Joint responsibility is the key

A lot of know-how goes into developing a new plant variety: Many colleagues from breeding, biotechnology, data management and other areas, such as the Business Units or the Legal department, are involved in the process. The number of R&D employees has grown to more than 2,000 over the past years. Just last fiscal year alone, 484 varieties of different crops were newly approved – a record. If KWS continues to grow as planned, the headcount in R&D will rise to over 4,000 in ten years’ time.

The importance of plant breeding in the agricultural sector will grow even further in the future. Sustainable agriculture requires varieties that are resistant to pests and need less chemical pesticide. Climate change means that drought-tolerant plants are needed. Yields have to be secured and increased so that farmers can supply us with high-quality food and run their business successfully. At the same time, however, there are growing challenges when it comes to developing new varieties. The use of modern technologies is gaining in importance as a factor in breeding success, while the division of labor in breeding work is increasing.

More staff, new technologies, greater complexity and, last but not least, the imminent generational shift among much of management raise a crucial question: What structure does R&D need to achieve its strategic goals? The reorganization was planned over a period of three years and is now to be implemented step by step by mid-2022.

The first answers were presented to our R&D colleagues at a live event on October 30: The focus of the new R&D model is on development, which is divided into product development and trait and technology development.

Product development comprises two sub-areas. The first groups corn, sorghum, sunflower and rapeseed, and the second sugarbeet, rye, wheat, barley, special crops and organic varieties. There might be a third area in the future, for example for vegetables. Breeding stations and technological applications are close partners to breeding. With their services, as well as molecular and data-driven approaches and innovations, they increase efficiency in breeding and take into account the specific aspects of a crop.

Trait and technology development is likewise divided into two sub-areas. Technology development comprises molecular biology, cell biology, bioanalytics, biostatistics, bioscripting and IT, digital phenotyping, field automation and phytopathology. Trait development covers the fields of disease and insect resistance, yield and yield stability, quality and disruptive traits.

The High-throughput (HT) Services unit will support development. The goal here is to apply newly developed technologies and methods in practice. The unit aims to supply timely, cost-effective services so that researchers and developers can focus on their actual development work.

Business Functions takes care of cross-unit issues and supports the various management levels in discharging their tasks. That includes, for example, approval of genetically modified traits, as well as internal control processes such as budgeting or quality management. It also works closely with GLOBE and the Global Functions to contribute R&D-related topics there.

New bodies

The existing bodies have been adapted as part of the reorganization. A four-strong R&D Leadership Team (R&D LT) will report to the Executive Board. In addition, an Extended Leadership Team (ELT) has been created and comprises the global heads and the tier below them. It supports cross-department collaboration and strategy development, disseminates information throughout the organization, and promotes talent development. An R&D Leadership Forum will replace the current Leadership Retreat. The forum will focus on networking, career development and learning and will convene once a year. The bodies for coordinating work processes at the operational level are currently being examined and will be adapted in the course of the transformation.

Processes and interfaces

The changes to the structure necessitate a review and redesign of the processes and interfaces within R&D and with the rest of the organization. Working within fixed departmental structures with a clear focus on one crop, for example, has proven a good solution in the past. However, the requirements involved in developing new products will continue to grow. One department on its own will have difficulty in coping with them. R&D work will therefore be organized more in cross-department and multi-crop projects and programs in the future. That approach already functions very well at the breeding stations. As a result, resources and technologies can be used flexibly and even more efficiently.

A new way of working

We need to leverage our colleagues’ know-how ideally to be able to handle future programs and projects. Working across departments will become normal in many cases. You can picture it like this: Colleagues will retain their department as their “home port,” where they can develop their expert knowledge further. However, they can also work in other “waters” and make an important contribution to a project or program. Example: A colleague from rapeseed breeding may well develop a protocol for screening for insect resistance, which is later used in other crops such as sugarbeet.

Joint responsibility

In order to leverage the potential of the new organization to the full, we have to develop the way we work and gear it to the principle of joint responsibility. What counts is the mindset and ethos of every single one of us: Our colleagues will have more freedom to make decisions on their own. And we expressly urge them to come forward if they’re interested in making a contribution to new projects – true to the spirit of “Make yourself grow.” Employee leadership will change, while hierarchical thinking will dwindle in importance. Managing projects, assembling teams and giving and embracing feedback will become more important.

Research and development have always been vital to KWS’ success. Our company’s anticipated growth and increasing breadth of tasks will significantly increase the complexity of our work. This reorganization means R&D is adapting to future requirements: more diversity and the need for interdisciplinary solutions and greater cooperation and coordination within KWS and with our partners. |