“We must never settle with what we have"
Mattias Bylund, Head of department (product value stream “Hägglunds Drive Unit”) Bosch Rexroth.
Mattias started his journey at Bosch in 2011, when he was recommended to apply for an open position at the company. Six years later, he was appointed Head of Department. His department counts 45 associates, organized in four groups with group leaders; they are very interactive on the international arena with customers, suppliers and internal network of peers and experts.
His first impression when he started at Bosch was that it is a great company, not only in terms of the global footprint but also for products and know-how. In addition, he believes that the human resources processes and policies are very developed and conscious.
His days as Head of Department usually start with an update of Key Performance Indicators, followed by pulse meetings for daily management and potential problem solving. In his role, Mattias tries his best to be present and coach his team towards autonomy. “I represent my department to our external customers and internal stakeholders. My role is making sure we join forces to overcome obstacles and push forward into an exciting future”. In addition, he says that an average working day at Bosch is structured, focused on continuous improvement and includes extensive collaboration – always with customer focus as key. “You are expected to act boldly, take responsibility and strive for excellence in everything we do”.
Talking about his job, Mattias really enjoys making the best of their potential and lead his department into the future. He says he is accountable for their performance, but “it is up to us as individuals and a team to make it happen. It is fantastic when we achieve what was previously seen as impossible”.
Since he started his current position, Mattias thinks his first challenge was to understand the needs and expectations of all stakeholders. Afterwards, the second step was to identify their roadmap ahead of the current position. Currently, his main challenge is to manage their operations and profitability in a volatile and agile business, as they must maintain high performance and profitability in an ever more fluctuating market condition.
But all these challenges also have a positive side. Mattias learned to never settle down and always be bold, act, learn and adjust what can be improved. “Otherwise your competition will run you over”. He also strongly believes in the power of cooperation: “No single individual can drive progress – it requires a strong team with high motivation, purpose and involvement. Only then we achieve success”.
