Daimler TT/S is the software and engineering hub for all Daimler Trucks brands worldwide, building the "brains" of their products. Previously, this wasn't the case, with brands like Fuso (Japan), Mercedes (Europe), and Freightliner (North America) all working independently, with their own cultures and business practices. Moving to a global collaboration model and unifying these departments required a new approach to how things were done at Daimler Truck.
Our challenge was to bring harmony and cohesion to Daimler TT/S teams from Japan, the United States, Germany, Turkey, and India, fostering a unified company culture that would elevate the team and help them produce the best software and electronic features in their industry.
We began with a rigorous discovery and strategy process, embedding ourselves with leaders from each region to understand who their employees were, what motivated them, and what would foster collaboration across the global team despite regional differences.
Next, we developed the TT/S brand and ethos, working diligently on their "poster"—a North Star culture document that served as a roadmap, capturing their purpose, principles, and ambitions in one clear vision. This provided leaders with a blueprint for leading, and employees with a clear reference for how to show up, why they mattered, and what they were working toward.
With this foundation in place, we partnered with their Comms Team and Leadership to create a sub-brand within TT/S—one specifically designed to resonate with Software Engineers, giving them a sense of pride and purpose in their work. From designs that celebrated their brilliant code to an omni-channel communications campaign, our strategy centered around three core themes: Inform, Inspire, and Celebrate.
Our research and company-wide surveys revealed both uncertainty around the changes and a strong desire for more transparency from leadership. In response, we launched De-Coded Monthly, an internal newsletter that shared leadership updates, industry news, employee celebrations, culture spotlights, and in-depth explorations of TT/S guiding principles.
To further socialize the tenets of their poster, we deployed activations and custom content that brought the team together both socially and collaboratively. Campaigns around rewards and recognition, along with remote-sharing techniques like user-generated content and "Day-in-the-Life" videos, played a key role in fostering a stronger sense of community within the organization.
Additionally, we developed new communication channels, such as an internal LinkedIn community and DAISI (an internal intranet system), ensuring employees were met where they naturally consumed content.
This effort has generated a more communal team spirit that is noticeably stronger compared to the merger of these departments 3 years ago. The team recently achieved some of their most ambitious goals, including selling their DT Operating System to a major competitor, Volvo—an accomplishment that is revolutionary for their brand. At the most recent Demo Day event, their President remarked, “They’re collaborating more. You can see global colleagues intermixing, no longer sitting and talking only with those they know.”
We’ve also felt this shift firsthand, and for us, that’s the most meaningful KPI.
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