Day 6 - Adaptive Solutions for Business Success

Business:

Today was our lucky day, we were able to get an extra hour of sleep because we only have one company visit today. I took full advantage of this hour and went into hibernation mode. This is not a good state to be in when you actually have to wake up and you sleep through your alarm and your roommate waking up! I had about 15 minutes to shower and get ready today and luckily for me, the bus was 20 minutes late. Phew! I was able to fully get ready and eat before the class even knew I was running late. Even made it five minutes early to our meeting. I thought it would be funny to say, "Look everybody I am early and everybody is late." Shortly after, my roommate commented saying, "You are right, but this is the only time on the whole trip that you will be able to say that." So sad, but so true.

The company we were able to visit today was the sister company of Bruno Independent Living Aids: AutoAdapt. AutoAdapt was founded in 1996 and has since grown to one of the world's leading manufacturers of car adaptation solutions for people with reduced or limited mobility. Autoadapt's head office, development and production plant is located in Stenkullen, in the southwestern part of Sweden.

To start the day off,  we were give a brief introduction of the company and the vision of the company. I began to realize that the company structure of AutoAdapt was similar to Bruno, but the atmosphere was different. She then led us upstairs to grab some fika (coffee). They had four coffee machines and I asked Anna-Karin why the had so many. She replied, "In Sweden, we love coffee. You are not considered a good employer if you can't supply coffee to your employees."

Another aspect of Swedish culture that we had been taught before we left to Sweden was the humility of the Swedish people. JJ Shield had taught us that if a Swedish person said they were good at something, then they were probably great. In addition, if they said they were great, they were probably competing at a professional level. Before anybody could comment on Anna-Karin's clothing choices, she began to explain why she was wearing business professional clothes and open toed sandals. She illustrated that because of her ice skating career, she was unable to wear heels anymore. I imagine she must have been a great figure skater.

Anna-Karin Holmqvist, the Human Resources Manager, gave a presentation on the company, culture, and employees of auto adapt. She was highly knowledgeable and personable in her presentation and she never hesitated to answer questions. She touched on the importance of equality for all employees and that there were no discrimination for age, sex, occupation, etc. However, the salaries were leveraged upon the competency tests.

In addition to the equality aspect, it was interesting learning the Auto Adapt used the STAR model that we learned at schoo
l in the real world. The STAR model is a behavior interview technique that tires to get at how the interviewee responded to negative situations and to quantify the results. The, they put the results into a chart and compare which block the interviewee's response best reflections. One questions could have sixteen different answer blocks.

The hiring process in Sweden is hard because it is equally as hard to fire an employee. Thus, it is important for interviewees to be mentally prepared, strive to improve oneself, have strong emotional awareness, and to research the prospective position. In addition, it is imperative that the interviewee have questions ready before the interview and to begin the application process with a personalized and specific cover letter.

You can have the best product, but if you have the wrong people, you will fail. Hakan and Anna-Karin focus on developing the best people. They care tremendously about their employees and they put a lot of energy into training people. This is mostly because the entrance and exit procedures are difficult to overcome and it can be ten times the cost to for the retraining process.

Following Anna-Karin's presentation, we were able to tour the AutoAdapt facility. We learned about the objectives of the facilities, the efficiency of the facility, and the procedures of the facility. The strong relationships between the management and the line-workers was present during our tour. Hakan said, "I know the name of the family dogs for my employees." Why? Because he cares about his employees and employees that are cared for generally work harder and are more loyal. 

Then, we were given delicious chicken and we were able to talk to Hakan personally for the duration of the meal. We discusses matters of his small businesses that he started up, some obstacles of starting a new businesses, and how to run and own a successful business. He discussed how he had started a company where he was building a market as well as conceptualizing the business. He stressed the benefits of expanding on an existing business versus creating a new market. It is more profitable to take an idea that is already in the market and make it better.

To create an added value on the "new" product, it is effective to ask the existing competition about how they create their products. They may say no, but it never hurts to ask how the best in the business operates. Through the whole process, you must remain truthful and honest about your intentions and never lie about your situation. He concluded our lunch conversation with one principle. Always ask questions and always effectively listen.

After lunch, we were able to receive an MBA level lecture on business models by Hakan and it was great hearing his philosophies and beliefs of the business world. If you wish to review some of the lecture material he supplied us, there is information in the "There is no Place Like Home, But I Miss Sweden Already" Blog. I can’t thank both Anna-Karin and Hakan for taking the time to meet with us and discuss material that will be used for the rest of my life. They both were highly enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and passionate about their careers and it is inspirational to meet individuals like them.

Leisure:

At the end of the night, we concluded with dinner at Linne Terrace. The history of this location is that the king used to live next to the restaurant and the restaurant location used to be a shelter for prostitution. That part of the restaurant is long gone and the Cod that I ordered was amazing.

Daily Reflections:

1. You can have the best product, but if you have the wrong people, you will fail.
2. STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a behavior interview technique used by numerous companies
3. It is important to research prospective companies, positions, and prepare specific and individualized applications and questions
4.  Swedish Taxes are really really really high! ( 25% Value added, up to 57% Federal Withholding)
5. The benefits of Swedish taxes are amazing though (Unemployment is $2,000 a month, 80% pay for 15 months post pregnancy, retirement fully paid after the age of 65)
6. It is possible to turn a 27 page business plan into a 7 page concise document 
7. Competitors can help you generate the operations of your business
8. It is crucial to always ask questions and be an active listener 
9. You have to be willing to sell yourself, be honest, and have a positive attitude to leave an impression that can last a lifetime

Posted in: Anna-Karin Holmqvist,AutoAdapt,Hakan Sandberg