Dan Sten Olsson - June 2021
STENA'S DELEGATED BUSINESS ACUMEN
At Stena, we work with delegated responsibilities and delegated powers. Powers are delegated, but in effect responsibility remains.
As an employee of Stena, you are encouraged to take responsibility and act to achieve set goals and/or avoid damage to Stena and everyone who works here. In principle, you can do anything you think is required to achieve your objectives as long as you live by our values and our code of conduct and within your power reserved list. We call it delegated business acumen. The powers are delegated, but the responsibility remains. The power reserved lists state in which cases you must obtain a permit before you act. In emergency situations, you should act to the best of your ability, even if you are in doubt about what applies.
It is our belief that the more we operate with independent and free entities, the faster we can get a clear idea of reality and adapt in time. We all benefit from communicating with each other i.e. listen to advice, inform and jointly investigate in order to make the right decision in time on complex issues. There is ultimately one person responsible for each decision, even if decisions are sometimes made jointly.
A consequential crucial question will be – can you become responsible for decisions that you have not been involved in making? The answer is that you can indeed. All employees have the authority to perform their duties. Questions such as “Has everyone received adequate training for their task? Does everyone have access to correct and necessary information? Does everyone have the opportunity to communicate, and what if you lack resources or information? Has everyone received the necessary equipment for their task?” are obvious in order for our tasks to be performed safely and well, so that we can achieve the desired results.
The questions are difficult to answer. The paradox is that we have to trust each other and we are never relieved of responsibility for each other. It can be expressed as “powers can be delegated, but the responsibility for our co-working partners and their acts remains”. Trust in each other and our culture, which is primarily characterized by care, is the glue that drives us forward in the desired and agreed direction. The more trust and security we create in our units, the greater is the likelihood that we will act correctly and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
Talking, communicating and understanding is therefore important to us. Control is good for us in order to be able to inform ourselves about what is happening and where things are going as to enable us to be proactive. Today, you can pretty much measure everything. And that is also what we do. But not to monitor each other. The purpose is to see and understand how our businesses deliver and develop. For our businesses, both operational and technical margins are small. Thanks to digitalization, this is possible and will continue. It is important to stay informed. It is not OK to stay uninformed.
If you do something wrong or make a mistake, the most important thing is that you inform each other and your nearest superior about it. Together we can correct mistakes. If we do not act, we can put many of us in danger. Therefore, responsibility is so demanding. It is not enough to keep track of what you do yourself; one must also stay both informed and prepared. Asking for help is seldom wrong. Not asking for help can be dangerous. Therefore everyone has the right to any information that can enable the person to do a better job. Making enquiries and asking for advice is never wrong.
Our values and our way of working have taken us far. I am convinced that they will remain supportive enough to get us out of the current crisis.
Dan Sten Olsson
Göteborg 31 May 2021
