Patria's way of working accelerates its growth

Better results achieved together

Kristiina Metsäperä's current team includes 74 project directors and managers who lead projects at various stages in Patria's different operating countries. Metsäperä's work also involves close communication with Patria employees responsible for production, product management, and sales.

– The starting point for everything is succeeding together, as no part of the organization can do it alone. I have met a huge number of Patria employees with whom I had not previously interacted. Together, we can move things forward more efficiently. Patria has very different projects, from delivering new products to modifying and maintaining existing equipment.

Patria achieves better results through collaboration and sharing good practices across different projects and teams, highlights Metsäperä.

– The projects are different, but there are also many common features in their management. The new operating model helps to exchange good practices and improve operations, says Kristiina Metsäperä.

The new operating model accelerates growth

Kristiina Metsäperä's work practically reflects Patria's new operating model, which has been implemented to achieve the goals of an ambitious growth strategy. 

Patria's Chief HR Officer Leena Orpo says that in the planning of the change initiated in 2021, a customer-centric operating model was created that utilizes common processes and resources as efficiently as possible. The first phase was implemented at the beginning of 2022, and the next phase at the beginning of 2024.

The new operating model accelerates growth and fosters a culture of effectiveness, dynamism, ambition, and collaboration, leveraging the expertise of all Patria employees, says Leena Orpo.

– With the growth strategy, we had to start thinking about what kind of work and leadership culture changes are required to achieve the goals. Four cultural traits were defined as the foundation: we act effectively, dynamically, ambitiously, and together. The strengths of the culture were already the strong commitment of employees to the company and their motivation for their work. However, the level of ambition had to be raised in everything we do. It was also necessary to increase working together across organizational boundaries, says Orpo. The reforms have affected the work of almost every Patria employee. The previous business structure of the group was dismantled. In its place, a unified Patria consisting of strong core functions was created.

–  In the new operating model, the expertise of all Patria employees can be utilized broadly, summarizes Orpo.

Line managers play an important role in the change

The role of line managers is crucial in Patria's change. One of the most important phases of the reform was to train line managers to discuss how the common operating model and culture are reflected in their own unit and each employee's work. Jarmo Hokkanen has worked at Patria for seven years and now leads a team of over 20 people in Safety and Security Solutions, which develops software for safety-critical authorities.

Good leadership is primarily about everyday actions that ensure the team's success, says Jarmo.

– Patria's new operating model has not had a significant impact on the internal work of the team. Instead, the change has clarified the division of labor between Patria's production, product management, and sales functions, says Hokkanen.

– We are now more aware of Patria's other products and where we are going. It is easier to align our own work with Patria's overall strategy and goals, continues Hokkanen.

A lot of investment in leadership skills

Patria has invested heavily in line managers' training and education. For example, all line managers in the Operations unit, responsible for the production of products and services, have participated in training to develop leadership skills. Based on this, a Leadership Guide was compiled, which includes agreed rules, tools, and good practices to support leadership.

– As a line manager, I am responsible for ensuring that the work progresses, and we achieve results as planned. The common rules reinforce that my leadership is going in the right direction and supports Patria's goals, says Jarmo Hokkanen. Hokkanen has extensive experience in leading teams from previous workplaces. However, he believes that leadership skills must be constantly reviewed and updated. Seeking feedback on one's own leadership also helps to become a better supervisor.

– Good leadership is primarily about everyday actions that ensure the team's success. In addition to performance and solution orientation, good leadership is also people-oriented, which means fairness and clear rules that apply to everyone, emphasizes Hokkanen.

New people needed to support growth

A particular challenge in leadership is new employees who need to be introduced to the common way of working and their role as a team member. During 2024, more than 300 new professionals were hired to support growth. According to Leena Orpo, the recruitment need covers a wide range of different tasks. New people are needed primarily for production and design-related jobs.

Patria's growth continues to require new professionals, with ongoing recruitment to support expanding operations and create opportunities for career advancement.

– We are now in an exceptional situation where new employees join Patria every week. This requires changes in teams and ways of working. On the other hand, the change opens up opportunities for employees to grow with Patria and advance in their careers to even more challenging tasks, says Leena Orpo. According to surveys on employer images, Patria is one of the most attractive companies in Finland for engineers. Jarmo Hokkanen has also noticed the growing interest among software professionals.

– We receive more and higher-quality applications for open positions. For example, at the end of the year, we were looking for a software tester and received 120 applications, says Hokkanen.