Lenka Zurkova

Lenka works in a dynamic international environment where she focuses on innovation and the development of potential business. In this impactful role, she interacts extensively with customers and colleagues in different countries. In her team, the opportunity to experiment and develop new products makes her part of Konica Minolta’s success.
 

Having studied economics and management in Brno, Czech Republic, I joined Konica Minolta in 2017 to pursue my career as a project manager in the Business Innovation Centre in Brno. Our small team looks after the business and technical development of potential new products that could have a real impact on customers and the market.  
 
Right now, for example, I'm working on AIRe Link, a visual remote support tool for providing real-time assistance to our customers across the globe. I plan and coordinate activities in an agile way with internal core team members as well as other areas of the Konica Minolta business, such as our Czech office, our European head office, and our worldwide headquarters in Japan. I bridge the gaps between the various departments involved in the product development process. This means I get involved with many culturally different people, which makes my job interesting and ideal for me. I really love the diversity.
 
Away from work I'm an enthusiastic Zouk dancer, irregular horse rider and gamer as time allows. Perhaps most importantly, I'm a big fan of my niece and nephew. My sister has done a great job of bringing them up, and I admire her immensely.
 
My team at Konica Minolta is also like a family: we support each other and help each other grow. In general, I find people at Konica Minolta are real professionals who understand their job. Our managers respect individuals for who they are and build trust with them. We can talk about anything that's on our minds and share our ideas with our managers. We can, for example, walk into the president’s office to talk something over with him. How many other companies are there where the European President's door is always open?
 

Of course, there may be different requirements, a different focus, or different products, but we all share the same vision. We want to be close to our customers and develop great products that will serve their needs. As one of Konica Minolta's initiatives is to shift the company from its traditional print-centric business to IT services, for my team this means staying ahead of current technologies and always keeping opportunities and options open for change. In such a dynamic environment, it is a must to support each other to keep up with the pace and add value to the world. 
 

We innovate and develop products in partnership

In the field of innovation, my colleagues and I are open to progress and change. The team is made up of people with business experience, those with technical knowledge and others who provide the necessary support, such as marketing. The people in my team have good insight into customers’ needs combined with a deep knowledge of technology and the market environment.
 

The power of diversity leads to an impressive dynamic when it comes to the incubation of new ideas. Whenever a new idea comes up, we first develop it in a small team before sitting down with different areas of the business. Each of us elaborates the idea based on our experience and expertise. As a result, we work out a specific framework for the initial idea or even extend it to several specific ideas as potential sources for growth. We try not to get too attached to our own ideas, as what sounds right to one of us may not resonate with others. One person or business unit alone cannot take all the facts into consideration. That's why we're in regular contact with other departments and work closely together as soon as the framework is set.
 
There's no such thing as a wrong idea. During the incubation period, we'll take 100 ideas and narrow them down to five in which we invest our time and do feasibility studies. Is the idea achievable? Do we have the right technology? Do we have the right people for it, as well as the budget? Our projects are based on logical and critical thinking.
 
From the first stage of not knowing very much, we follow a process that ultimately takes us through to the testing phase. To be successful, we look for use cases, do in-person interviews with customers, and test the product's progress every fortnight. We collect and evaluate information and feedback from our internal colleagues, external contacts, and customers, add it into the roadmap, and work on it based on priorities. We put a lot of emphasis on the feedback we receive — we take it seriously because we want people to appreciate a solution. If they do, then it's more likely they'll use it in their daily activities.
 
Sometimes a project or product we've been working on for a while gets halted. That can, of course, be somewhat disappointing. However, we are aware that we have to look at change from a wider perspective. By understanding the rational reason behind such a decision — and bolstered by the optimism of our manager — we soon pick up and start thinking about what aspects can be reused to help develop other projects and products. At the end the process, something new comes to fruition and we realise we've learned a lot. It's fair to say that to work in product innovation you need to be very resilient!
 

Work should be fun!

Every morning when I start work, I choose what I will do and in what areas I will try to improve. Obviously, I have a set of tasks, but I also have the freedom to study unfamiliar topics and connect with people who have the right skills. When we have deadlines, we tend to work 150%. People who want to change things always push further, which takes a lot of energy. So we need to make sure we use our energy wisely to stay creative. Instead of forcing ourselves on, we know we need to take the time to process things or talk them through with somebody. One thing I've learned at Konica Minolta is not to try to solve everything by myself. This isn't something to feel ashamed about, as our culture is all about helping and supporting each other.
 
In my team, we sometimes step back briefly to re-energise ourselves. Of course, our work has to be completed and sometimes we put in long hours to achieve that. But we're free to choose our own time and work at our own pace. It's a nice environment that also gives you time for your personal life.
 

Having an efficient workstation at home is a must, but it is also good to meet face to face. We really benefit from a well organised hybrid working environment.

We all trust each other

At Konica Minolta, collaboration works really well. As a woman, I'm treated in the same way as other colleagues and feel just as valued as anyone else in the company. We don't look at a person’s gender or ethnicity, we look at their expertise. Rest assured, you will always get an answer, even if you reach out to someone you don't know. It's a Konica Minolta standard.
 

For example, when a new colleague who recently joined Konica Minolta was looking for an optimal tool to understand user behaviour on the platform, we recommended the tool we had already tested and helped him connect with other departments to implement the tool. We solved the challenge together and, on top of that, they were able to reuse our work. It's all about exchanging, sharing, and giving to others. We all benefit from this type of collaboration.
 
Because reality changes quite rapidly in our environment, it can be hard to define personal tasks or goals too far in advance. But we have quarterly meetings to go through our achievements and assess our performance. We agree on goals and, within this framework, we're fairly free to organise ourselves. If there are several tasks to be done, we're free to choose which one we want to work on. This gives us a lot of energy, as well as a sense of responsibility and commitment. In feedback rounds, our manager doesn't dwell on the poorer aspects of our performance but emphasises what's gone well. I've never been told anything bad, even when I've asked openly. At first, I was a bit concerned, but now I can see that this is a great approach because it motivates people. We always feel valued and in control of making things work. I look at my personal achievements within the context of what the whole team achieves and in the company’s support of our products. For example, with AIRe Link, we were among the ten finalists at the Konica Minolta Global Awards 2021. It's very rewarding that the company cares about the work we do.