,” reflects Mr. Pfister.

What I find particularly grounding is spending time in the garden, that totally relaxes me, and of course spending time with the family.

In the work context, Mr. Pfister paints an exciting picture for more resilience:

Viewing work as a “playing field” helps to deal with stressful or stressful situations in a more resilient way. Instead of taking everything too seriously, a playful view of the work context can help: Problems or unpleasant situations are like moves in a game – some can be played back calmly, others can be deliberately allowed to go out of play. This attitude promotes composure, a willingness to learn and personal development. Even setbacks are seen as part of a learning process rather than as failure.