INTERVIEW - Ahead of Lean Global Connection 2024, we hear from Kruk S.A. in Poland about how they are using "centers of excellence" to break through corporate silos.

Interviewees: Natalia Jażdżewska and Marta Maciejewska

Planet Lean: Can you introduce Kruk S.A. to our audience?

Natalia Jażdżewska and Marta Maciejewska: KRUK S.A. is a leader in the debt management market in Poland, where it has operated for more than 25 years, recovering consumer and business debts. In 2011, KRUK debuted on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Bonds issued by the company are listed on the Catalyst bond market in Poland. KRUK S.A. is part of the international KRUK Group, which also operates in Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Spain and France. The group consists of companies with capital ties that offer a comprehensive, modern and integrated range of services. It mainly deals with the collection of acquired debts, but also collects receivables on behalf of banks, telecommunications companies, insurers and other external entities. In addition, it also deals with the handling of business receivables. KRUK Group employs about 3,000 people and works with the largest financial institutions in Europe. We are the largest debt collection company in the world among companies in our industry listed on global stock exchanges.

PL: How long has Kruk been at Lean and what have been the major milestones?

NJ and MM: Our first experience with Lean in Poland was in 2015. We started with the introduction of Hoshin Kanri, in our first steps supported by Lean Enterprise Institute Polska. We started with a team from a law firm dealing with claims at the court and enforcement stage. The method they developed quickly became an enterprise-wide practice. We see lean as an ongoing adventure, a continuous journey toward improvement.

Since 2020, we have been nurturing the concept of Centres of Excellence, which develop our core competencies in practice. We continuously improve our Hoshin Kanri standard and good practices in process analysis and problem solving. We are currently pioneering the integration of Lean and Agile methodologies, striving for agile changes that drive continuous improvement in the KRUK Group.

PL: What can participants expect to learn from your session during the Lean Global Connection?

NJ and MM: We will show the benefits of centers of excellence, which help us break down silos and achieve synergies. We will explain why they are the basis for building a learning organization. We will also discuss how we effectively develop competencies through mentoring, including social competencies.

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