Pros
Encourages an entrepreneurial mindset (within limits). If you've ever thought about starting your own business, but wanted somewhere to gain experience first, or test drive a concept or idea, Heraeus is a great place for that. Provided what you want to do aligns with the current business strategies, there's a lot of support for trying new ideas or creating new business models. New ideas for businesses and markets are evaluated weekly, if not daily. Almost all employees play a part in what opportunities are ultimately pursued. Provides various leadership opportunities (with time). At some point or another, everyone thinks they should be a manager or leader. At Heraeus, those with ambition and patience can be developed into leaders within the company. Heraeus proactively looks for the "right person" in the "right position" at the "right time" and with the "right manager". Employees are invested in, and promoted, based on proven performance. Fosters a collaborative and innovative workspace (with a focus on results). Not a day goes by at Heraeus where you won't see teams of various individuals from multiple cross-functional areas discussing a technical issue, or a challenging customer requirement, and working to determine a solution. Idea generation comes from all angles, but more importantly, the teams work together on the solution. Therefore, innovation is focused towards execution, where all ideas are welcome, but only those that can be achieved and put in place efficiently are ultimately acted upon.
Cons
Corporate decisions and policies have a tendency to ignore the input from local markets, creating unneeded bureaucracy and inefficiency (“one size fits all” mentality). Heraeus is a global company, yet each site is run like a small start-up. This is great for the creative entrepreneur, but can become stifling when decisions are made at a corporate level. Some decisions may make sense from an overall bottom-line perspective, but the impact is rarely understood. Communication at all levels can be an issue. Language barriers notwithstanding, there are issues with how information is communicated, and how employees are informed of important events. Some of this may be intentional, and therefore could be explained, but there are plenty of instances of miscommunication (or no communication) that are just lapses in good judgment.
