SÃO PAULO, BRA.- Innovation in transportation depends not only on developing new technologies, but also on changing how companies evaluate projects and make decisions. This was the view expressed by Sara Hermansson, Senior Vice President and Director of Scania Power Solutions, as she shared the obstacles she faced during the development of electrification solutions for commercial vehicles.
During the evaluation of a project related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure, he was asked how much fuel it would save. The answer was none, because it was about developing a solution for electric vehicles.
However, the approval procedures were designed for projects that demonstrated fuel savings . The technology had changed, but the criteria for evaluating it remained the same.
The experience, shared during the tenth edition of Queen On The Road , organized by Scania in São Paulo, Brazil, made it possible to pose a challenge that goes beyond electrification: innovation also demands transforming the way companies make decisions and recognize capabilities different from the traditional ones .
Drawing on his experience in engineering, research and development, entrepreneurship, and business management, Hermansson argued that organizations must question established models if they seek to incorporate new technologies, develop talent, and maintain their competitiveness.
Diversity as a business decision
According to the executive, diversity and innovation share one characteristic: both can challenge what organizations consider normal.
Just as an electric propulsion system may require new development processes and business models, the incorporation of people with different backgrounds and perspectives also requires a review of hiring, promotion, and leadership practices.
In this context, he argued that inclusion should not be understood solely as an initiative to favor certain groups, but as an element linked to business results.
During his presentation, he cited a McKinsey analysis on corporate diversity, whose results indicate that companies with the most diverse management teams are 39% more likely to achieve superior financial performance compared to those with less diversity.
The figure refers to a difference in the probability of financially outperforming their peers, not to companies earning 39% higher profits.
The gap is also evident in the representation of women within organizations . An illustration by McKinsey & Company, based on averages from the 2021-2023 period, shows that women represent 29% of the positions analyzed, a proportion that decreases to 25% in management positions, 20% in director positions, and 15% in vice presidencies and higher levels. This data highlights how female participation declines as the organizational hierarchy increases.
Based on this, Hermansson questioned why organizations recognize the importance of diversity but continue to evaluate hiring and development opportunities solely based on the characteristics of each candidate, without considering the needs of the team as a whole.
His argument was that, in addition to identifying a competent person for a position, companies should ask themselves what skills, experiences, and perspectives the work group needs to incorporate.
The challenge lies in reaching decision-making positions
Women’s participation in organizations does not necessarily translate into an equivalent presence in the spaces where business strategies, investments, and priorities are defined.
The difference between operational levels and positions of greater responsibility raises a question for companies: what happens during professional development that causes female representation to decrease as one ascends in the organizational structure?
The McKinsey illustration identifies three factors that can alter this composition: hiring, promotion, and employee turnover . Their impact varies according to hierarchical level, highlighting the need to examine not only how many women join an organization, but also what opportunities they find to remain and advance.
At the executive and vice-presidential levels, recruitment emerges as one of the main drivers for increasing female representation, according to the analysis. This places talent selection decisions among the aspects that companies can review to modify the composition of their leadership teams .
Beyond representation
For the transport industry , this discussion is relevant at a time when technological transformation demands specialized knowledge and new ways of solving problems.
Electrification, automation, and the development of energy solutions are changing the capabilities that organizations require. In this context, broadening the diversity of experiences and perspectives also means reviewing who participates in defining projects and making decisions about their implementation.
However, increasing female representation does not in itself guarantee greater innovation. The challenge also lies in creating conditions that allow diverse perspectives to be considered in technical, operational, and strategic discussions.
In this way, diversity ceases to be limited to an indicator of staff composition and becomes an issue related to talent management , team integration, and business adaptability.
In an industry seeking to transform its technologies and business models, the question is not only how many women are part of the organizations, but how many participate in the decisions that will define the future of transportation , Hermansson stated.
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