Rachel Clark is the head of ABB’s GIS Competence Center. GIS stands for Gas Insulated Switchgears. Yes, I had to look up the term as well. It basically means Rachel deals with technologies in the high voltage field that control, protect and isolate electrical equipment. GIS ensure safety for workers and reliability of electrical supply. So our everyday life depends on them even though we may not always realize it as they are hidden from our views. And by now you may have guessed it: This is not a “touchy-feely” kind of environment, testosterone is an attribute that often hits the nail on the head when referring to it. Yet, Rachel highlights throughout the interview that it takes more than “just” being a good engineer. Her job is as much about dealing with people as it is about technology. For her team to be successful, eye level collaboration, deep listening and cross cultural competence are paramount. In her area, Rachel has found a way to start creating a more “feminine” culture based on values such as collaboration, caring, and relationship building to balance some of the masculinity that is part of the organzation’s cultural DNA.

Rachel Clark on ABB’s shop floor in front of a Gas Insulated Switch Gear (GIS).

 

You lead the Competence Center for Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS). What is the role of the Competence Center?

Our Competence Center is part of the Power Grids Product Group at ABB. Our role is to ensure transfer of information and knowledge across the global ABB Network in areas as wide ranging as robotics, process automation or quality inspection.

How would you describe ABB’s organizational culture?

ABB has a strong expert culture based on engineering which typically means that staff are driven by finding solutions. Given the field we operate in, technical expertise is highly valued. The solution orientation brings many advantages: People do not give up easily and typically work until they have found a solution to a problem. Things either work or they don’t, so there is little room for theoretical discussions and pragmatism becomes an important part of the organization’s DNA. A go get it attitude is typical for the culture. At the same time, this masculine approach can disregard other aspects that make an organization successful: caring about each other not only as professionals but as human beings, building trusting relationships also across cultures and collaboration at eye level. This more “feminine” side needs to be strengthened as we cannot achieve our goals and vision alone. We need to move towards a stronger appreciation of some of those values, not only in words but in our daily actions.

What does that transformation and culture change mean concretely?

We are working in a dispersed environment namely between Germany, Switzerland and China but also other countries. It means that we have to learn to build trust and meet face to face as much as budget allows. It means we have regular stand up meetings and other forms of interaction where employees are encouraged to voice their ideas and opinions. This is often more easily said than done as people in different cultures have different ways of expressing their opinions. In China, one employee may not speak up in front of his boss as it may be considered rude whereas that exact same behavior may be viewed as a lack of initiative in a Western culture. So we need to be mindful of our different cultural realities and ways of thinking. And maybe most importantly, we need to become aware of our own culture first.

Please explain.

One way is by becoming aware of our own cultural backgrounds and that of others before we start judging. We need to assume good intentions on the other side especially as we work across distance and try to describe what is happening and make sense of complex and ambiguous situations. In other words, we create a common vocabulary around our cultural differences as we engage with one another. That’s a very important first step.

But is it enough to be aware of cultural differences? Is there no need to adapt to the other?

Yes, of course. Every person on my team has to take a step towards the other, has to leave their comfort zone. Given the strong task orientation in our organizational culture, I sometimes have to push my staff to talk to each other and ideally visit in order to get to know each other, to start trusting. A good way of doing so is by establishing the concept of a third culture, in other words creating a new culture in a cross cultural team where values such as caring, collaboration and trust are becoming part of a shared vision. So it is not one person from a cultural background putting himself above another person from a different background. We all have to take a step towards each other, towards that third culture where everyone has to give in a little to gain a lot.

What do people gain from such a change?

By a deeper understanding of each other through less talking and more listening, people come up with better solutions. They realize that coming out of their silos makes them stronger. They see that by sharing their knowledge, by being generous, they create a more inspiring work environment. So what we start seeing in the Competence Center now is that we take better and faster decisions, we create a safe space where people can make mistakes and learn from them, we become more agile and absorb change more quickly. Last but not least, people are happier and more fulfilled at work which leads to better staff retention. Given the kind of pressure under which we work, this last point cannot be overestimated.

Both people and the organization as a whole benefit from the change towards a more “feminine” culture that values human relations as much as technical expertise. But at the end of the day, how do you bring such changes to the larger organization? How much influence can you have on the larger system?

I love working with people, I am an optimist and believe that by focusing on my circle of influence, I can make a contribution to a bigger change. So people around us start asking: How do you do it? How do you create this kind of work climate where people across cultures respect each other, enjoy working together? Then we tell our story, we create a different narrative that is based both on results and achievements (the masculine side of the culture) and the trust we build (the feminine side of the culture) also by being able to show vulnerability or imperfection. This is one of the reasons why our way of working together is looked at in other areas and may be used as a model as we move forward. But also here, it is important to stress that it is not about putting ourselves above others. We want to keep the approach of asking rather than telling, stay curious and listen and learn from others. Because what may work in our area may not in others. It’s this constant learning that makes my work so exciting and rewarding.

Thank you very much Rachel for sharing your insights and perspectives!