Bayer's Centers of Excellence Model for Tapping Digital Talent
The importance of talent has not gone unnoticed at Bayer, for instance, which embarked on its own digital transformation in 2014. Jessica Federer, Head Digital Development, highlights leadership from the top and a very dedicated implementation team as the two pre-requisites for a successful digital transformation, but sitting at the top of a list of the keys drivers in any successful transformation, is talent.
“The number one thing for us is always the talent – the people. We do have people in our organisation who are world leaders in digital marketing and multichannel marketing and integrated customer experience. We have brilliant people here and you’ve just got to have people that get it and understand it.”
But where do life sciences companies find such extraordinary talent – it can be elusive – and how do they build the necessary skills?
Federer’s colleague Gerhard Arnhofer leads the centre of excellence for integrated multichannel marketing for the pharma business at Bayer. Set up some nine months ago, the centre is one of a number of CoEs within the company, designed to inspire and transform the organisation.
Each deals with a different competency area such that the bundled competencies available within the centres enable the wider organisation to build up its skills, competencies and knowledge in specific areas of focus. This approach is seen as the quickest and most effective way of building digital capability within the organisation.
After several years of impact, individual CoEs are dissolved once they have done their work, at the stage that the organisation as a whole understands more than the CoE can then deliver. Traditionally, this knowledge transfer takes three to five years. This is a technique that Bayer has applied for several years.
One solution is homegrown talent. Bayer runs a dual study programme for undergraduates who spend time at a university on technology and economics programmes and then half their time on the job within the corporation. Bayer is able to hire fresh talent out of that stream and can shape individuals early on in their careers.
Currently, there are a number of people within Arnhofer’s team writing their dissertations and the organisation is interested to see whether this approach will accelerate the digital transformation or not. Topics covered by the students include AI, evaluating concepts of remote detailing, and business decisions analysis, among others. Team members fresh from university have a very keen eye for evaluating problems but need considerable time spent on nurturing them.
Additionally, Berlin has a thriving start-up scene, with a large number of talented people from the digital community originating from all over Europe. This represents a significant talent pool for the company.
Also read "The Bayer Healthcare Grants4Apps® Team Receives the 6th Annual Pharmaguy SoMobile Pioneer Award!"; http://sco.lt/5pRjEX and “Digital Savvy Women In Pharma: Jessica Federer, Head of Digital Development at Bayer”; http://sco.lt/5ftrWb