# Reimagining Work at Scale: Manuel Smukalla on Skills, Dynamic Shared Ownership, and the Future of Bayer

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959/reimagining-work-at-scale-manuel-smukalla-on-skills-dynamic-shared-ownership-and-the-future-of-bayer
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959/reimagining-work-at-scale-manuel-smukalla-on-skills-dynamic-shared-ownership-and-the-future-of-bayer.md
Podcast: [Workplace Stories by RedThread Research](https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959)
Published: 2026-01-21T09:53:28+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/reimagining-work-at-scale-manuel-smukalla-on-skills-dynamic-shared-ownership-and-the-future-of-bayer--69529543
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69529543/reimagining_work_at_scale_manuel_smukalla_on_skills_dynamic_shared_ownership_and_the_future_of_bayer.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3526

## Resource

Manuel Smukalla, Global Talent Impact, Skills Intelligence, and Systems Lead at Bayer, joins Workplace Stories to unpack one of the most ambitious organizational transformations underway today. As Bayer confronts significant market, legal, and profitability pressures, the company has taken a radically different approach to how work, leadership, and talent are structured, rethinking everything from management layers to career progression. In this episode, Manuel walks through Bayer’s shift to Dynamic Shared Ownership (DSO), a decentralized operating model built around networks of teams, 90-day work cycles, and leaders who coach rather than control. He explains why skills visibility became a foundational requirement for this model to work and how Bayer is using skills data to democratize opportunities, improve talent flow, and fundamentally rethink careers inside a global enterprise. You’ll hear how Bayer reduced management layers by more than half, redesigned leadership expectations through its VAC (Visionary, Architect, Catalyst, Coach) model, and moved toward a culture where employees are empowered, and expected, to own their work, development, and impact. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... [01:01] Why Bayer embarked on a radical organizational transformation. [04:30] What Dynamic Shared Ownership really means in practice. [06:55] Moving from hierarchical structures to networks of teams. [10:40] Why skills visibility became a critical business problem. [14:05] How 90-day work cycles change accountability and outcomes. [18:10] Building organizations around customer problems, not functions. [21:15] Launching skills profiles as a starting point, not an endpoint. [23:00] How Bayer’s talent marketplace democratizes opportunity at scale. [27:00]…

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