STAS in times of VUCA and internal agility
At STAS, we are also feeling the effects of the current challenges: raw materials such as aluminium are becoming increasingly scarce and more expensive, the labour market is experiencing a real war for talent.... One of the consequences is that we are faced with very volatile purchase prices. Fortunately, we have an experienced Procurement team who knows how to get things done. They see it as a challenge that they are only too happy to sink their teeth into. But the consequences go beyond purchase prices. STAS has organised itself in such a way that we can deal flexibly with whatever challenge comes our way.
Every week there is something in the news that could potentially impact how we work at STAS. Yet we can respond very flexibly to this because STAS is structured as an agile organisation. And that entails a lot of advantages.
Agile organisation
In STAS, the word VUCA is often used. This is an abbreviation that stands for 'Volatility' (rapid change), 'Uncertainty', 'Complexity' and 'Ambiguity' (vagueness). With this we indicate the continuously changing world and the high degree of uncertainty and complexity in which we live. These drivers push companies to be prepared to stand firm. Or not quite so. As a company, you are better of being agile. You are not necessarily resistant to rapidly changing situations, but you learn to deal with them and to respond flexibly. Thus, by responding to VUCA, you can improve and even flourish in a difficult market.
By stimulating internal agility, you can better cope with internal and external changes. The organisation becomes more agile and dynamic and can quickly respond to sudden and mainly unexpected changes.
Mission
It all starts with the mission and vision of STAS: 'Long-Term pleasure'. This baseline is central throughout the entire business process. When decisions must be made, our mission is always considered.
But how do you make this a reality? Simple: the STAS employees get full autonomy and all the necessary decision-making powers. Everyone has an overview of the process in which they operate. In addition, we work per product category: we have a team for tipper trailers and a team for moving floor trailers. This way, all the necessary knowledge and the decision-makers are gathered when a decision must be made. This shortens the lines of communication considerably and reduces the risk of communication errors. Everyone takes full responsibility for his/her duties. This enables us to respond more quickly to changes.
To make communication within the team as seamless as possible, there is a daily stand-up. During this 15-minute meeting, the planning, the special requests, and other announcements about warranty, people, marketing and market information are discussed. By keeping this meeting short and concise and at the same time every day, productive work can be done and other STAS people can join in.
Mindset
It's not only the internal operation of STAS that makes this possible. The mindset of the employees is decisive here. It is a mindset in which employees are not afraid to try something new. Has the project failed? Well, it did. At least we tried and now we are a bit wiser. We can move on and try a different approach.
The benefits
There are many advantages to this organisational structure and mindset. The employees enjoy more autonomy because they have much more responsibility and decision-making rights. There is also a great deal of task variation and more contact with colleagues. Whereas employees used to be limited to their own department, there is now much more communication across departments. Employees are encouraged to think along with the company on a strategic level. They have a full view of the business processes and can therefore more easily make proposals for optimising those processes. The ultimate goal is of course that the company can deal more flexibly with internal and external situations. The focus is reoriented towards the product and the process, which allows us to further optimise our offering, leading to an even better product.
This approach enables us to make our STAS Trailers more durable and ensure that they are perfectly tailored to the customer's needs. This way we can go on the road together for longer