Manufacturing at scale
In the time that it is likely to take to read this sentence, GSK plc’s global manufacturing operations will have manufactured over 2,000 new pharmaceutical and consumer packs, and vaccine doses.
The operations span 77 sites in 32 countries. Underpinning this, complex and constantly evolving technology ensures data integrity, quality and traceability across different sites, processes and operations. Responsible for this is GMS Tech – part of the business that provides the support to the manufacturing operations.
The adoption of new practices requires trust and close working relationships between the technology teams and their business partners.
The challenge was to make the strategy jump out so that people would understand that the technology plans will reduce stock levels, reduce human error, anticipate future demand and improve performance and quality. GMS Tech has to explain the benefits and value it adds, and the plans for change, so that plant managers and their teams really get it and remember it. GMS Tech describe the challenge as “joining the dots” across their programmes, to reinforce and sustain the strategy. By showing that they understand their internal customers’ needs and by continually explaining the benefits that they can deliver locally and across the whole business, they encourage plant managers and their teams to stick with the plans.
Working with David Smith, Service Director of the Digital Supply Chain for GMS Tech we spoke to leaders and their teams and identified that:
- Effective communication within GMS Tech itself and between GMS Tech and business partners had a direct impact on the performance of the business by increasing compliance, reducing risk, improving efficiency, and increasing the speed at which new systems were adopted
- Messages had to resonate at local levels to create line of sight between the company’s overall strategy, GMS Tech’s plans and local changes that delivered improvements
- The internal GMS Tech audience is the most important channel to reach those people in the business whose mindsets and behaviour they need to influence
- Four key opportunities are to clarify how IT adds value, ensure consistent messaging within GMS Tech, develop more routine communication processes and engage the whole leadership team itself in the communication process
Tactics to deliver the strategy
Tactics to deliver against this included:
- Developing consistent content via the development of on-line news
- The creation of a Big Picture to show visually how activities fit together, explain value and engage teams
- A narrative deck providing templates for leaders and others to use reinforcing consistency
- Creating an on-line story library to illustrate evidence of value from the perspective of internal customers.
“Couravel helped us develop and implement a communications strategy which drives staff and stakeholder understanding and engagement in the overall GMS Tech strategy. The benefits we see are a more aligned workforce, who are better focused and energised to deliver against our strategies, whilst our stakeholders also have a better understanding of the direction we are heading in, in turn reducing the number of potential distractions to achieving our goals”.
David Smith
IABC UK & Ireland Past President 2019-2020
Gold Quill Award Winner
