At Astellas, we are striving to be the industry’s cutting-edge, VALUE-driven life science innovator. This means being at the forefront of the changing healthcare landscape and leveraging what sets us apart—our focus on patients, our pioneering innovation, our collaborative culture, and the passion of our talented people.
We recently sat down for a conversation with Katsuyoshi Sugita, Astellas’ Chief People Officer and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. During our discussion, Sugita shed a light on Astellas’ commitment to unleashing the full potential of every employee, growth of their talent and leadership, and their commitment to excellence in serving patients. In his relatively short tenure, Sugita has helped Astellas deliver on its VISION of turning innovative science into VALUE for patients.
Here are a few key takeaways from that discussion:
Q. What are Astellas’ Organizational Health Goals (OHGs)?
A: As part of our Corporate Strategic Plan, introduced in 2021 (CSP2021), we established three “Organizational Health Goals” (OHGs) for the first time.
I’ll first speak on OHG 1: Brave ideas pursue ambitious outcomes. At Astellas, we are all empowered to take intelligent risks and are supported to be outcome-driven and innovation-focused. To reach this goal, we have removed extraneous organizational layers. By focusing less on how results are delivered, and more on what is delivered, we set the stage for a greater final impact.
OHG 2 ensures that talent and leadership thrive at Astellas. Through purposeful talent management practices and a uniform leadership approach, we cultivate the desired mindset and behaviors throughout our organization.
Finally, OHG 3: We excel as One Astellas. We cooperate effectively, with robust and coordinated execution, to achieve common goals. The purpose of these goals is to nurture a corporate culture that aims to promote innovation, optimize talent, and foster collaboration, all of which enhances Astellas’ ability to execute. The most important way we achieve this is through shared objectives and increased communication channels. Employees have more opportunities than ever before to share their insights.
Q: Why did Astellas create these OHGs?
A: Transformation is critical to fulfilling our potential, unlocking innovation, and remaining competitive.
The OHGs set forth in our CSP2021 work as a bridge that connects our people and organizational efforts to contributions to our business. In working toward our OHGs, we are promoting cross-functional collaboration so that we can Excel as One Astellas.
Ultimately, we are working to create an environment where our people feel empowered to pursue brave ideas and ambitious outcomes and to seek new and bold opportunities that will deliver the greatest VALUE for patients worldwide who are waiting for new treatment options.
Striving to be the best we can as individuals enables us to collectively unlock new levels of collaboration in the pursuit of ambitious goals that keep our patients front of mind. After all, patients are why we do what we do—and everyone at Astellas is responsible for creating a brighter future for patients around the world.
Q: What is the current process for achieving OHGs?
A: Our People Vision demonstrates our commitment to our employees’ growth and development. It serves as a guiding light, outlining the essential role each individual plays as we propel Astellas forward on its transformative journey.
We've set clear expectations through the Astellas Leadership Expectations and the Astellas Competencies. These frameworks provide our people with specific actions and mindsets that empower them to realize our VISION.
Our global leadership training program, “Ignite,” was designed to equip our leaders and managers with enhanced capabilities to steer change effectively.
Talent management stands as another central pillar of our strategy. Our focus on developing the next generation of leaders and refining our talent review experience underscores our commitment to nurturing internal talent.
What truly sets us apart is our dedication to fostering flexibility within our workforce. By embracing the “Global Flexible Ways of Working” approach, we have unlocked new potential for all employees. Empowering them to make decisions about their work patterns confidently has not only transformed their daily routines, but it has also opened doors to previously unexplored career growth within Astellas.
Our commitment to internal mobility is also yielding remarkable results. An increasing number of employees are seizing opportunities within Astellas through our internal job posting systems. This movement not only enriches cross-functional knowledge, but it also serves to retain and develop our people.
Moreover, we've significantly amplified direct communication avenues from top management. Our “Ask Me Anything” sessions enable employees to engage directly with our top executives. The candid dialogue that emerges from these sessions reflects our unique approach to fostering unity and collaboration across Astellas, encapsulating the essence of “One Astellas.”
Q: What kind of organization do you aim to build?
A: One of my goals is for Astellas to be an organization that employees choose because this is where they want to work; we are their employer of choice. Astellas should be a place where people can continue to grow on their own. A growth mindset does not place limits on your qualities and abilities. It is the idea that you can develop your own potential as much as you want through your experience, effort, and attitude.
Our purpose-driven mindset is another important factor among our stakeholders. Our employees know that we are working toward our OHGs and using human resource initiatives to build an organization that can drive innovation. They can see how all our initiatives align with the vision.
Q: And finally, how does Astellas define VALUE?
A: Our understanding of VALUE is based on our VALUE equation. This is a ratio between “outcomes that matter to patients” and “cost to the healthcare system in delivering those outcomes.” We believe that by placing this concept at the core of our business, we will be able to make a greater contribution to healthcare.
We support intelligent, pragmatic thinking, facilitate smart risk-taking, and encourage ethical decision-making through all stages of drug development. We will focus on achieving CSP2021 to continue creating more value through innovation and be an organization that our stakeholders choose again and again. To learn more about what we are doing at Astellas, please visit https://www.astellas.com/en/sustainability/hr-vision. If you are interested in joining our team, please visit https://www.astellas.com/en/careers-at-astellas.