2024-11-05 14:21:00
This human-centered approach still remains a real opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry. In the 2000s, the search for operational excellence penetrated the pharmaceutical sphere, with the advent of Lean Management. Then, in the 2010s, strong regulatory and economic constraints gave rise to the need to rationalize which resulted in numerous business restructuring plans, site sales and repurchases, relocation, subcontracting. , etc. “The automobile industry has considerably activated the levers of performance, but, without mentioning delay, the pharmaceutical industry is still an extraordinary playing field in terms of industrial performance,” enthuses Marc Jadot.
A collaborative reading of professions
And according to experts, one of the main areas of work to consider is a more collaborative reading of professions. “Nowadays, in the pharmaceutical industry, processes and organization lead to a compartmentalization of functions and excessive hierarchy, to the detriment of working together and collective performance,” notes Krystel Petrossi.
In the field, this is felt, for example, in situations of misunderstanding between the different services such as production, quality, laboratory, technical services, supply chain, but also support functions such as finance or human resources. “Everyone blames each other for a technical hazard. Rather than calling maintenance, simply saying that the machine is no longer working, the operator witnessing the scene must take the time to qualify the problem and, for their part, maintenance must not simply blame poor adjustment of the operator”, illustrates Marc Jadot of Kulminéo. “The difficulty is to understand that not everyone sees the problem through the same prism,” he summarizes.
“Unfortunately, today, when we talk about operational excellence, we often tend to look mainly at economic data, forgetting a little about the balance between the three spheres of overall performance, also called CSR”, Krystel Petrossi .
In the same way, the management of the supply chain must be done in an approach of impartiality and balancing between the needs of the salesperson and the capacity of the producer. “The supply chain does not always realize that a commercial emergency can hinder the proper functioning of production and cause a loss in industrial performance,” underlines Marc Jadot. “Rather than putting all the pressure on production, it can also ask the sales department to be more reliable in its forecasts,” he suggests.
As for quality assurance, it should be able to intervene further upstream, during production, in order to save time, by identifying anomalies as early as possible. “Unfortunately, today, it is often difficult to involve a quality assurance technician directly in a production workshop,” he regrets.
Trust and transparency
Also, these are profound changes that must be made to the pharmaceutical industry to find a strong corporate culture, adapted to today’s world, to the different changes in technical, scientific, regulatory, but also societal paradigms.
To achieve this, companies would benefit from supporting change (box 1), by establishing a culture of trust and transparency within teams. For Marc Jadot, establishing a climate of trust involves above all valuing what each employee of the company does well.
“Rather than only talking about the problems, it is important to know how to highlight the added value produced by people because this brings motivation, recognition and confidence,” he explains. “In practice, when we spot something that a production operator does well, we can formalize it, for example by creating a production standard which must then be respected,” he suggests.
But the culture of trust is also built in the way situations and problems encountered in companies are managed. “One of the levers of industrial performance is the way in which men and women think together and work more efficiently and harmoniously,” says Krystel Petrossi, who advocates collaborative management in companies.
This managerial approach values the active participation of all members of an organization in decision-making, the exchange of opinions and the resolution of problems. It is based on cooperation, collective intelligence and co-creation. “On the ground, this involves practicing open and sincere communication, by establishing, for example, open communication channels, accessible to all, and by organizing real times of exchange,” she illustrates.
“Live a positive experience of change”
These times of exchange can take the form of collaborative workshops, brainstorming sessions or working groups aimed at finding solutions to a problem together. Without adding additional time, the meeting rituals already in place during the day (TIR, AIC, team meetings, etc.) are ideal systems for collaborative management.
According to the Humanim expert, their success depends, in large part, on the commitment of employees to the process, their desires and motivation. “To support change, we rely on the methodology of “building collective intelligence in small groups” allowing participants to know each other better, enjoy working, solve problems together and take the time to build mutual trust” , she says. The teams thus have a positive experience of change which they can then transmit to the entire company.
For them to be effective, these times of exchange must also encourage the culture of feedback, so that everyone dares to talk about problems, propose ideas… Teams, and in particular managers, must then be trained in relational and collaborative skills. . “But training in the theoretical sense is only awareness-raising: just because we explain to a manager how to properly do a tour of the field does not mean that he will do it. For it to work, he must realize what it brings him on a daily basis, and this requires real coaching which can take several weeks,” underlines Marc Jadot, who also specifies that, in a collaborative management approach , “it is important to ensure that everyone’s responsibilities are perfectly clear. »
It is only once this climate of collaboration, trust and transparency has been established that all the management tools available to companies can then be used to their best potential. “For all visual management tools (LEAN, Six Sigma, 5S, etc.) to be used well, it is first necessary to have established a healthy climate, without competition, in which people feel good about thinking about and resolving issues together. problems,” insists Krystel Petrossi.
“When you have a hammer, all problems are nails to hammer in, so it is important to perceive the solutions before deciding which tools to use,” says Marc Jadot. It is therefore a question of putting in place a human dynamic to enable the pharmaceutical industry to gain in performance and agility in order to respond to the major challenges that await it.
“The health industry must transform itself to adapt to new emerging managerial models,” underlines the Humanim expert for whom nothing prevents managing differently. “The regulatory and economic constraints of pharma are not obstacles. On the contrary, human dynamics must be a response to address these constraints,” she asserts.
Subjectivity in the face of change
When faced with change, humans do not all react in the same way. “A situation of change calls for different emotional states,” explains Krystel Petrossi, co-founder and coach of the healthcare industry management consultancy, Humanim.
“It can provoke fears, doubts, joys, a desire to challenge oneself, reluctance…” she explains. In other words, the relationship to change is entirely subjective and dependent on the individuals encountered. And it is only by putting several people around the table that it seems possible to move in the right direction. This notion of subjectivity in the face of change echoes the recent regulatory consideration of subjectivity in the face of risk.
Indeed, since 2023, ICH Q9R1, which offers quality risk management tools throughout the product life cycle, has included a chapter dedicated to the management of risk subjectivity. “We are at the beginning of taking into account the notion of cognitive bias in these exercises, but it is a subject which will occupy pharmaceutical manufacturers in the years to come”, projects Krystel Petrossi, who explains that she is already taking takes this subjectivity into account in the change support approaches that it offers to its clients. “For men and women to make it their own, the change must provoke something positive in them, such as a feeling of success, security, belonging to a team…” she analyzes.
Digitalization in the service of transparency
With the aim of transparency, companies have had, for several years, a major analytical tool: digitalization. “By providing access to information more quickly and in a more transparent manner, digitalization can reveal a lot of things,” explains Marc Jadot, CEO of Kulminéo, associated with the Axsant firm. “Provided that it is used well and the data is well controlled, which implies perfect mastery of good operational practices,” he adds.
Currently, all major pharmaceutical groups have taken the plunge into digitalization, sometimes to the point of generating excess data. “In wanting to digitize too much, there is the risk of producing a mass of information that is sometimes useless: a business owner, for example, does not need to have detailed real-time data from the company’s MES. a machine,” warns Marc Jadot.
Conversely, some SMEs and mid-sized companies have not yet made the switch due to lack of time, resources or interest. But this is only a postponement because, within a few years, digitalization will be essential. “Tomorrow, health authorities may require the digitalization of a certain number of things, notably the batch file, to have easier access to data,” warns Marc Jadot.
But digital tools will not take away from the central role of humans in the proper functioning of a company. “In an era of the quest for performance where everything moves very quickly, digitalization can assist men and women in certain activities that are the most time-consuming, the most risky, sometimes, in order to free up their time for more demanding activities. high added value, such as collaborative problem solving,” explains Krystel Petrossi, expert at the healthcare industry management consultancy firm Humanim.
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Ansparent manner, digital tools can help bridge communication gaps between various departments,” notes Krystel Petrossi. “When teams have real-time data at their disposal, they are better equipped to make informed decisions that positively impact production, quality assurance, and overall operational efficiency.”
Technological advancements such as integrated management systems, visual dashboards, and collaborative platforms have become essential in ensuring that all team members can access the same information simultaneously. This access helps overcome misunderstandings and miscommunications that often occur between production, supply chain, quality assurance, and support functions like finance and human resources. “Digitalization facilitates a common language among teams, which is critical for operational excellence,” adds Marc Jadot.
Moreover, as organizations lean into digital tools, they should also focus on training employees to use these technologies effectively. Providing adequate training ensures that all team members feel empowered to leverage the tools at their disposal, fostering a sense of ownership and engagement. “Investment in both technology and training creates a synergistic effect that can elevate an organization’s performance,” states Petrossi.
In addition, digitalization allows for enhanced data analysis, which can lead to improved forecasting and planning. By accurately predicting trends, organizations can better align their production capabilities with market needs, mitigating the tensions that can arise from conflicting priorities between sales and production teams.
“Ultimately, success in the pharmaceutical industry hinges on creating an environment where continuous improvement is not only encouraged but ingrained in the corporate culture,” concludes Jadot. With a focus on trust, collaboration, and transparency, enhanced by digital solutions, companies can navigate the complexities of modern operational challenges more effectively and sustainably.
