Resonac: Getting a powerful chemical reaction from a company culture transformation that’s a catalyst for employee empowerment
Resonac finds the key to developing cocreative talent
With an ambitious vision to change society through the power of chemistry and change the way Japanese companies are managed, Resonac Holdings Corporation transformed itself using SAP SuccessFactors solutions. By prioritizing recruitment, learning, performance management, and development, the company is providing a safe way for its risk-averse people to push themselves beyond traditional boundaries.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Chemicals | Tokyo, Japan | 23,840 employees |
year-on-year rise in staff having meaningful career discussions.
global mandatory positions filled.
evergreen long-and short-term talent pools created.
President and CEO, Resonac Holdings Corporation
Mixing people, not chemicals, to inspire individual abilities
Established through the integration of Showa Denko K.K. and Showa Denko Materials Co. Ltd., Resonac Holdings Corporation has a bold vision to change society through the power of chemistry. The organization is recognized for its extensive lineup of global market-leading semiconductor materials that are the critical components for AI. The integration of the two companies allowed Resonac to move material design and development in-house.
Aiming to compete on the world stage as a world-class functional chemical company, Resonac wants to be a company that contributes to the sustainable development of society through innovation and the capability to develop new businesses. It also aims to be a company that attracts the attention of other corporations by developing the best cocreative talent for the future of Japan’s manufacturing industry.
Staking its place as an essential supplier in the semiconductor sector called for transformation and creating new ways of working. This included firmly breaking away from the management practices associated with traditional Japanese manufacturing companies, namely: slowness, inflexibility, and employee progression based on seniority.
Resonac believed that not transforming meant getting left behind in the AI revolution. Driven by a desire to urgently move away from the past, it sought to embrace a future where employees are encouraged to take risks and push themselves beyond traditional boundaries. The company put HR at the helm to cultivate this new corporate culture.
Special Mission Professional reporting to the Chief Human Resources Office, Resonac Holdings Corporation
Instilling corporate values as a catalyst for change
For Resonac to change society through the power of chemistry, it was critical to unleash its employees’ potential by providing a safe place for its people to try new things. Based on its new approach, the organization wanted to empower its employees to bring the company’s values to life through their own behaviors.
Firm in the belief that corporate value will be generated by the business strategy that’s underpinned by people power and culture, Resonac invested in SAP SuccessFactors solutions as the backbone of its talent management agenda. The company followed an implementation plan that moved at a speed appropriate for its people’s sensitivities, led by an HR team strongly attuned to the risk-averse and change-resistant nature of its employees.
With the impetus on enabling its workforce to manage their own career paths, make data-driven decisions, and collaborate more effectively across the organization, Resonac prioritized key areas of talent attraction and career development. For recruitment, learning, and performance management, it implemented the SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, SAP SuccessFactors Learning, and SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals solutions.
To encourage employees to push themselves beyond traditional boundaries, Resonac adopted the SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development solution, aligning talent development to achieve the company’s goals. This dynamic solution allows the company to engage its people with meaningful career development opportunities, nurture leaders, and close talent gaps. Using tools for employee development planning and succession planning, Resonac can cultivate its next generation of talent and place the right people in the right roles.
The organization is also in the process of implementing the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central solution to create a single real-time repository of trustworthy human capital information. In parallel, it will roll out self-service functionality for managers and employees to encourage autonomy through empowerment.
And to capture employee sentiment, Resonac adopted the SAP Employee Engagement solution by Qualtrics.
Special Mission Professional reporting to the Chief Human Resources Office, Resonac Holdings Corporation
Heightening engagement by allowing its people’s abilities to thrive
True to its CEO’s bold vision of changing society through the power of chemistry and changing the way Japanese companies are managed, Resonac is transforming itself and has seen significant change since adopting SAP SuccessFactors.
At the heart of this transformation is a new partnership between management, HR, and its people where HR is the business enabler, and managers are responsible for their team members’ growth. Its implementation approach to prioritize recruitment, learning, performance management, and succession and development provided a safe way for its risk-averse people to try new things, take chances, develop themselves, and have quality career discussions with their managers.
Through its lens of maximizing corporate value, the organization has successfully reviewed 1,367 mandatory and 1,511 nonmandatory positions. Of its mandatory positions, 93.8% are filled. And in terms of establishing evergreen talent pools, the company has created short-term and long-term talent pools to help it find and attract the right candidates, at scale and with speed.
Surveys captured by SAP Employee Engagement regarding employees’ attitudes toward career development opportunities and the potential for fulfilling career goals are showing a positive momentum. This includes a seven-point upswing in employees reporting meaningful discussions with managers on career development opportunities. Resonac has also seen success in creating increasingly robust succession plans. These changes help the company retain top talent.
Koji Date, special mission professional reporting to the chief human resources office at Resonac, elaborates on how the change in succession planning has been a success for the organization. “In the past, succession plans developed by our legacy companies were orchestrated at the very senior management level without seeking broader views, which could lead to biased decision-making. Now, we offer highly transparent talent information, which gives the management team more confidence that they’re making sound succession planning decisions. That is a significant change, and the management team has a tangible benefit.”
Special Mission Professional reporting to the Chief Human Resources Office, Resonac Holdings Corporation
Bolstering opportunities for cocreative innovation
At a time when not transforming would have caused Resonac to be left behind, the company is now in a commendable position to take its place in history as a key player in the AI revolution. Supported by SAP SuccessFactors solutions, it is developing autonomous, cocreative talent that embodies its purpose and values.
Resonac is currently in the process of rolling out the SAP SuccessFactors Compensation solution to automate and help simplify employee compensation planning, as well as the SAP Analytics Cloud solution to elevate business intelligence capabilities and analytics.
Looking ahead, Resonac’s key priority is completing the implementation of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central. Once the company has a single, trusted talent information system, HR can expand its capability to support managers in effectively managing their employees and leading compensation and career development discussions without direct involvement of the HR team.