5. Case study on Festo

Case study 1:  Festo Lithuania, Kaunas, Lithuania.

Author/s:  Ms Dovile Bezubec, Festo, Lithunia.

History

Festo is a leading world-wide supplier of automation technology and the performance leader in industrial training and education programs. Its aim: maximized productivity and competitiveness for our customers. Festo is an internationally operating family-owned company in its third generation, which covers its financial needs by its own means. Because of that, we are not bound by the capital market, but solely our customers, employees and business partners. This enables us to plan over the long term even in dynamic markets and to do business in a sustainable manner. As a family-owned company, we act from a holistic perspective. We take responsibility for our actions globally and locally, and want to contribute to the quality of life and conservation of resources where we operate with new technologies, knowledge and education.

FESTO Lithuania under the status of a limited liability company have more than 240 employees. FESTO Lithuania is doing activities in Product management, Engineering support, Marketing, Business Assistance, IT, Sales, Financial and Document processing services.

Public interest

FESTO Lithuania actively collaborates with local universities and colleges:

1. provides students with information about employment and internship vacancies
2. participates in career and practice days at universities
3. organizes open days at FESTO Lithuania in order to inform students about vacancies, organizational structure and career opportunities in FESTO Lithuania
4. representatives of FESTO Lithuania participate in thematic lectures in order to present a particular department and its services and aims for students from a particular field of studies
5. specialists from different departments in FESTO Lithuania make presentations and informational lectures about particular area of competencies or skills (i.e. about SAP, different IT areas, etc.)
6. establishes scholarships and grants for the best bachelor or master thesis after evaluating their practical applicability

FESTO Lithuania organizes social initiatives for local basic education schools:

1. pupils during their career orientation days come to familiarize with services and processes that are established in FESTO Lithuania
2. groups of pupils come to get more knowledge about the importance of foreign languages (German, French, English) for a successful career
3. All these forms of collaboration with universities, colleges and schools are implemented in order to show pupils and students the importance of different practical skills (language knowledge, social skills, etc.) as well to familiarize them with real career opportunities and to show the link between their study field and working environment.

Object

FESTO Lithuania organizational behaviour is based on leadership standards and coaching culture that comes from Value based approach. The Leadership Principles do have an origin. Derived from Festo Values, they are fundamental instruments for the successful implementation of a positive leadership and cooperation culture. The Leadership Principles serve as a guidance and describe the management style, which helps managers to be successful in situations of leadership and cooperation. The Leadership Principles are valid globally. Festo leaders are convinced that these principles are understood throughout Festo and lead to a high degree of motivation. The Leadership Principles are the basis for an interactive experience of a new leading culture for all employees to keep their level of trust. If there is a clear understanding of the desired management styles, all employees can benefit from it.

Rational and goals

Leadership Principles:

• are fundamental instruments for the successful implementation of a positive leadership and cooperation culture
• describe the leadership and cooperation behaviour of all managers and leaders should apply in their daily business to be successful
• have been developed to bring clarity to the Festo companies regarding the desired management style

FESTO Leadership Principles

Act as a Role Model:

• Set an example for the team and peers to follow by demonstrating engagement and commitment
• Guide in a professional and ethical way, displaying and encouraging respectful behaviour
• Influence the attitude, behaviour and performance of others in a positive way
• Reflect your own behaviour regularly
• Act in compliance with our Code of Conduct
• Respect and foster diversity

Aim for Performance:

• Ensure tasks are challenging, understood, achievable, supervised and accomplished
• Provide feedback and reward performance
• Inspire and support team members to embrace change and seek opportunities to continually develop themselves
• Recognize talent and expertise of others
• Coach to build the future leaders of Festo.

Drive Success:

• Provide a compelling view of the future, the path to get there and required resources to obtain sustainable success for our customers’ and Festo
• Agree on ambitious and realistic targets to meet our customers’ needs and goals of Festo
• Strive for strategic targets that respect the social, environmental and economic standards

Make Quality Decisions:

• Dare to delegate while keeping a good balance between autonomy and control
• Think from different perspectives, be innovative, be open to and value alternative opinions and ideas
• Make sound and timely decisions
• Implement decisions quickly and effectively
• Look at challenges in its entirety and decide from a holistic perspective

Communicate and Co-operate:

• Share relevant information clearly and proactively with the team
• Encourage proactive cooperation across functional, organizational and national boundaries
• Consider the special needs of individuals and multiple cultures within Festo
• Deal actively and fairly with errors and criticism

Build Team Spirit and Motivation:

• Encourage and inspire the team to act boldly
• Empower and trust the team to make the right decisions
• Develop and foster team spirit
• Demonstrate genuine interest in the team and treat others with respect and appreciation
• Address conflicts and actively provide support to solve conflicts
• Acknowledge and celebrate success