Genzyme has several businesses focused on enzyme replacement therapies, rare genetic diseases, endocrinology, and developing potential treatments for multiple sclerosis. It has a large biomanufacturing facility in Geel, Belgium that produces monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins. One of its main products is Myozyme/Lumizyme for Pompe disease, a debilitating genetic muscle disease. Genzyme has transformed its workplace culture over the past 10 years from low employee morale and an uncertain future to being recognized as one of the best employers in Belgium and Europe. It uses appreciative inquiry to facilitate employee engagement surveys and focus groups to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.

1. Genzyme’s businesses: enzyme replacement
therapies
Personalized Genetic Health Multiple Sclerosis
Rare Genetic Diseases Endocrinology Late-stage pipeline developing
Lysosomal storage disorders and Facilitating thyroid cancer potential treatments for MS
familial hypercholesterolemia treatment and testing
Alejandro Joan Melanie
Gaucher disease Thyroid Cancer MS

2. Genzyme’s Biomanufacturing Facility in Geel,
Belgium
● 12’500 m2 facility
● Facility converted to multi-product bulk
manufacturing plant for concurrent
manufacture of monoclonal antibodies and
mammalian cell-derived recombinant
protein therapeutic products
– Campath®
– Myozyme®

3. Myozyme/Lumizyme (rhGAA for intravenous
infusion)
● Pompe Disease is a debilitating,
progressive life-threatening genetic rare
muscle disease
● Symptoms include: severe muscle
degeneration, progressive respiratory
failure
● Cause: genetic defect protein, α-
glucosidase, resulting in accumulation of
glycogen in muscles
● Broad spectrum of clinical symptoms:
– Early progressive form (EOPD); baby dies
without treatment in first year
– Late progressive form (LOPD): after the age
of 1 year (infants, children, adults)
● Only available solution: enzyme
replacement therapy
3

4. Why are we here?

5. From Receivership to Best Employer
● 10 Years Ago (Pharming
receivership)
– Low employee morale
– Uncertain future
– Building trust into the Workplace After
Receivership
Coping with 3 major transitions
– Embracing Genzyme culture & values
– New technology platform: from a
transgenic rabbit platform towards a
mammalian cell culture platform
– From a clinical manufacturing focus
towards a large scale commercial
manufacturing focus

6. What is the ‘Great Place to Work’ contest?
● Organization
– Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Catholic University of Leuven and Gent)
– Vacature (HR potal – public jobboard – as media partner)
– Great Place to Work Institute Europe
● What?
– Great Place to work assessment
• Culture Audit: audit of the HR practices, tools & strategy on 9 domains
• Trust Index: employee satisfaction survey (questionnaire) – counts for 2/3 of the overall assessment
– With subscription, Genzyme participates on 3 competitions
• Top 10 list of ‘Best employers in Belgium’,
• List of the ‘100 Best Employers in Europe’
• Special awards for specific company cases in the arena of
– Inspirational leadership (Genzyme 2012)
– Diversity management
– lifelong learning
• Our target competition: >500 employees

8. Results 2010-2012 - Genzyme Geel per
dimension
100%
84% 86%
90% 81% 82%
75%
80% 71% 71% 72% 70% 73%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Credibility Respect Genzyme 2012
Fairness Genzyme 2010
Pride Camaraderie

9. Dimension Pride
Overview
PERSONAL
JOB
w Individual
job
and
accomplishments
TEAM
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
w Work
produced
by
own
team
or
work
group
CORPORATE
IMAGE
w Company’s
products
and
standing
in
the
community

10. 93% !

11. Dimension Pride
Strengths
w Pride on organizational level
w Especially proud on contribution to society

12. Great Place to Work Survey Outcome
Key Messages from the 5 GPTW Employee Surveys:
– 81 % of the employee base said…
• “I am offered training or development to further myself professionally”
– 92% said…
• “I tell people with pride that I work for this organization”
– 89% said…
• “When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome”

13. Dimension Fairness
Possibilities for improvement
w Fair wage, profit sharing, appreciation
w Impartiality: giving promotions and favoritism

14. Culture Audit
Management
ensures
TRUST
in
the
workplace
by
policies,
pracKces
and
iniKaKves
on
9
domains.

15. Common
characterisKcs
Transactional
Gift-Like Practices
Practices
Minimum Generous
Ordinary Unique
Impersonal Personalized
Disconnected Integrated

16. Scoring
criteria
► Variety
► Originality
► All-inclusiveness
► Human Touch
► Integration

17. Culture
Audit:
overview
of
the
results

18. Inspiring
How do you inspire employees to feel that their work has more meaning than
being just a job?
...help
people
understand
how
their
Not
by
just
informing
people
about
work
relates
to
the
company’s
the
organiza6on’s
goals,
but
also...
higher
purpose
as
well
as
to
corporate
success!
...encourage
people
to
interact
in
ways
that
foster
the
company’s
values!

19. Inspiring
GIFTWORK
Cultures
Work
has
meaning:
a
How
work
is
done
is
“higher
purpose”
valued
" Customer/client
stories
" Certain
behaviors
shown
to
" Links
shown
between
exemplify
company’s
values
employee
efforts
and
business
" Various
programs
reinforce
success
company’s
values
" Compelling
vision
for
" Stories
told
of
values
in
acKon
company’s
future
" Company’s
unique
contribuKon
to
market/
society
stressed

20. Inspiring
@
Genzyme
Geel
Award for
Inspirational
Leadership
(GPTW 2012)
w RaKng:
5
+ -/?
Appreciative inquiry (supported by learning /
sessions, mindset, culture, gradual
introduction…)
Investment of time, money and energy in
the community – Community relations team
(GIVE, Eurokas, Duchenne parent project,
etc)
Clear link between core business and
inspiring initiatives + sharing with family
(e.g: Extraordinary Measures, Family days)
Tremendous involvement of employees
Inspiration from colleagues – ‘schakel
interview’

21. GPTW Practices @ Genzyme Geel
Applying Appreciative Inquiry in our HR-
practices.
Using AI to facilitate focus groups with
employees post employee engagement
survey.
How we evolved in this space over the 10 years?

22. Post Employee Engagement Interventions
● GPTW Survey: 2004/2006
– Focus Group: focusing on the 5 lowest scores
– Result: defensive mechanisms – negative terminology/language/interactions (negative
spiraling of thought and action repertoire) – no appetite for action
● GPTW Survey: 2008/2010
– In 2008 Focus Group: focusing on the 5 highest scores
– In 2010 Focus Group: focusing on the 5 highest scores + up-scaling through
appreciative interviews – dialogue sessions – full staff meetings – action planning &
follow-up…. Next step will be the AI Summit (Whole System in the Room)
• Quest Questions:
– What are the elements in which we differ from other companies? Can you give a specific
example? What makes this important to you?
– How can we keep or even improve these unique elements?
– When are we – as an organization – at our best? Do you have one or more examples?
– What are contributing conditions or circumstances?
– Which moments give you the most energy? When do your really feel connected to our
company? When do you really want to stretch?
– What do you appreciate most in your department/team?
– What is your individual project, which will contribute to improve our strengths?
– We give you a magic wand and you have credit for 3 wishes. What are your 3 dreams for the
company?
– We put the clock ahead: it is 2015 and your 3 wishes came true. What could we do now
accomplish these 3 dreams?
– What could you do now?
– What has surprised you during this interview?

23. New organizational issues
-Different organizational issues
Focus on relationship require different approaches.
& process
-Contamination from the
key approach
Holistic Focus on structure Shared Leadership
& tasks
Fragmentation
Power & Control
Many right answers/ One right answer
paradox
Focus on
Structure Shared Meaning &
& tasks Top-down
decisions Consensus
Linear thinking
Systems Thinking
Self-mastery Competition
Collaboration community
Collective mastery &
Leveraging diversity
* Linda Ellinor

24. “What is given attention, grows!”
“Human systems and organizations will
move or change into the direction of what
we study, we inquire, we ask questions about!.”
- Questions are fateful!
- Inquiry is intervention. The seeds of change are planted with
the very first questions we ask.
- The language that people use creates their reality!
- No Laws….social realities not fixed
- In every system (indivdiual, team, organization) something works!
- Assumption that ‘inquiry and dialogue about strenghts,
successes, hopes and dreams are in itself transformational!
…

25. Best Way to Build High
Engagement and Enthusiasm?
Do an organization survey of
low morale?
Magnify and learn from moment
of highest engagement &
enthusiasm?

26. Introduction of AI within Genzyme
● Gradual Introduction
– Viral Infection – do not label explicitly
– Through applications and practices in the “veld”
• Great Place To Work Survey
– Focus Groups
– Scaling Up through “De Queeste” – appreciative interviews
• Facilitation of Lessons Learned Sessions
– Example: Lessons Learned Session of a Complexe Maintenance Shutdown
• Facilitation of Team Development Interventions
– Mediation
– Visioning excercises
– From push to pull
• Pimp Up Your Potential
– Open Learning Sessions: Introductie of AI in both Organizational & Private Context
• Line Management is now requesting for AI based process, team and organizational
development facilitation
• Performance & Development practices
• Recruitment Practices

27. What Percent of large-scale change efforts Succeed? Multi-
20-30% fails
Stakeholder
Collaboration/
Action
Where Does Positive Change
Come From?
Powerful,
Shared, Positive
Future Image
Renewed
Sense of what
Connect with
is Possible
Strengths; Best
Of What Is
To change behavior,
Inquiry into
Best Past
change the conversation
Stories

28. Sustaining High Commitment and High Performance!
Being AND People & Relationship Centric AND Business Oriented
Jointly Achieving Challenging
Projects & Goals
Building Employee Engagement Support employees in
through Corporte Social generating self-insight &
Responsibility & generate responsibilty
Community Relations
Connecting our employes
to something larger –
OUR PURPOSE
Personal & Creative connection
To Patient Focus
Delivering on Commitments, Personalized Development
Execution & Focus Approach

29. ROI : some key data
Average attrition rate :
2%
Branding: Employer Of
Average Absenteeism % : Choice
2-2.5% in Region
Internal Promotion
Ratio: 8/10

30. AI is not about Positivity;
AI IS about Generativity
AI is about appreciating Inquiry as the fundamental force that moves us
forward – together.