Cooperate to grow: De Nora organizational model

De Nora’s organizational model and culture are driven by the purpose “Empower collaboration & champion resilience” that promotes key values such as equity, diversity, mutual respect, integrity and team work.  

The sense of belonging of the company starts from this philosophy which encourages people to be proactive, to keep an open mind and to support each other to achieve collective targets.  

Collaboration is core to this commitment and it represents a crucial element for De Nora.  

Let’s discover how the values behind the company’ s purpose, especially collaboration, contribute to creating a constructive work environment that prioritizes its people.   

Organizational culture at De Nora stands out for its values, which foster an inclusive and informal work environment, based on solid personal and professional relationships. Collaboration is seen as an opportunity to share ideas and encourage development, within teams as well as between colleagues with different positions and from different countries.  

This approach is based on a participative leadership style, grounded in active listening and in the concept of "psychological safety”, that’s to say an environment where everyone can freely express their ideas and actively participate, without the fear of being judged.  

Letizia Romano, Reputation, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Internal & People Communication, and Global Recruiting Director at De Nora claims:  

“Psychological Safety is a necessary condition: only feeling free to share ideas and opinions, even when they're not ordinary, enables people to give their best as professionals and to contribute to the company’s growth. When colleagues can count on an inclusive leader who prioritizes people’s wellbeing, the company becomes a real collaborative ecosystem, where every voice is valued and every contribution is appreciated”. 

This freedom of expression and sharing, present at all organizational levels, is rooted in a culture that focuses on its people and their personal and professional needs. This dedication becomes an integral part of daily work. 

Knowing the needs, unique features, inclinations and communication styles of colleagues, can help those who organize and manage meetings to ensure that everyone can freely express their opinions and be heard. This comes from a culture of listening and mutual respect, through which it’s possible to create inclusive and constructive relationships, from a both personal and professional perspective.  

2. The role of performance assessment 

As previously mentioned, De Nora’s purpose “Empower collaboration & champion resilience” is founded on a strong sense of belonging and participation that pushes people to support each other.  

To actually emphasize the crucial role collaboration plays, De Nora revised its performance assessment system, providing a complete and structured feedback about the individual ability to achieve targets and to work in teams. 

Performance assessment systems usually follow a “top-down” model, in which managers assess the performance of the members of their teams. In all of the Italian branches, De Nora launched a pilot project that will soon be extended to all the branches around the world and that consists of a two-phase model: 

• Manager’s assessment on the key performance driver and on target achievement. 

• Assessment of collaboration skills by a chosen group of colleagues (2-5).  

For managers, there is also a third step: the assessment of their leadership skills by their team.  

With this new performance assessment model, everyone receives feedback both by the manager and their peers.   

This more complete overview also includes the possibility of providing feedback to one’s own manager, making assessment a circular and collective process.  

The new approach encourages collaboration at all levels and allows a better understanding of how everyone interacts and works with managers, colleagues, and peers. 

3. Professional growth at De Nora 

Professional growth at De Nora goes beyond simple teams and positions. 

Every member gets the chance to interact with colleagues from diverse roles and countries, enhancing their skills through direct exposure to sectors not directly connected to their own position. 

Martina Vettori, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Associate e Coordinator of the ESG Accelerator Lab, explains how cross-functional support is a crucial part of her daily work life and represents an opportunity to grow personally and professionally.  

 “I often happen to work with colleagues from different functions. For example, I support colleagues from the Procurement team In the Implementation of a platform for suppliers assessment according to ESG criteria; I help colleagues from R&D create product sustainability scorecards. This cross-engagement enriches my experience and helps me have a better understanding of company dynamics, activities and internal processes. It’s a chance to discover the challenges and opportunities we face, having a wider and more complete perspective on them”. 

De Nora’s multidisciplinary approach contributes to the development of personal skills: 

 “My role requires continuous collaboration with other areas and allows me to practice and develop soft skills such as mediation skills, interpersonal skills and project management. Moreover, I had the chance to expand my technical knowledge on products, productive processes and environmental impact”. 

4. International opportunities 

Professional growth at De Nora is encouraged through colleagues’ active participation in multidisciplinary projects that involve different sectors and experiences. 

In a global company like De Nora, collaboration between colleagues from different countries is the usual. This dialogue with distant cultures enhances personal and work-related growth. 

Gianluca Fazio, Digital Manufacturing Manager, explains how continuous dialogue with colleagues from Germany, the US, Japan, China, India and Brazil is a crucial part of his role.  

“Cooperating on an international level for sure brings about many challenges, starting from linguistic ones. It’s not always easy to understand my colleagues’ point of view and make yourself understood.  To overcome these obstacles, we have to master our active listening skills to create an authentic dialogue, understand our interlocutor’s needs and ask the right questions. This daily practice reduces distance and turns potential misunderstanding into valuable communication experiences.  

Other than technical skills, empathy and patience are key to understanding different cultures and being effective".  

To conclude, the organizational model and De Nora’s culture are based on an inclusive context, open to dialogue and characterized by collaboration and active participation in different projects. Working in close contact with people from different sectors, often located abroad, offers the opportunity of a professional growth that goes beyond technical skills and allows to develop soft skills and a global business vision.