Agility and its impact on Grupo Bimbo
Today I want to share with you a journey that we have launched for some years, which has given us fantastic experiences and learnings but, above all, has challenged us to find new ways!
We all know that the world is changing rapidly, and this is a reality that we have especially faced during the pandemic. We have witnessed the exponential increase of these changes. Companies of all sizes have struggled to stay in place. The great competition that has disproportionately emerged, with differentiated and flexible business proposals, has challenged even the most solid and experienced players. In this context, Grupo Bimbo decided that to maintain our leadership in baking worldwide, we must prepare to serve a new generation of customers and consumers with expectations that grow daily.
How can this be achieved? Initially, the term "agility" seemed far from our business model because it originated in the technology field. How could a bakery with 76 years in the market adopt a philosophy designed to develop digital products? While our technology area had already taken the first steps toward this transition, we knew that to face this chaotic world, the entire company had to accept this challenge.
Thus, in 2019 the #AgileMovement was officially born in Grupo Bimbo through a solid network of enthusiastic people committed to agility. We began identifying the first steps that have already generated differentiated value in our organizations and corporate areas. For Grupo Bimbo, "Agile" is the ability and commitment to adapt and achieve success in uncertain environments, maximizing the benefits for our customers, consumers, and associates. And, of course, the skills have to be exercised every day.
However, we wanted to go further. Although some SCRUM teams were already taking shape in areas such as Audit, Operations, and Technology, we knew that really driving this journey required strength to get to the heart of Grupo Bimbo: our people!
For us, the perfect formula is to DO things in an "Agile" way to generate value in our company, customers, and consumers; and we must BE "Agile" to impact our associates daily. The new challenge is translating agility into a familiar and helpful concept for everyone, offering tools, methods, and practices to help the daily transition.
Being such a large company, Grupo Bimbo has well-defined structures and processes that offer constant challenges, allowing us to experiment and learn assertively. All this would not have been possible without the support of leadership that inspires and enables the necessary conditions for learning. We have a leadership that empowers, inspires, breaks silos, and shares a great purpose to win in the market by delighting our consumers.
"We have to change from ourselves, and as leaders, we have to ensure agility is done radically" -Daniel Servitje.
This change of mindset and action has allowed us to enable projects along our value chain, offering solutions for new products, packaging adjustments, reinventing our distribution models, and, more importantly, our ways of working.
This effort is just the beginning! At Grupo Bimbo, we keep promoting Agile as part of our culture and business. Renewing our offices, which are #OurPerfectPlace to work, and the availability of digital tools, the agile teams in Grupo Bimbo are becoming more relevant.
I invite you to stay informed through our social networks to learn more about #BeingAgile.
Find new ways with us!
