1.       Is empowerment strongly encouraged? Does it happen regularly?

a.       Depending on what you mean by “empowerment” Gates is actively engaged in developing and promoting our company’s Diversity & Inclusion program we call “GROW – Generating Real Opportunities Worldwide” that strongly promotes local leaders to provide opportunities for employee engagement and retention.

b.      Information about this program can be found on the iPower Community page for GROW.

2.       How many levels of hierarchy does the organizational structure have?

a.       It depends on the function. Gates is set up by geographic region, but maintains a centralized functional leadership model for Finance, HR, Procurement, Marketing, Communications, Pricing, Operations, Legal, Accounting, and IT.

b.      In looking at the Org Chart, I surmise that Gates currently has 7 levels of hierarchy: CEO, SVP, VP’s and Directors, Plant Managers and Corporate Support Staff, Managers (at the plant level), Supervisors and Support Staff, Hourly Associates. 

3.       How willing are managers to support their subordinates?

a.       As with any organization, managers come in all shapes, sizes, and leadership capability. At Gates, we strive to hire or promote, train, and support our managers of people to provide their staffs with the highest support levels for their particular role. Some managers are better at this than others.

b.      Gates is implementing a comprehensive manager training program to support and standardize our training protocols across the organization.

4.       Are employees proud of being a part of the company?

a.       Without speaking individually to each and every employee across the Gates organization, there are after all 13,000 employees, indicators show our employees to be proud of working for a company with a rich history of innovation and focus on making the world a better place through the quality of our products, the engagement employees are enabled to achieve, and the desirable benefits they receive.

b.      In 2017, Forbes ranked Gates on its list of America’s Best Large Employers at #202, the highest ranking of any industrial manufacturing organization.

5.       How would you describe the overall mission and goals of your organization?

a.       Aspirational and achievable.

b.      Sharpening our focus on:

·         Protecting competitive position and enhancing margins.

·         Building organizational capability to deliver sustainable performance for the long term.

·         Delivering organic grown in low/no growth end market environments.

6.       Where do you see growth or change occurring in the organization?

a.       Everywhere. Gates is on a mission to revamp and improve every area of our business and we’re looking for current and new employees, who are up to the challenge; who want to make a difference and who are excited by the changes we’re making to grow our business.

7.       What are the key strategic initiatives?

a.       Fix the Core – update and enhance existing processes, invest in needed capabilities through organizational capability driving business transformation and enabling short-term margin expansion.

b.      Accelerate Growth – by executing focused, tightly managed initiatives, prioritizing end markets by size, attractiveness and our “right to play” (Grow top line above market rates and focus on sustainable growth.

8.       What is the management style in this organization?

a.       Gates senior leaders act deliberately with a sense of urgency to provide the strategic direction and operational support employees need to achieve the common goals.

9.       How are decisions made? Do people feel included in the process?

a.       Depends on the decision. Senior leaders with responsibility for the commercial sales and functional areas of the company certainly feel included. When appropriate, lower level employees are included in decisions through surveys, polls, and Town Hall Q&A settings.

b.      Individual managers are also encouraged to engage with their staffs to improve their specific department work.

10.   How does human resources add value to your organization?

a.       HR is an important function by providing all the professional management of issues related to working at Gates.

b.      HR adds strategic value as a business partner by building talent and organization capability and by developing and sustaining an engaged workforce that is accountable for superior business performance.

11.   Are HR activities and employment practices aligned with your organization's strategic and business goals and objectives?

a.       Yes, as HR our mission is to develop, deploy and continuously improve HR processes, systems and practices that support the business globally and build enterprise-wide capability.

12.   What are your organization key business measurements and metrics?

a.       Revenue, EBITDA, all the standard business metrics, (i.e. employee turnover, production numbers, pricing, margins, etc.)

13.   What are your organization's business imperatives?

a.       Take care of our customers

b.      Attract the best people and support them in their Gates careers

c.       Act with a sense of urgency and strive for continuous improvement

d.      Return shareholder value

14.   What decisions do you want to influence?

a.       The customers’ decision to always buy Gates products.

15.   What are your organization's risks and opportunities?

a.       The global economic fluctuations that influence demand for our products

 

b.      Innovation and more effectively telling the Gates story in meaningful and attractive ways.