Saab 2012 Annual Report Download - page 26

22 SAAB ANNUAL REPORT 2012
PEOPLE
THE MOST CUTTING-EDGE
EXPERTISE – TODAY AND
TOMORROW
Saab faces tough competition – especially
in terms of retaining and attracting employ-
ees that can develop the business. The goal
is to be a company where the values exper-
tise, trust and drive characterise everything
that is done.
Saab is an international high technology company with a long
tradition of understanding and anticipating the market’s needs for
military and civil security solutions. Today, around 14,000 employ-
ees have joined us to develop our offering and our company.
Focus on gender diversity has produced results and attracted
attention in many ways. The goal of 30 per cent female senior ex-
ecutives is close to being realised. Recognition is also given on a
regular basis from external players. Veckans Affärer named Saab
the year’s best workplace in terms of gender equality. Deputy
CEO, Lena Olving, came second in the list of Sweden’s 125 most
powerful women. Gunilla Fransson, head of Security and Defence
Solutions, and Marie Bredberg, head of Combitech, also made
the list.
It is part of the day-to-day life of Saab employees to develop
close cooperations with customers and other stakeholders. This
also applies to efforts to improve gender equality in the work-
place. One example of this is Saab’s participation in the Battle of
the Numbers, a collaborative project with the Chef magazine and
the Wiminvest organisation. The goal of this initiative is to move
from words to action in terms of getting more women into opera-
tional and decision-making positions.
Priorities 2012
The goal is that Saab will be the natural choice for existing and
future talent. With a structured, concentrated procedure, we work
to identify and develop our talented people and prepare them for
the challenges and the exciting future ahead of them.
We put extra focus this year on developing the Talent Manage-
ment process to ensure well-functioning succession planning for
our managers. The goal is that, for each management position,
we should be able to name a minimum of four people – at least
one of whom is a woman and at least one of whom comes from
another part of the Group. Saab’s various management groups
hold seminars on succession planning in order to identify talents
within their respective organisations.
Modern leadership in a complex world is a perishable commod-
ity that must be constantly developed in terms of both managing
people and managing business. We therefore launched a new
global Management Development concept for both new and
experienced managers, based on our eight management skills
which serve as the basis of successful leadership. It is a modular
system with areas covering strategy, economics and nance, mar-
ket, change management, communication and business culture,
as well as modules on individual leadership. In 2012, a total of
approximately 230 Saab managers from Sweden, Europe and the
U.S. participated in the programme.
As part of efforts to attract new talent to Saab, we introduced
a Group-wide trainee programme in 2012. The programme runs
over 12months and gives 16 trainees a comprehensive, acceler-
ated introduction to Saab’s various businesses and organisations.
The trainee period in Sweden is interspersed with several training
sessions in business skills and personal development. The pro-
gramme concludes with a two month overseas internship.
Priorities 2013-2016
Saab will continue to develop leadership, with the goal of achiev-
ing a more business- and performance-oriented culture through-
out the entire operation.
Talent management remains central, and we have prepared a
strategy to further strengthen Saab as an employer brand. Goals
include that employees view themselves as ambassadors for the
company and that potential employees have a clear, accurate
picture of Saab as an employer.
Diversity efforts and talent management will continue to receive
as much attention as they have done.
Our employees have had their say – Saab is an attractive employer with
proud employees who believe strongly in the future.
Nearly 90 per cent of Saab’s employees took the opportunity to respond to this year’s employ-
ee survey. This indicates commitment and the desire to contribute to positive development.
The survey results show a strong improvement in areas related to Saab as an employer, belief
in the future and satisfaction. The “satisfaction” result was 75, a full 8 point improvement over
last year. Employees also feel that they contribute to Saab’s development and working climate.
Employees want to see improvement primarily in the form of managers involving employees to
a greater extent in the development of the business, as opposed to merely providing informa-
tion. This will be a prioritised area in Saab’s leadership development. When using their own
words to describe the qualities that make Saab a good employer, there is consensus among
employees that they are proud of our products, our skilled employees and our long, compel-
ling history. All in all, we have an excellent foundation that we will now expand upon in order to
cultivate our valuable human capital. This includes all managers picking up on and following up
on each individual employee’s development potential.