SMi Group interviewed SeerPharma’s (UK) Director, Bob Hayes to gain insight on his thoughts on how to develop and encourage the right organisational culture and employee behaviours Strategy or culture: Which is more important? Maintaining cultural coherence across a company’s portfolio should be an essential factor when determining a corporate strategy. Considering this new ‘hot topic’ emerging in cold chain distribution, SMi Group interviewed SeerPharma’s (UK) Director, Bob Hayes to gain insight on his thoughts on how to develop and encourage the right organisational culture and employee behaviours. As director of SeerPharma (UK), Bob provides effective transfer of knowledge, expertise and experience to enable customers to compete successfully in the regulated environments of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices and related industries. The aim of Bob’s presentation is to expand the knowledge of buyer‐supplier relationships by investigating the extent to which organisational cultural fit between a buyer and supply chain participants influences performance. Here's a snippet: When asked about the concept of organisational culture and why it is important to consider? Bob said: “Any organisation is only as good as the people working there, and the culture of the organisation will have a significant influence on staff behaviour. The healthcare industry requires honesty, diligence, accuracy, openness, etc. These are qualities that must be reflected in the company’s culture, and encouraged by the organisation.” Regarding the biggest challenges faced at each stage in the distribution process and what can be done to overcome these challenges, Bob commented: “Dare I say that the biggest challenge within the healthcare industry is the fear of change? The rules, regulations and guidance should be viewed as a means to improve operations, not something to be scared of.” When looking towards the future trends that are emerging in the Cold Chain Distribution process and expectations, Bob stated: “Away from the technology, the most obvious trend is that the regulatory authorities require much better control of the supply chain than has been demonstrated previously. This demands not only good data capture, but also detailed analysis to demonstrate compliance with transport and storage conditions.”