Synonymous with high-performance automobiles, Daimler AG continues to set new standards. In 2011, the German automaker is taking a significant leap in improving its ability to analyze high volumes of warranty and diagnostic data, as well as diverse vehicle configurations, models and variations, all with the goal to continuously improve quality and, ultimately, customer satisfaction.
At the heart of Daimler’s business is quality assurance and guaranteeing complete customer satisfaction is evident in everything the organization does. Some of the main areas where Daimler collects quality assurance data are from the vehicles, garage service and reÂlated operations,” explains Winfried Ganther, manager of After-Sales Quality Analysis. “And what we relied upon most were two sets of data stored in separate data marts: warranty and billing information and diagnostic data downloaded from on-board vehicle systems, and performance data gathered during service checks.”
For more content, please read Case Study: Daimler drives high performance
However, the high performance can not be achieved without its people.
How did this manager in India turn around a poor-performing team? With an unconventional approach: He fostered workplace friendships.
Dr. Suresh Nagesh wondered how he found himself in such a mess.
Nagesh arrived in January 2004 to lead DaimlerChrysler’s Vehicle Engineering and Quality (VEQ) group in Bangalore, India. Instead of a team, he found six individual engineers working essentially alone.
The engineers didn’t have good rapport with Nagesh’s predecessor. The stress of a demanding internal customer seemed to be taking its toll. Their desks were on separate floors in the building, so although they might have called or e-mailed each other with a question, they seemed to interact as little as possible. At lunch time, each went his separate way. Nagesh didn’t even see them saying “hello” to each other or having normal professional discussions in the hallways. Employee engagement scores for the group put them lower than 60% of the teams in Gallup’s global database.
“They were quiet,” says Nagesh. “I very soon realized that there was no homogeneity in the team. The chemistry itself was not there. This guy complains about that guy; that guy complains about this guy; and nothing was happening — no motivation whatsoever.”
For more content, please read Engineering a Friendly Workplace at DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler and the United Auto Workers have a wellness program that pays for itself.
In an agreeable alliance between labor, management, and suppliers, the DaimlerChrysler/UAW National Wellness Program is soothing traditional tensions between unions and employers. “It’s truly a partnership,” says Teresa Bartlett, senior manager of disability and medical healthcare programs for DaimlerChrysler Corporation. “We’ve never encountered disagreement at all.”
The 15-year-old program is a negotiated benefit between DaimlerChrysler and the autoworkers’ union, UAW DaimlerChrysler and the union work with third-party providers to make health-promotion and prevention initiatives available to more than 90,000 employees at 35 major locations nationwide. The availability of programs and number of on-site coordinators depend on the site’s employee population and size. The extensive program has endured Chrysler’s 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz and other major organizational and industry changes. The corporation faces yet another challenging era following the announcement that it will chop 26,000 Chrysler jobs, including several thousand in the United States. Through it all, wellness continues to be a part of life at DaimlerChrysler.
For more content, please read Labor and Management Build a Prescription for Health – DaimlerChrysler
Daimler rolls out a new retention plan to prevent employees from scooting off.
Daimler AG with its businesses Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Daimler Buses, is a globally leading producer of premium passenger cars and the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the world.
Daimler AG knows employee retention is critical to the long-term health and success of any organisation. However it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies, especially in emerging markets such as China, India and Russia, to attract, motivate and retain key talent.
Our business depends on people, and the market environment is changing from an “employer driven†to an “employee driven†market. Employers need to react and offer attractive solutions for employees to survive the “war for talentâ€. One of the key challenges for all companies in these markets will be to ensure they keep the right people in place to drive future business success and reduce related attrition costs and know-how loss.
Engagement is key to retaining talented employees. An engaged employee will stay with the company, be an advocate of the company, its products and services, and contribute to bottom line business success.
It is therefore crucial for companies to develop strategies for building engagement. As a first step companies have to evaluate key factors of employee engagement within their own unique environment, as it affects productivity, retention and financial performance.
For more content, please read The New Retention Engine