FrieslandCampina accelerates on a global level
FrieslandCampina is one of the largest dairy cooperatives in the world with almost 16,000 dairy farmers as co-owners headquartered in the Netherlands.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, FrieslandCampina faced many of the same challenges and uncertainties as other companies.
To weather the storm, the management team at consumer dairy needed a high degree of resilience and adaptability. This would not only serve their current mission during those challenging times, but also would apply when they were ready to shift their focus back to growth and innovation.
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FrieslandCampina began with a growth mindset pilot at their headquarters in the Netherlands. They saw so many improvements from the mindset shift, they spread the program to leadership teams around the world.
'no guts
no glory,
no cheese,
nothing'
Tuncay Özgüner
President Retail & Americas
Royal FrieslandCampina
The Netherlands, November 2020
A need for
entrepreneurial rigor
1
Before
GMGA (Growth Markets & Global Accounts) leadership team was losing time. In aligning structure, work and people the missing link was a strong mental model that could help them to increase team cohesion and seamlessly align on their priorities. That meant they weren’t moving forward fast enough. They needed a growth mindset, not just as part of the culture, but as a new way of working.
After
After the Growth Mindset Accelerator, the executives knew their own fixed mindsets and could discuss and work on them openly. Through experiments they familiarized themselves with new practices showcasing chosen growth mindsets. That created a heightened level of trust among leaders, and built a solid foundation for accelerated growth.
'With a Growth Mindset me and my leadership team challenge the status quo in an accelerated way!'
- Tuncay Özgüner, President Retail & Americas
Royal FrieslandCampina
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'Sometimes, mindsets are difficult to catch and understand, and that’s why we translate them into behaviors, practices, and exercises to improve day by day until we reach our goal.'
- Jesus de Antonio, HR Director, FrieslandCampina Iberia
Spain, March 2021
Tackling big
transitions
2
Before
The Spain business unit had to shift from production- and distribution-focused business to a branded, consumer-focused organization. At the same time, they were integrating new factories. These huge transitions required stronger alignment between different leaders and departments.
After
Through the Growth Mindset Accelerator, the Spain business unit drastically increased their speed of learning and developed a laser focus on consumer needs. Some growth mindset experiments led to huge increases in efficiency. In the factories, for example, an improved communication system made it possible to address problems much more rapidly.
United Kingdom, October 2021
Facing a triple threat
3
Before
The UK business unit had run out of low hanging fruit. New opportunities were harder to find, while distribution and sourcing were becoming challenging for both old and new business. The team needed to become stronger, more dynamic, and more aligned to succeed in this more difficult market.
After
Each executive made huge improvements as a leader. They improved their delegation and learned how to unlock the potential of their teams. As a smaller company, they decided to extend the growth mindset throughout their team through a coaching program.
'It's good to double down on core elements that drive performance. And it's good to do it with people that are not only experts in Growth Mindset but who have been there. They're actually entrepreneurs. They've got a history and now they are taking companies through it.'
- Will Jones, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina UK
'People don't like to make and admit mistakes. To change that by just saying doesn't work. It works if you drive the change in a conceptual way like we did through the bootcamp shifting to a Growth Mindset.'
- Gert Jan Poort, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina North America
United States, May 2022
Scale-up growing pains
4
Before
A scale-up with ambitious growth goals, the FrieslandCampina North America business unit had many of the typical challenges of rapid growth. New hires, new tech, and new opportunities all needed to be assimilated. To become comfortable with continuous change, they needed a Growth Mindset.
After
The Growth Mindset Accelerator helped the leadership team establish more structure in their processes. When the executives realized how much a growth mindset would benefit their direct reports as well, the whole organization enrolled in the Growth Mindset Bootcamps to spread the benefits of a growth mindset company-wide.