Pros
Strong brand recognition Ability to choose and upskill in multiple areas Talented individuals across the organization (though many are leaving)
Cons
Working at Bayer has become an exercise in managing the operating model, DSO, rather than delivering actual business results. Instead of reducing bureaucracy, DSO has significantly increased it. Decision-making is slower, accountability is diluted, and simple processes are now layered with unnecessary complexity. There is a constant need to align, re-align, and validate within the framework, which creates more overhead than value. Perhaps the most concerning aspect is the emergence of full-time roles dedicated solely to enforcing DSO mandates. The organization is effectively paying people to ensure compliance with the model rather than to drive business performance. That raises a fundamental question: if the model truly worked, why is there a need for an entire layer of resources to sustain it? The end result is a culture where employees spend more time trying to make the operating model look successful than actually delivering for customers, stakeholders, or the business itself.