Porsche 2015 Annual Report Download - page 30

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Annual Report — Porsche AG — 2015
Success Factor: Human Capital
In this creative competition, the innovation room works like
aturbocharger for unusual ideas. “It is important here to lay
yourcards on the table,” says Sarah Heizmann. The young
employee is one of three full-time innovation managers. A grad-
uate physicist, she earned her first scientific laurels in the
areaof nanotechnology research; she also worked in the solar
energy industry and her career path proves in an impressive
manner that Porsche also draws on capable employees from
outside the circle of usual candidates. That is why the PhD
scientist, at only 34 years of age, is one of the founding mem-
bers of the Innovation Management division.
Using the process managed by Heizmann, production-relevant
projects are discussed across divisions and across company
locations in the earliest possible phase. This process of intro-
duction and discussion calls itself “implementation-oriented”.
The guiding idea behind it is to build up production and
development and to develop the vehicle in a joint process. The
exchange of ideas often takes place with the involvement
of universities and suppliers. This interplay then becomes a
strong driver of efficiency. This is because, in the end, as many
innovations as possible are integrated into the production
process. One essential success factor is transferring innova-
tions into structured project management. The idea managers
have defined seven fields of importance here. Lightweight
construction – the classic Porsche discipline that Porsche does
best – is one of these; but electromobility has also now come
on board and is really taking off with the 918 Spyder and, in
future, the Mission E.
And so innovation management also stands for intellectual
resource efficiency. Every co-thinker should fast become
aco-operator. And nobody is allowed – even with top-level
scientists – to disappear into an ivory tower to spend months
there, or even years, researching in their own little world.
Agood idea becomes a tangible project within a few weeks. As
such, the lightweight construction experts from all divisions
of Porsche already get together shortly after the first presenta-
tion to work on a novel production method in which steel and
aluminium are bonded. As these two metals cannot be welded
to one another, aluminium sheeting is folded around a steel
frame, practically wound around it. This is not fundamentally
new, but it still means crossing into new territory in terms
ofthe required precision and in the series production of a pre-
mium product.
During such processes, the risk of failure that comes with
every proposal is by no means frowned upon. Nobody should
be put off by the notion of failure when it comes to finding
ideas: and nobody should feel as if they can’t speak their mind.
That’s the only way to motivate people. Positive examples
likethe one of a young degree student make the rounds well
beyond his own division and motivate others to throw their
ideas into the ring. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
“The risk of failure that
comes with every
proposal is by no means
frowned upon.”
Sarah Heizmann
Inspiration
Turbocharger
for Ideas
Sarah Heizmann is convinced that motivation in the
innovation room grows out of the freedom everyone
has to express his or her ideas openly.
Foresight
Trust
Motivation
Dynamics
Freedom
Transparency