Every revolution is, well, revolutionary. Processes and people massively change in a way that rocks the world to its core, in a way that makes it so the world is never the same again. We have witnessed these sorts of transcending changes throughout the last three industrial revolutions and, now, we are arguably experiencing the fourth: the entry into Industry 4.0. The industrial revolution spurred by the internet, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and automation. The industrial revolution 20th centuries sci-fi writers dreamed of.
The industrial revolution that is changing the pharmaceutical industry. ISPE started the Pharma 4.0 initiative to embrace all these changes – the power of what could be when we embrace digitization.
But the changes do not come from the technology alone. The changes come from the people within the organizations. Culture is one of the four pillars of Pharma 4.0, carving out the path for innovation and growth. That’s the Pharma 4.0 culture.
So let’s take a look at the way that culture looks.
Collaboration
In Pharma 4.0, there needs to be a culture of collaboration for the utmost advancement. This means employees and decision makers need to feel like they can speak their mind, ask questions, give ideas, and, over all, work together.
Collaboration works best in a combination of the top-down and bottom-up cultural approaches. In a top-down culture, senior executives drive the decision behind culture. When this is the only approach, employees can feel less like collaborators and more like they are being imposed on. In a bottom-up culture, employees have more of a say and opinion in what the culture looks like. The primary difference? The employees feel heard.
In a powerful combination of top-down and bottom-up cultures, the executives know that their greatest asset is their employees and their employees will appreciate being heard. The executives will enforce the contributions and decisions of the employees. Together, the team will reach new levels of openness and trust.
Ultimately allowing for maximum collaboration.
Cross Department Communication
To have a Smart Factory, as Pharma 4.0 is sometimes referred to, every department must be integrated. From IT to manufacturing to business functions, all departments must work together in harmony and automation. This seamless communication starts from a culture of collaboration and integration. Employees and decision makers need to see the other departments as allies versus competitors for funding or roadblocks for their projects.
Employee Empowerment
A large factor of Pharma 4.0 is access to information and employee autonomy. When employees can make decisions and find the information they need without sifting through layers of bureaucracy, a company is more agile. Swifter to adapt to challenges and find solutions.
This is perhaps one of the more difficult culture transitions for most organizations. It requires a deep amount of trust on behalf of everyone in the organization and delegation of responsibilities. In traditional organizations, management is used to being the sole decision makers, having every decision or problem run by them. It can be a large step to relinquish that control, but a necessary step towards empowering employees.
Humans are at the center of Pharma 4.0. For humans to be able to collaborate, explore growth, and innovate, they need to know their team believes in them.
Growth
Ultimately, Pharma 4.0 is about growth: growth of the employees, growth of the business, growth of the industry, growth of the world. If a team member is ready to accept being stagnant, they will find it difficult to break into Pharma 4.0.
In Pharma 4.0, automation and digitization is used to make human lives easier. Why? First, it allows manufacturing facilities to churn out more products with higher rates of accuracy, fewer errors, and less opportunities for contamination. Next, it enables better tracking and consistency for certification. Third, it frees up the humans involved in the production. By freeing up team members’ time, it allows them the opportunity to explore, innovate, adventure, and dream. It allows them to pave the way for the future of the industry through new creations, inventions, and breakthroughs.
Machines and robots can be extremely helpful, but the power behind the human brain remains revolutionary. That is the heart of the fourth industrial revolution: allowing humans to create.
Embracing Technology
One of the most pivotal aspects of a Pharma 4.0 culture is the desire and ability to embrace new technology. The actual implementation of digitization and automation simply will not exist without technology, so a positive attitude towards technology implementation is critical.
The type of technology that Pharma 4.0 requires is becoming easier and easier to acquire, which means that technology comparison is always an important skill set. A team that is able to work together, collaborate, adapt to new technology, and think critically about those new tools is the epitome of a team ready to sail into Pharma 4.0.
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