Master this skill to build fast-moving, future-ready teams: Siemens CEO Roland Busch
Oct 12, 2023
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Siemens CEO, Roland Busch, discusses the impact of digital transformation and the skills needed for future-ready teams. He emphasizes the importance of empowering teams and making decisions near the bottom of organizations. Busch shares his reliance on problem-solving skills from his PhD in physics and highlights the power of inclusiveness and diversity in fostering innovation.
Technology is reshaping Siemens and requires managers to empower teams and make decisions closer to the bottom of organizations in order to compete in a fast-changing world.
Siemens CEO Roland Busch emphasizes the importance of reskilling and upskilling employees to adapt to the changing technological landscape and encourages the development of soft skills and a growth mindset.
Deep dives
Digital Transformation and its Impact on Industry and Tech Jobs
The digital transformation is reshaping industries like healthcare and manufacturing, making them more sustainable and efficient. This transformation is also driven by the need to adapt to an aging population and labor scarcity. The CEO of Siemens, Roland Bush, highlights how new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) are shaping industries, and how tech jobs are evolving. He emphasizes the importance of bridging tech gaps through innovations like low-code software, making tech roles more accessible. Siemens has developed retraining initiatives to upskill and reskill employees, ensuring they can adapt to new technologies and job requirements.
Addressing Labor Scarcity through Technology
As labor markets face challenges posed by aging populations and labor scarcity, technology can help alleviate the pressures. Roland Bush explores how technology can enable shop floor workers to redefine their roles, such as manually working or programming robots using low-code software. This transformation requires a redesign of plants, operations, and products, enabling automation and creating more efficient workflows. By leveraging technology, industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation can address labor shortages and boost productivity.
Reskilling and Training Initiatives at Siemens
Siemens is committed to reskilling and upskilling its workforce to adapt to the changing technological landscape. The company offers vocational training, combining classroom and on-the-job training. They also have retraining programs to help employees transition from existing jobs to new ones. Siemens recognizes the importance of lifelong learning and encourages a growth mindset among its employees. They also emphasize the development of soft skills like communication, empathy, and empowering employees. Additionally, Siemens trains its management to adapt to the platform-based economy and work effectively within ecosystems.
Interoperability and Openness in Digital Solutions
Siemens is focused on developing open digital business platforms that promote interoperability, allowing different technologies and solutions to seamlessly work together. This interoperability is necessary for scaling and deploying solutions across diverse industries. Siemens utilizes open APIs and develops standard modules for common functional requirements, enabling customization for specific customers. This approach facilitates scalability and faster deployment of solutions, addressing challenges like emissions reduction and resource optimization. Openness and interoperability also enhance collaboration and drive innovation within ecosystems.
The digital transformation is shifting more than technology - it’s changing the skills workers will need, the mindsets required to tackle big challenges, and the nature of business itself. Roland Busch, Siemens CEO, shares how tech is reshaping Siemens and how reskilling will evolve, and how managers especially will need to empower teams for the changes ahead. He shares why more decisions should happen near the bottoms of organizations (to compete in a fast-changing world), the corners leaders will be tempted to cut for short-term gains in tough quarters (but shouldn't) and the ingredient that's critical for building agile and accountable teams. He also shares the skills he depends on most in after 30 years at the company, including how his PhD in physics shaped his approach to problem-solving, and a key turning point that changed how he delegates.
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