I didn't chose Baxter; they acquired my long time employer Baxa Corp 5 years ago. Despite much discussion of how each organization could learn from the other, Baxter's style was very different and Baxter's systems, standards, and thinking were pushed into place from above over several years. The integration was rushed through and left incomplete once a larger acquisition took the attention, resulting in disconnects in approach and thinking which caused ongoing difficulties.
I have heard from many at Baxter and experienced firsthand that "everyone does just one thing" leading to lengthy processes involving many players. Activities that took a small team at Baxa went through multiple departments, each with a queue and competing priorities at Baxter. There were signs and promises of streamlining to come under recent management changes.
Baxter really is not an innovator, particularly in medical devices. Baxter acquires innovative companies but does not let them continue to innovate in the long term. Once the integration brings Baxter's bureaucracy and requirements, the innovation slows to a standstill and new acquisitions are sought.
Baxter is very focused on solutions for infusion, and in that environment it is difficult to justify and advance a device product innovation. The return for solutions is so much greater that even great ideas in the device side simply don't get attention.
Corporate mandates are far reaching and overlapping resulting in confusion in execution. This is particularly true of responses to regulatory findings.
Aversion to risk leads to indecision and inaction. Projects operated on a start-stop basis at budget cycles, resulting in delays and loss of key people. This may change under recent leadership changes but this is a large ship to turn.
I do not doubt that there are many opportunities for those at large Baxter facilities, or willing to relocate. If you are acquired and like where you are, your opportunities may be limited, particularly in the touted "technical advancement" path. My experience based on the CO site is that promotion simply does not happen. The only advancement of this sort I saw was individuals leaving a higher level position creating an opening.
