Interview with HR Specialist Stefanie Gaube
The secret to attracting and holding onto the world’s best talent is not about the perks—it’s about maintaining openness & trust within an organisation, showing respect for one another as employees, building relationships amongst others. In other words, it is about the values a company breathe in and breathe out which ultimately define its work culture. But what is a company work culture? Forbes describes workplace culture as “the environment that surrounds us all the time.”
We took an opportunity to interview NTT DATA Business Solutions that enjoys the reputation of attracting talents from all over the globe and retaining them successfully. Let us find out what their secret sauce to a perfect work culture is.
intap: Hello Stefanie and it is a pleasure to have you with us today.
Stefanie: Thank you, Swati. I am equally excited to be a part of this and look forward to your questions.
intap: Before we jump straight to the topic, could you please briefly explain what is NTT DATA Business Solutions and what does it to?
Stefanie: As part of the global NTT DATA Group, one of the most successful IT service providers in the world, we specialise in value-added SAP and Managed Cloud solutions as NTT DATA Business Solutions. With over 12,000 employees in more than 30 countries, we design, implement, and develop custom-fit SAP and Managed Cloud solutions for our global customers. Our focus is on SAP Consulting, SAP Development, Managed Cloud Services and Application Management Services (AMS) & Technology. With our expertise in innovative technologies such as S/4HANA Industry 4.0, Cloud, Big Data, Blockchain and IoT, we support our customers worldwide in their digital transformation.
intap: The company was operated under the name itelligence until 2021. How would you explain this change in branding?
Stefanie: We have already been a part of NTT DATA since 2008. Yes, we were initially called as itelligence but to present a uniform “one NTT” image in the market, we changed our name to NTT DATA Business Solutions in April 2021. All sister companies of NTT DATA now appear uniformly under one brand. Our goal with the rebranding is to realize our full market potential and further support our growth in business. As NTT DATA Business Solutions, we are THE expert for SAP solutions and transformation processes within the NTT DATA group.
intap: So did anything change with the change in name?
Stefanie: No, everything remained the same – in terms of organization, personnel and content. Our spirit, our DNA, our team culture – all that has remained, and we are proud of that. We still stand for our core people values, such as teamwork, diversity, innovation & lifelong learning and customer orientation. Of course, there have been a few little adjustments as a result of the rebranding. For example, we adapted our employer brand and the associated People Campaign – Catch the itelligence spirit! became Empowering You! Our focus is on “Inspiring and empowering people” – this is exactly what we stand for as an employer.
intap: When we talk about diversity as a value, we would like to know how many nationalities NTT DATA Business Solution employees represent?
Stefanie: Well, we have employees from 40 different countries that make up to over 3512 employees in Germany. They come from all parts of the world.
Globally, with our more than 12,000 employees from 64 nations in over 30 countries, we show that diversity is an integral part of our DNA and that we live diversity, tolerance and respect every day. We are convinced that it is precisely this diversity that leads to productive results and that we as a team benefit from it.
intap: NTT DATA Business Solutions offers an international working environment in which values such as openness, respect and togetherness are cultivated. But what about diversity? How does NTT DATA Business Solutions manage to promote diversity within the company?
Stefanie: We live diversity as a core value of our corporate culture, and to date, various initiatives and communities have been created within our company to support it. For example, our Diversity Network regularly shares views and opinions – both internally and externally with other companies – on current diversity focused issues. Similarly, our Female Leadership Programme identifies and promotes career opportunities for women, particularly regarding leadership positions. Another important initiative is our LGBTQIA+. It is our global network to promote the interests of the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, we have a Family & Co. Initiative, which aims to raise family awareness and expand family friendliness in the company. Part of this is also our fathers’ network, for example. These are just some of our communities & initiatives that come to my mind now, but there are several more that strengthen our organisation as a diverse organisation in the market.
I would also like to mention here that as a company we are committed to the “Charta der Vielfalt” (German Diversity Day 2021).
intap: You mentioned that NTT DATA Business Solutions’ values revolve around maintaining an international culture and diversity in the workspaces. How would you briefly describe this work culture?
Stefanie: Where to start! We promise a working culture where we always have an open ear and listen to everyone’s opinion and feedback. Our team does not work in silos, but with each other and helps each other in the best possible way. This is only possible because of our strong values, which focus on people, constant communication, teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and lifelong learning. Although we are a large, international company, we have maintained a team-oriented, relaxed, family and hands-on mentality. We speak both German and English at work – with English being more common in most of our teams
The health and mental well-being of our employees is very important to us, so we take care of their personal issues so that they always feel motivated and productive at work. Among other things, we support them in their health management, work-life balance reconciling family and career and help them with personal coaching and support in difficult times.
intap: What else does NTT DATA Business Solutions offer when it comes to creating a pleasant working environment in your teams?
Stefanie: In our teams, regular team events after work are a common practice to observe. Summer parties and Christmas parties are organised every year. In Corona times, we also organised these digitally. We are very passionate about sports. For this reason, we organise our Soccer Cup every year. We also regularly take part in local running events. For example, we are the main partner of the NTT DATA City Lauf in Dresden and take part in the Rewe Team Challenge every year.
With our flexible working hours, part-time models and the option for mobile work (e.g. in a home office), we also offer our employees the greatest possible flexibility and a good work-life balance. And we have many other great benefits, including bicycle leasing via JobRad®, company pension scheme with 25% employer subsidy, our in-house training academy, a working life account, company health management, corporate benefits and much more!
Regular team events and activities together are a central part of the NTT DATA Business Solutions working environment.
intap: NTT DATA Business Solutions recruits talent from all over the world. There are a lot of things to consider when moving to Germany. Can you give us an example of how such a process can work?
Stefanie: Yes, you are right about that. We are constantly hiring competent international talents from all over the world and one such talent was Rishav Sharma who was working as a Database Specialist at itelligence India and showed interest to move to Germany with his family. We were keen to hire him for our database team in Dresden. The process started for us in the summer of 2018. Since the relocation took place with his entire family, there were many topics to coordinate and plan. We were always in close communication with Rishav, supported him with questions and problems, and connected him with our external relocation partner in Dresden. That time intap network had not begun with its Relocation Service else it would have been our first choice as it is today.
Database-Specialist Rishav Sharma came to Germany from India. NTT DATA Business Solutions supported him with his and his family’s relocation to Dresden.
intap: That’s great to hear! Since then, NTT DATA Business Solutions and intap network have already worked together on several relocation issues. Hopefully that will continue.
What are the most interesting projects for you that NTT DATA Business Solutions is currently working on? Which technologies and concepts are currently important and on the rise in the industry?
Stefanie: In our ever-changing world, businesses need to find ways to cope with new challenges fast. They need to adapt and act quickly. It’s no surprise that there is no single solution that can solve every problem. However, one concept that can help, is the concept of smart enterprise. This concept is a combination of a new mindset, the acquisition of skills and abilities that enable adjusting quickly in a changing environment in combination with matching technology stack as an enabler. We believe that this transformation towards an intelligent enterprise is not about technology, it’s about making them work for our customers.
Examples for these transformation could be as simple as using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to eliminate manual and repetitive tasks and help streamline business processes like we did for DMG More.
Another completely different example could be the use of artificial intelligence, IoT sensors and voice control to improve the storage of hazardous materials like we did together with Denios.
You see, it’s not so much about the technology itself, but about finding out where these technologies and capabilities can be used to efficiently improve or redesign business processes.
intap: Is NTT DATA Business Solutions currently looking for talented professionals to continue to advance these technologies in the future?
Stefanie: We are always on the lookout for talent, as we are constantly growing, including here on site at our Dresden and Bautzen locations. Students can find various internships, working student jobs or final theses opportunities with us. After graduating or completing vocational training, you can gain a foothold with us either in a junior position or as part of a trainee programme / entry-level programme. Professionals with relevant practical experience are in demand for a wide range of specialist roles, such as Linux Administrator, Cloud Engineer DevOps / Linux, Database Administrator S/4HANA, SAP Basis Administrator, Web Developer JavaScript, Software Developer, Technical Hyperscaler Consultant AWS / MS Azure, Inhouse Consultant SAP (HCM, Logistics or Finance) and many more. You can find all our jobs on our careers page.
intap: Thank you so much Stefanie for your valuable time on sharing such deep insights on your company and its working culture. I am sure our readers will find this information extremely helpful.
Stefanie: Thank you for the invite.
