Flexible, dynamic and collaborative: Lean & Agile at thyssenkrupp

The corporate world is in a state of constant flux and requires increasingly flexible processes. The group-wide ‘Lean & Agile’ (L&A) programme at thyssenkrupp is designed to establish agile working and lean methods in projects. It provides employees with the opportunity to develop innovative solutions and to apply new working methods in cross-segment projects that are free from rigid structures. So, what’s the payoff? Quick and practically oriented results.

Agile methods and lean processes

‘Lean & Agile is the proper name for our group-wide initiative,’ explains Dr. Claus Clasvogt, Head of Corporate Change Lab, under whose umbrella ‘L&A’ was created. The initiative doesn’t focus on introducing comprehensive change throughout the entire group at once, but on many small, agile projects –to achieve results quickly while continuously learning and developing.

Its success hinges on three aspects: ‘Lean’ means avoiding redundant steps and activities to ensure effective teamwork. ‘Agile’ represents flexibility and adaptability: Teams can react immediately to new information as required and adapt their working methods to reflect any changes. This is complemented by the non-hierarchical cooperation between various segments and teams, which sees the expertise and skills of all participants are brought in for everyone’s benefit.

This approach has proved particularly effective for complex tasks and projects. Each project is supervised by an Agile Coach who ensures that the methodology is followed. This not only promotes the rapid implementation of ideas but also the development of an agile corporate culture.

From idea to project

Since its launch in 2020, thyssenkrupp has already implemented over 60 projects across all segments, including the introduction of the ‘tkbikes’ as a bike leasing model. Another project focused on innovative business models in the area of sustainability in Asia. And yet another looked at the promotion of female managers in China. Thus, there are very few restrictions when it comes to the issues of Lean & Agile projects. On the contrary: Anything is possible.

‘As part of our Lean & Agile mission, we work with regular L&A sprints where employees from all segments worldwide are given the opportunity to take part in projects or contribute ideas and pitch them as specific projects,’ explains Karolin Bott, the Senior Change Expert at our Corporate Change Lab. Each sprint focuses on current topics or challenges that are relevant to thyssenkrupp.  We start by creating a rough plan of what we want to achieve with the project. ‘But we don’t follow a set plan with defined outcomes,’ Karolin Bott reports. After all, that wouldn’t be agile. Because initial goals often change during the life of a project based on the input and the expertise of our various employees. One special event is our annual Lean & Agile meeting called tk Talents meets NWoW (New Ways of Working).

How are projects organised?

L&A projects are limited to three months. This allows us to come up with a clear goal and a focused working process. We start with a kick-off meeting for each project where the team meets for the first time. During the project phase, there are regular meetings and feedback sessions to ensure that the team stays on track and can respond to new challenges. Once the project has been completed, the results are presented to an international committee as part of the L&A review, which decides whether solutions will be continued or integrated into the Group.

The results speak for themselves: Over 600 employees worldwide have already taken part in L&A projects and have not only acquired new skills but also made an active contribution to implementations. Many of the results have had a positive impact on the various thyssenkrupp business units, whether in digitalisation, sustainability or corporate culture.

A regular highlight is the annual L&A summer camp, an event that not only marks the end of a sprint but also awards prizes for the best projects. The L&A award is presented to project teams that stand out from the crowd for their particularly creative approaches, impressive results or high impact for the Group. The international committee evaluates the L&A reviews over the year. The summer camp also provides a platform for exchange between the project teams and generates new ideas for future sprints.

Initiatives for promoting teamwork and networking

Various offers and initiatives from the Corporate Change Lab expand on and support internal collaboration. The ‘we. Match’ platform for example plays a crucial role here. It allows employees to network with colleagues from different businesses and countries, exchange interests, and form knowledge partnerships. This involves three modules (‘people2projects’, ‘Call a Colleague’ and ‘Communities’) and allows skills to be utilised exactly where they are needed – directly, simply and effectively.

Our next focus: Artificial Intelligence

A glimpse into the future shows that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role in the world of work and therefore at thyssenkrupp, too – both in terms of content and methodology. For this very reason, thyssenkrupp launched the ‘Collaborative AI journey’. Initially, over 500 managers and AI experts took part in five workshops to discuss specific ideas around harnessing the potential of AI.  In parallel, thyssenkrupp also analysed the maturity of the ‘AI ecosystem’ , which made it possible to identify the current status, future goals and joint fields of activity. Lean & Agile projects have already been implemented for four cross-segment areas and the next batch of AI projects are already in the pipeline.

Whether with or without AI, we are already really excited about our upcoming sprints with new projects, ideas and fluid results. In addition, an increasing number of thyssenkrupp employees are discovering the Lean & Agile spirit.