LEADERSHIP CONSOMMÉ

In the confusing mix of crises that the business world is currently facing, there is increasing uncertainty and even hysteria. As with a consommé, clarity and condensation are needed - so that people in companies can normalise their pulse again, pause, orientate themselves in order to make effective decisions and thus regain an appetite for change and the future.

On a regular base, we invite you to join us in taking a little time to think and look, to differentiate and prioritise.

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CSR report and co: when appearance and reality don't match

I only see extremely successful people and companies on LinkedIn who are constantly posting about themselves and their achievements: "best place to work", "climate neutral", women are promoted, minorities are of course integrated and there are reports about crises that have been overcome (another success); even ADHD and depression are chic (except presumably for those who actually suffer badly from it); all seemingly perfect people and companies. The bigger the company, the louder and more comprehensively the shop window is decorated. Who can believe that?

The era of the big egos is over

Numerous factors – such as globalization, legal regulations, changes in values and generations, as well as threats such as cybercrime – are posing not only more challenges to companies and thus management, but also more complex ones and more frequently. Unsurprisingly, digitalisation has proved to be a particularly powerful catalyst for changes that can no longer be managed, let alone shaped, by conventional thought and behaviour patterns.

Transformation is always a quiet process, rather than a big colorful workshop.

Which people do you need in the age of digitalization? Wolf Lotter posed this question in the September issue of brandeins. Thomas Dettling (Siemens Digital Transformation Manager) agrees:

"The organization of the knowledge society is about bringing competencies together – not playing people off against each other to stay in power."

Typical leadership errors in the field of digital transformation

Nowadays, many companies appear to be extremely chaotic or "lost in transformation". Business leaders are chasing current buzzwords and investing in new strategies and projects without really knowing what they should pay for. And all this just so that they can give shareholders and the public the impression of being "on track digitally".

Achieving successful digital transformation, requires a calm and collected mindset

Digital transformation unfolds an intensified dynamic inside a company which, together with the external dynamic, becomes increasingly powerful. The acronym VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity), which originated from the military vocabulary of the 1990s, resonates with the experience of many in times of digitalization. More and more VUCA as phenomena results in increasing uncertainty.

Successful digital transformation – inspiring employees

Like every change process, digital transformation also splits people within companies into different groups. And this at both a managerial and a staff level. A recent survey of large companies carried out by the digital consultancy etventure, revealed that the greatest obstacles to digital transformation are in fact people: employees react with resistance, 50% defend existing structures.This helps to explain why 35% of companies in Germany have now made the issue a top priority, in order to make drastic decisions and, above all, to implement them. Staff need to be involved in the significance of the change.

Lost in Transformation

Digital transformation unfolds an intensified dynamic inside a company which, together with the external dynamic, becomes increasingly powerful. The acronym VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity), which originated from the military vocabulary of the 1990s, resonates with the experience of many in times of digitalization. The effects on our social, professional and also private life are extremely complex and interdependent, and the extent and speed of change are hard (if not impossible) to predict. People feel overwhelmed.

Surrounded by idiots – when employees become resistance fighters

In the April 2017 issue of brandeins , Erik Nagel, Professor of Organization at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, talks about employee resistance: "When board members encounter resistance – for example, employees who openly rebel or subtly refuse – they often interpret it as meaning that these people have not understood what is good for them. This is based on conviction: they have to obey."