Denham: Cross Collaboration is key
As we continue our exploration of the 40+ locations of Bosch in the UK, our focus turns to Denham in Buckinghamshire. Housing 4 divisions and 10 central functions all under one roof, Denham is a unique Bosch location.
As the Head Office in the UK, it’s also where Bosch UK President Steffen Hoffmann is based. Steffen took some time to speak to us about the Denham site, and how the wide variety of teams based there encourages (and requires) cross-collaboration.
Steffen explained to us some pivotal changes which Denham has undergone since 2016: “We introduced Inspiring Working Conditions throughout the office, taking down the partitions between desks and introducing working spaces designed for collaboration.”
“The We Lead Bosch principles set out that ‘We collaborate across functions’. We have so many functions and divisions at Denham that we wanted to do everything we could to encourage this collaboration – and the working environments are a big part of that.”
Whilst it may seem like having so many varied teams in one place would result in divides, Steffen explained that IWC ensured that the opposite was true. “The implementation of IWC coincided with a redesigning of the meeting rooms, again encouraging people to cross-collaborate on their ideas.” The rooms are now themed around things considered quintessentially ‘British’.
Steffen linked the working conditions at Denham to the direction the company is taking globally: “In the time of IoT and digitalisation, many products and services will, by nature, be cross-divisional. It is much easier to achieve excellence and create new opportunities when divisions are collaborating with one another.”
“It’s crucial to hear the thoughts and ideas of everyone, from a range of ages and cultural backgrounds as well as the range of divisions.”
In October this year Steffen and Mahesh Chikodi hosted the first Transformation Talks, offering associates the opportunity for an open discussion on the topics of Digital Transformation and IoT: “People know the buzz words but there is a difficulty connecting them to tangible ideas and concepts – these talks help people to make that connection”.
Steffen summarised that Denham must continue to transform alongside the business globally and we look forward to sharing more examples of how they are achieving this next year.
“The Denham site encourages cross-collaboration, open communication, and associates coming together as ‘One Bosch’.”