A look at the spare parts execution team at MAN ­PrimeServ in ­Zurich shows how diversity can enrich day-to-day operations.

Thirteen people from nine ­nations work hand in hand every day in ­Spare ­Parts Bids & ­Execution, which serves 98 countries from ­Zurich. Owing to their different roots and life stories, the members of the team speak nine languages, including ­Spanish, ­Russian, ­Albanian and ­Thai. These linguistic and cultural skills, expertise transfer and the flexibility of the entire team play a big part in the department’s success. “

I am grateful and proud to be part of this team – its diversity enriches us enormously. It allows us to use the individual strengths of each individual and boost our performance as a department. There is no contradiction between quality and diversity – on the contrary, they complement each other brilliantly,” ­Edona ­Rezniqi, the team leader and an active member of the ­WoMAN ­initiative in ­Zurich, points out.

Diversity has many faces

With ages ranging from 17 to 65, the team also unites the generations. The individual experiences of the colleagues – one used to work as a skipper and trans­ported spare parts to platforms, for example – are actively utilized for mutual knowledge sharing. The team mix strengthens cus­tomer relations and creates an innovative, solution-oriented work environment, which is also necessary in view of the fact that around 30,000 spare parts are quoted for on an annual basis. The option of working part-time allows many team members to balance work and family, or in some cases training/study. They all appreciate this.

In the modern world of work, diversity is not an end in itself, but an important driver of innovation and lasting success. “Although competence remains the key criterion in recruitment, including different perspectives drives us forward and contributes to the success of our department in the long term,” ­Cornel ­Kuhn, Head of ­Spare ­Parts & ­Master ­Data ­Zurich, explains. “This change does not happen overnight, but requires foresight, courage and willingness.”