Organisation Culture a Gung-Ho Culture Rules
At InBev, a Gung-Ho Culture Rules
American Icon Anheuser,
A Potential Target, Faces
Prospect of Big Changes
By MATT MOFFETT
May 28, 2008; Page B1
Diadema, Brazil
Brazilian-managed beverage giant InBev NV isn't a household name in the U.S. now, but if it proceeds with its unsolicited bid for Anheuser-Busch Cos., its high-octane corporate culture could easily overwhelm the iconic U.S. brewer.
|[pic] |
|Bloomberg News/Landov |
|A production line at InBev's brewery in Leuven, Belgium |
That culture is on display each workday at the 7:20 a.m. sales meeting at InBev's distribution center in this town outside São Paulo. On a recent day, supervisor Fernando Correa paced like a soccer coach before a big match as he reviewed the day's sales targets in front of about 30 blue-jacketed sales reps. Then, at the wave of Mr. Correa's hand, a salesman began pounding on a huge samba drum, and the reps belted out a raucous version of a motivational song about selling beer. When the foot-stomping, table-pounding music ended, the salesmen hopped aboard their motorbikes and headed off to nearby restaurants and mom-and-pop shops to pitch the company's beers.
At InBev, a work atmosphere reminiscent of an athletic locker room is a key ingredient in a culture that also includes ferocious cost cutting and lucrative incentive-based compensation programs. The work ethic is largely the design of Jorge Paulo Lemann, a former Brazilian tennis champion who is one of InBev's chief shareholders. The Harvard-educated Mr. Lemann, 68 years old, has borrowed management techniques from such corporations as Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PepsiCo Inc, while adding a dash of Brazilian verve and flexibility.
Since the company was formed four years ago, InBev has built a presence in 130 countries with 200 brands, including Stella Artois, Beck's, Labatt Blue
American Icon Anheuser,
A Potential Target, Faces
Prospect of Big Changes
By MATT MOFFETT
May 28, 2008; Page B1
Diadema, Brazil
Brazilian-managed beverage giant InBev NV isn't a household name in the U.S. now, but if it proceeds with its unsolicited bid for Anheuser-Busch Cos., its high-octane corporate culture could easily overwhelm the iconic U.S. brewer.
|[pic] |
|Bloomberg News/Landov |
|A production line at InBev's brewery in Leuven, Belgium |
That culture is on display each workday at the 7:20 a.m. sales meeting at InBev's distribution center in this town outside São Paulo. On a recent day, supervisor Fernando Correa paced like a soccer coach before a big match as he reviewed the day's sales targets in front of about 30 blue-jacketed sales reps. Then, at the wave of Mr. Correa's hand, a salesman began pounding on a huge samba drum, and the reps belted out a raucous version of a motivational song about selling beer. When the foot-stomping, table-pounding music ended, the salesmen hopped aboard their motorbikes and headed off to nearby restaurants and mom-and-pop shops to pitch the company's beers.
At InBev, a work atmosphere reminiscent of an athletic locker room is a key ingredient in a culture that also includes ferocious cost cutting and lucrative incentive-based compensation programs. The work ethic is largely the design of Jorge Paulo Lemann, a former Brazilian tennis champion who is one of InBev's chief shareholders. The Harvard-educated Mr. Lemann, 68 years old, has borrowed management techniques from such corporations as Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PepsiCo Inc, while adding a dash of Brazilian verve and flexibility.
Since the company was formed four years ago, InBev has built a presence in 130 countries with 200 brands, including Stella Artois, Beck's, Labatt Blue