Staff at one of the world’s largest chemical companies are to be given training on a statement of ‘values and principles’ which it hopes will become an integral part of the group’s culture over the next ten years.
The German multinational BASF will begin the process by talking through a new ‘Vision 2010’ document with 106,000 employees at production sites and other facilities in more than 160 countries.
Managers have been told they will have to implement the principles in their area – and the group’s regional operating divisions will be expected to produce their own codes of conduct based on the document by the end of 2001.
Project manager Ute Herrmann, who is responsible for implementing the plan and who will spend the next six months visiting various BASF sites around the world, claimed the Vision 2010 document amounted to ‘a voluntary commitment by BASF and its employees to act responsibly’ and would be a ‘yardstick against which both company and employees are measured.’
It sets out principles that BASF should follow in relation to sustainability, customer service, health and safety and the environment, recognition of different cultures, transparency and integrity.
Lengthy preparations have gone into the initiative, including internal discussions with around 1000 senior executives in Europe, the Americas and Asia, as well as with employee representative groups.
‘It’s now a question of taking it out across the company and transferring the values to every-day business,’ said Herrmann.
BASF favours a ‘self governance’ approach that gives responsibility for implementing the plan to managers in the company’s various divisions. It believes this is the best way to ensure that the values outlined in the document are translated into action.
Herrmann said this approach had already encouraged employees to feel they were an integral part of implementing the new values.
However, she warned that the implementation process would be a lengthy one and claimed the company was not expecting the new culture to settle in fully until at least 2010.
‘We can’t simply rush headlong into adopting some artificial corporate culture,’ she said. ‘We are describing the path that the company will take in the coming years.’
The Vision 2010 initiative is being guided by a team of 12 BASF managers from various international sites and will be backed by a support office within the company offering advice on how to put the principles into practice.
BASF’s move makes it one of the few German companies, with the notable exception of Daimler Chrysler, to have decided to implement corporate social responsibility policies.
Herrmann said one of the main reasons for adopting the new strategy was a desire to avoid possible boycotts and the potential business losses that could result.
BASF is also considering producing a social report within the next year.