Diversity through experience

After more than 30 years of company history, different generations work together at PSW. Young and old, long-time PSW employees and newcomers – it’s this diversity that often leads to the best solutions in the teams.

Manfred Reich and Alaa Margiye agree: it’s the combination of tradition and innovation that makes PSW so successful in the industry. A whole team of people with different working methods, experiences and expectations stand behind these two terms. In the following interview, the Head of the Car Body Exterior / Boot Door and Trim Development Department and the engineer in the Vehicle Function Validation department discuss the added-value of “old hands” and “youngsters” working together and what vision they have for PSW.

Do you notice any differences in working with older and younger colleagues?

Manfred: Young people are more open, more flexible. They take on new perspectives, questioning what they are doing, the processes and even the company. An ageing of the workforce could be a problem, especially when it comes to ideas. Personal contact is important. Old and young staff mix very well at PSW, nobody is excluded.

Alaa: In my opinion, different ways of working do not depend on the age of the person or years of service. Everyone is different and have different social characteristics. You get on with some easier than others. This is completely normal and a good thing. I am fascinated by the diversity that this entails, since different perspectives broaden horizons. Each perspective is like a piece of a puzzle. When all the pieces are in the right place, the end result is perfect – in our case, a great vehicle!

What qualities should a good team have?

Alaa: It's all in the mix. I would find a team solely made up of “young” people one-sided. My focus is on diversity. This includes different points of view as well as different experiences – regardless of age. It’s only through diversity, also in the details, that we can progress as a company and really make a difference.

Manfred: I agree. When a team is only made up of younger or newer members, they lack a wealth of experience and culture on which to build. On the other hand, “long-established” or older staff can lack the freshness for new ideas. The mix of young and old staff, traditional and modern approaches offers real added-value for the company. Many new methods and tools are introduced to us old hands by young and new employees. We, in turn, can pass on a lot of experience.

How are new approaches and change requests dealt with?

Alaa: Of course, I can only speak from my own experience, but opportunities for change are very well received here at PSW. In just the few months that I have been here, I've noticed that basically everyone is open to hearing about new things and implementing them. You are taken seriously as a person here.

Manfred: I'm generally open to new things, as long as it actually means an improvement. My motto is: “Show me that it’s better!”. Then I am quite happy to be convinced. I want to ensure as much freedom as possible for my employees. You have to provide opportunities in order to encourage people to take responsibility. A basic prerequisite for this is, of course, that I have a good overview of the bigger picture. The more experienced colleagues are responsible for passing on this know-how. Mistakes are allowed and as the boss I am accountable for when things sometimes didn't go smoothly in the team.