Innovate to Remain #FitForFuture: The Centers of Excellence at BGSW

According to Gartner, a CoE can be defined as: “A physical or virtual center of knowledge concentrating existing expertise and resources in a discipline or capability to attain and sustain world-class performance and value.” From this definition, we can understand that a CoE is an establishment that leverages internal assets and experts to provide specific and sophisticated capabilities across the organization. Larger companies have been known to utilize CoEs for several purposes, including automation, innovation, digital commerce and analytics.

The decision to create CoEs was fundamentally guided by a greater requirement for innovation across the industry. Combined with this need to increase innovation, our goal to establish CoEs is guided by a requirement for specialized knowledge and central oversight in delivering global programs in new-age automotive and digital technologies.

Furthermore, a recent study from Harvard Business Review highlighted that only 46% of millennials believe they receive the necessary guidance from their managers. The modern workforce desires to be coached and trained for the real world and a specialized CoE can be instrumental.

Apart from the seven well-known types of waste identified in Lean Six Sigma concepts, “intellect underuse” is an 8th waste type, driven by lack of motivation, lack of recognition and organizational injustice. The CoEs were hence inspired by the need to create an organizational structure that is people-centric and maximizes learning. A networked organization is an organizational structure which maximizes people through results. As places of high learning, CoEs are best-positioned to create multiple learning and growth opportunities, thus taking BGSW forward into the journey towards innovation-led digital transformation.

CoEs play a crucial role in making the fruits of expertise accessible to the entire organization, regardless of geographical location. Through a robust and resilient framework comprising core expert teams, leaders to guide and mentor operations, clearly defined workstreams and measurable targets, our CoEs will provide thought leadership and drive innovation in the organization and beyond.

By operating as a networked organization, CoEs will harness expertise with people-centric learning approaches to maximize innovation. This entails focusing and honing expertise in a specific area, creating best practices which then drive widespread adoption in the organization.

The three cornerstones of our approach to building the CoEs are:

• CoEs as networked organizations with clearly defined roles: technical experts to consolidate and leverage expertise; leaders to steer and guide operations
• Measurable targets, regular oversight and fully charted out workstreams
• Focus on innovation (explore over exploit), tech capability building (on emerging technologies), consulting strategic projects and community building in Bosch and beyond.

The ultimate goal for BGSW is to shape a brighter tomorrow with the innovative steps we take today. The Centers of Excellence will be the creative spark necessary to drive better technological and organizational performance. With our diverse panel of specialized experts, our CoEs aim to be collaborative, innovation powerhouses that reach throughout the enterprise and aid our efforts to remain #FitForFuture.