Lariza, Hazelyn A.
S220058
Management Experience in My Company
Johnson and Johnson is a healthcare company founded in 1886. Its products ranges from
the pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Prior to the consumer health spin-off in 2023, part of
its portfolio are the consumer health products. As an employee of Johnson and Johnson for more
than four years now, one of the things that has resonated with me was how the organization has
been staying true to its Credo. It is basically a summary of the organization’s commitment towards
different groups: our patients and customers, the employees, the communities, and the
shareholders. As a healthcare company, it is not surprising that serving people first is at the center
of every decision-making.
Every 2 years, JNJ conducts Our Credo Survey to measure how each line item of
commitment in Our Credo holds true from the employees’ perspective. This also serves as an
avenue to provide qualitative feedback anonymously. This is on top of the regular townhalls, team
connects, and 1-on-1 catch ups. In addition, there is what is called the Credo Hotline wherein
employees can send in their complaints anonymously; and is being managed by the Employee
and Labor Relations team. This goes to show how JNJ employs the humanistic perspective in
management – giving utmost consideration to human behaviors, needs, and attitude. It is no
surprise as well since the overall culture in the organization is relationship-driven. It is totally
normal to set recurring catch ups with people you do not directly work with, something I did not
experience in my previous employer.
In terms of hiring leaders in the organization, I have observed that both human skills and
conceptual skills are prioritized over technical skills. A perfect example is my own experience. I
joined the organization under the Foundational HR Leadership Program where we were exposed
to different HR functions prior to our final placement. In my case, I was placed as Team Lead for
Global Mobility Operations – a function that heavily uses tools such as Workday and Salesforce.
Despite having zero knowledge on these tools, I was considered for the role. Fortunately, my
experience during the program equipped me with the human skills and conceptual skills which
helped me thrive during my first year. Throughout my stay so far at JNJ, I have worked with great
leaders who put great trust in their direct reports. I never experienced being micromanaged and I
was given the autonomy to accomplish the desired outputs. Furthermore, as a healthcare
company, we are encouraged to take care of our health by availing of the different benefits
Lariza, Hazelyn A.
S220058
available, and by exercising work-life balance. This was eventually applied when I was given the
opportunity to lead my own team for my final placement.
My exposure to the different HR functions, as well as the different projects I have led or
been involved with taught me how different teams or processes are interconnected, hence seeing
the bigger picture. In addition, these experiences helped me developed how to think and execute
strategically. At some point, technical skills followed which I learned through training sessions and
hands-on experience. However, human skills and conceptual skills were utilized the most in my
current role.
In the last couple of years, the organization has undergone some transformations. One
example is the shift in the ways of working caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization
was quick to adapt full remote work setup and immediately green-lighted additional benefits to
support its employees during those times. The more recent one was the consumer health sector
separation from Johnson and Johnson which went live in January 2023. The planning and
execution of the separation took 1-2 years prior to its go-live. These scenarios have shown the
organization’s flexibility and quickness to pivot its efforts based on external factors.
While the organization is quick to implement these changes, there is an opportunity to
improve change management. In the last four years, I have encountered several change
initiatives. Oftentimes, the implementation is so quick even if the people, process, or systems are
not fully ready. This results in people having negative sentiments about the change, and some
items just fall through the cracks causing escalation on the part of processors.
In summary, the management in Johnson and Johnson is geared towards the humanistic
side of things which is proven working. In addition, the organization is open in adapting to change
to keep up with the trends. However, more thought should be put in terms of how these changes
are implemented to ensure positive experience of all stakeholders.