The Challenge: Unifying Cultures and Breaking Silos

The pharmaceutical company Esteve faced a significant challenge: the need to transform diverse subcultures within its organisation into a unified, collaborative culture.

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Moving from several subcultures within the organisation to one large, unified culture

The Challenge: Unifying Cultures and Breaking Silos

The pharmaceutical company Esteve faced a significant challenge: the need to transform diverse subcultures within its organisation into a unified, collaborative culture. Dispersion between departments and locations had created silos that hindered communication and cross-business knowledge. Esteve’s management made a bold decision to address this challenge: to move its professionals from multiple sites to a single location.

However, Esteve recognised that simply sharing a physical space would not be enough to achieve true cultural cohesion. That’s when we decided that we need to go one step further and make an effective and lasting change to the way they work.

Pax: 280

M2: 4.000

Sector: Services

Location: Madrid

Year: 2018

The Solution: Integration of Culture and Space

An innovative Company Experience® strategy that integrated interrelated disciplines was proposed that would merge cultural transformation and architectural design. By coordinating both approaches, they ensured that the physical space was tailored to the needs of the employees and that the new headquarters became a catalyst for cultural unification.

The project was approached from a global perspective, covering all phases: analysis, strategy definition, implementation and monitoring. This holistic approach allowed the coordination of the project to be streamlined, maximising its impact and ensuring sustainable results.

The Keys to Success: Participation and Co-design

A crucial aspect in the implementation of this transformation was the creation of ambassadors. These professionals acted as a bridge between the project team and the rest of the organisation, communicating progress, co-designing new ways of working and including all employees in the process.

Key actions during the implementation phase included:

  • Co-designing new ways of working with ambassadors.
  • Establishment of short-term objectives to measure immediate impact.
  • Accompanying team leaders to become role models.
  • Creation of a welcome manual and user policies for the new office.
  • Operational management and effective communication during the relocation.
  • Training sessions to align all professionals with the project objectives.

The Results: A New Unified Culture

The success of the project was not only reflected in an improved organisational culture, but also in tangible benefits:

  • Elimination of 80,000 kg of paper, with a 47% reduction in printing.
  • Implementation of hybrid interaction technology in meeting rooms, with training for employees.
  • 84% of employees were satisfied with the elimination of visible status symbols, favouring the democratisation of the space.
  • Improved communication between different areas and departments.
  • High appreciation of the value-added services in the new headquarters.
  • 88% of employees consider that the project favours teamwork.
  • Incorporation of Office 365 and advanced technology in workspaces and meeting rooms.

Conclusion: Ready for the Future

Thanks to this strategy, Esteve not only managed to unify its organisational culture, but also prepared itself to face the challenges of the future, such as digitalisation and the need for technological tools for remote work. This cultural and architectural transformation project not only met its immediate objectives, but also positioned Esteve as an innovative and future-proof company.