THE BUSINESS CHIEF INTERVIEW
“ More leadership and less management means trusting adults to do their jobs,” he says.“ We hire highly trained people – engineers, doctors, agronomists, lab assistants. They don’ t need babysitting. My role, and the role of Bayer leaders, is to make sure they can organise themselves and get work done. That’ s why we redesigned our operating model in 2023.” Now, teams don’ t wait for permission or the next budget period. Instead, they work in 90-day cycles, keeping planning horizons short and accountability immediate. Decisions sit with the people doing the work.“ Empowerment means ownership,” Anderson says.“ People do their best work when they feel responsible for the outcome— not just the task. Leaders need to give teams all the necessary accountability and resources to own the company’ s strategic plans. That’ s when an organisation starts to feel less like a hierarchy and more like a group of entrepreneurs building something that matters.” Innovation, he argues, follows from this naturally.“ Traditional management slows things down,” he says.“ Rule-based hierarchies add layers— sometimes 10 or more— and every layer delays decisions. That kills speed. And without speed, innovation stalls. Innovation isn’ t about having smarter people. It’ s about taking more shots. You can’ t score if you don’ t shoot.” WATCH NOW
Bill Anderson speaking at the Bayer AGM 2026
76 May 2026