27.05.2022

"We're Readying Koç Group for Its Upcoming Century of Competition and Next-Generation Work Life through Cultural Transformation Program"

9 min

Koç Holding CEO Levent Çakıroğlu was one of the speakers at the “Responding to the Great Resignation” panel, a top-ranking item on the agenda of this year’s Davos Summit organized by the World Economic Forum. Responding to questions during the panel’s discussions of how business models and next-generation policies relating to talent management were rapidly changing along with employees’ expectations, Çakıroğlu said “At Koç Group, we draw our strength from core values that focus on people and we act with the goal of creating long-term value. Throughout the pandemic we’ve been supporting our colleagues through work practices that improve the employee experience. Researches show that the new generation wants to have a say in decision-making processes and to have a positive impact on the society in which they live. At a time when expectations are differentiating from each other, workplace environments are changing, and working hours are becoming even more flexible, our adoption of agile work model boosts the competencies of our colleagues. As our Group approaches its centennial anniversary, we are readying it for the upcoming century’s competition and next-generation work life through Koç Cultural Transformation Program which we launched along with digital transformation and which we are continuing with significant initiatives such as innovation, intrapreneurship, zero-based budgeting, agile management, human resource development, and carbon transition program.”
 
Koç Holding CEO Levent Çakıroğlu attended the Davos Summit held by the World Economic Forum (WEF) between May 22 and May 26. The in-person event, the first such to take place since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, brought nearly 2,500 leaders from around the world together to discuss issues related to this year’s gathering’s main theme: “History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies.”
 
Speaking during the panel, named “Responding to the Great Resignation”, Çakıroğlu discussed Koç Holding’s cultural-transformation journey. Responding to questions during the panel’s discussions of how business models and next-generation policies relating to talent management were changing even more rapidly along with employees’ expectations, Çakıroğlu said: “At Koç Group, we draw our strength from core values that focus on people and act with the goal of creating long-term value. Throughout the pandemic we’ve been supporting our colleagues through work practices that improve the employee experience. We saw that our colleagues likewise responded positively to the bold steps we were taking during these tough times. Researches show that the new generation wants to have a say in decision-making processes and to have a positive impact on the society in which they live. At a time when expectations are differentiating from each other, workplace environments are changing, and working hours are becoming even more flexible, our adoption of agile work model boosts the competencies of our colleagues. We have been offering a customized hybrid work experience and opportunities to work from 35 co-working offices. Our goal is to increase that number to 100. In addition, we also launched a new transparency-based performance management system so as to be sure that this agile approach to work would function properly. As our Group approaches its centennial anniversary, we are readying it for the upcoming century’s competition and next-generation work life through Koç Cultural Transformation Program which we launched along with digital transformation and which we are continuing with significant initiatives such as innovation, intrapreneurship, zero-based budgeting, agile management, human resource development, and carbon transition program.”
 
Levent Çakıroğlu: “Through the responsibilities and commitments that we have assumed, we will be contributing to the platform’s goal of creating a more equitable and inclusive future of work.”
 
Levent Çakıroğlu revealed that Koç Holding had also been invited to join the “Good Work Alliance” initiative launched by the World Economic Forum to design the future of business life in a changing world. Noting the importance of having opportunities to share the best HR practices at the global level, he said the World Economic Forum’s “Good Work Alliance” to be a valuable undertaking and added: “Through the responsibilities and commitments that we have assumed, we will be contributing to the platform’s goal of creating a more equitable and inclusive future of work for everyone under the headings of designing a hybrid work model, fostering employability and learning culture that will enhance competencies, and promoting holistic health in work and private life. We are proud to be representing our country in a worldwide initiative in which 21 global companies are taking part.”
 
The commitments of Koç Holding:
 
1. Designing a hybrid work model: Koç Holding has designed a customized hybrid work model based on the experiences of employees with many different needs and expectations. Supported by the Koç Office Free app, which provides access to a digital reservation system, this model provides 35 co-working spaces for employees. Koç Holding plans to open 100 co-working spaces that include offices in other countries.
 
2. Fostering employability and learning culture that will enhance competencies: As the creator of Turkey’s biggest agile ecosystem, Koç Group is accelerating its cultural transformation. Focusing on a learning culture whose aim is to nurture talented people who are capable of adapting quickly to the dynamics of a changing world, Koç Holding has launched Koç AgileAcademy to develop agile leadership competencies. The academy’s goal is to provide Koç Group employees with 3 million hours of training opportunities through its leadership, digital, and agile transformation programs by the end of 2022.
 
3. Promoting holistic health in work and private life: Koç Group employees are supported by practices that focus on their health both at work and in their private lives. In Koç Group companies, healthy living involves much more than just physical wellbeing and embraces the dimensions of social, emotional, and intellectual health as well. Through holistically-designed projects, Koç Group employees are provided with a wide range of benefits in many different areas from psychological counselling to medical care and from healthy-lifestyle activities to financial support. Since the beginning of 2022, Koç employees have also had access to a free preventive-healthcare program in which they benefit from comprehensive health assessments provided by Koç Sağlık Yanımda physicians.