Dynamic Shared Ownership, now supercharged with AI

Dynamic Shared Ownership (DSO) is Bayer’s operating model for organizing work around the mission, customers, and outcomes. Instead of relying on layers, silos, and long planning cycles, DSO brings together cross-functional teams with shared accountability, clear priorities, and the freedom to act.

It is built around five core behaviours:

• Mission focus — aligning work to the outcomes that matter most
• Customer-centricity — building around patient, farmer, and consumer needs
• Empowerment — putting decisions in the hands of those closest to the work
• Rapid work cycles — acting, learning, and evolving in 90-day cycles
• Enabling mindsets — creating the trust, inclusion, and ownership that help teams perform

At Bayer, our mission is Health for all, Hunger for none. Dynamic Shared Ownership helps us deliver on that mission by reducing layers, removing silos, and shifting decisions closer to the work — so teams can focus less on internal process and more on serving patients, farmers, and consumers. 

That shift is changing how Bayer works. Management layers have been cut by half and management roles by two thirds, helping move people, expertise, and decisions closer to customers and products. Thousands of teams now work in a more self-organized, cross-functional way, focused on outcomes rather than hierarchy. 

The impact is already visible. In Pharmaceuticals, a small cross-functional team addressed a complex self-infusion challenge for hemophilia patients, developing a solution that simplifies multi-vial treatment and improves ease of use – in a 90-day cycle instead of the usual two years. 

In Crop Science, a mission-led team brought together the right experts in rapid cycles to help accelerate the availability of a next-generation herbicide tolerance solution for farmers. The result: fewer bottlenecks, faster decisions, and delivery in roughly half the usual time.

Dynamic Shared Ownership helps teams spend less time navigating internal processes and more time understanding customer needs, shaping better solutions, and acting faster.

That approach is already delivering results across Bayer. In Brazil, our Consumer Health team turned social and consumer insights into Bepantol Rosa Mosqueta - a dermo-cosmetic product – in just nine months, a fast move from consumer demand to market success.

In Romania, our Crop Science team responded to severe drought by working directly with farmers to co-create tailored solutions — from hybrid selection to crop insurance — helping to manage risk while supporting market share in a difficult season.

In Pharmaceuticals, Bayer teams brought R&D, supply, regulatory, and commercial expertise together to solve a complex eye care challenge and deliver a more patient-friendly solution in less than a year - pre-filled syringes with precise dosing, easier handling, and reduced packaging waste.

Dynamic Shared Ownership gives teams more clarity, accountability, and authority — so good ideas move faster and solutions reach customers sooner. By shifting decisions closer to the work, we place more power in the hands of those doing the work, helping reduce delays, improve collaboration, and act with greater speed.

That shift is already making a difference across Bayer. In Pharmaceuticals, a team accelerated the path from in-licensing to launch for a treatment addressing a serious and underdiagnosed heart condition in a record time of less than 12 months. With a small core team, shared outcomes, and no legacy structure, they built the launch model from scratch and met strong demand without a stockout.

In Crop Science, a North America team responded to tar spot – a fast-spreading disease that can destroy up to half a farmer’s harvest – by bringing the right experts together in focused 90-day cycles. Using advanced testing and automated phenotyping, they cut a process that normally takes five years to two, helping protect yields faster and setting the pace for future innovation.

In Consumer Health, a team in Mexico identified an unmet need when it comes to pain – stress. With over 75% of the population experiencing stress and 40% already showing physical symptoms, the team repositioned Aspirin to address the stress-tension-pain cycle and strengthened the brand’s relevance across consumer touchpoints.

Dynamic Shared Ownership replaces long annual planning with focused 90-day rhythms that help teams set clearer priorities, test ideas sooner, learn faster, and shift effort where it can create the most value.

That approach is already driving results across Bayer. Since November 2023, our Pharmaceuticals division has announced nine positive Phase III readouts, showing how faster cycles can help teams spot roadblocks earlier and move resources to the highest-impact programs.

Furthermore, a global study team completed a landmark Phase III stroke prevention trial across 37 countries and more than 700 hospitals – finishing more than a year ahead of a competing trial. By embracing;the "Act, Learn, and Evolve" mindset from the outset, the team tracked roadblocks in real time and accelerated the path to patients.

In Consumer Health, our U.S. team addressed unmet needs in gut health by launching a new MiraLAX product in just 12 months – fast, gentle relief without stimulants or cramping. It is already the top-selling laxative soft chew and the third fastest-scaling innovation in digestive health in the last five years.

Our Crop Science team in Brazil worked directly with growers to create an innovative approach to addressing a key pest challenge, enabling a more effective in-plant pest control that will likely reduce reliance on traditional inputs. By running rapid experiments, reallocating resources, and rethinking inherited processes, the team significantly accelerated development timelines from the traditional ~7 years to ~4.5 and while improving overall efficiency.

Dynamic Shared Ownership works best when people feel trusted, included, and accountable. By strengthening shared ownership, Bayer helps teams act with more initiative, challenge ideas, and take greater responsibility for the outcomes that matter most.

That mindset is already driving results in Pharmaceuticals. One global product team reimagined how to bring cancer treatment to patients, turning a late-to-market therapy into one of Bayer’s leading brands. Working as a micro-enterprise with one shared budget, the team cut a critical regulatory filing timeline in half and accelerated patient access. 

The same mindset is accelerating manufacturing. Faced with surging demand for cancer treatment, a Pharmaceuticals team expanded production capacity to a new site in around nine months instead of the usual two to three years. By using a fluid cross-functional model and pushing decisions closer to the work, the team moved faster while maintaining rigorous quality and safety standards.

At Bayer, leadership is no longer defined by how many people report to you, but by how much impact you unlock through others. Under Dynamic Shared Ownership, leaders are expected to act as Visionaries, Architects, Catalysts, and Coaches — setting clear outcomes, designing value-creating systems, removing friction, and helping teams perform at their best.

The shift is powerful: less control, more clarity, more trust – and more room for teams to deliver. As teams work with greater autonomy, AI helps teams surface insights faster, spot patterns earlier, supporting decision-making without adding bureaucracy.

• The majority of #Team Bayer is working in the new organizational set-up of our operating model, and we all continuously learn how to bring the principles of the Dynamic Shared Ownership to life.
• 50%  reduction in levels and 2/3 reduction of management positions, streamlining our organizational structure for agility.
• 100% transition from ‘span of control’ to ‘span of coaching,’ effectively doubling the span of influence for leaders.
• €2 billion of planned organizational savings between 2023 and 2026.
• 3,500 DSO Champions are embedding DSO principles within their teams, driving transformation on a global scale.