At the moment one reads a lot about so-called “absent leaders”: Interestingly, this topic is not only topical since Corona and working in a home office. Already in 2018, people were thinking about the consequences of an absent executive for a company:
The consequences of absent managers and the effects on employees have therefore already been discussed several times. Today I would like to reflect on what the team can do to make a virtue out of necessity. [Read more…]
(Part 1)
Do you remember Klaus, our fictitious employee, who threw in the towel in the last blog post in frustration because his employer’s culture of innovation was not what it was made out to be? Today we’ll accompany him to another fictitious company that actually and truly lives in a culture of innovation. This time it’s a fairy tale with … oops, almost spoiled it!
In the morning Klaus finds a parking space near the entrance of the company. He is in good spirits, and even more so when he reaches the entrance of the building. Everywhere he can see appealing pictures with exciting ideas for the future, partly even painted by children. And now he’s off to the cafeteria to get a nice cup of coffee. [Read more…]
As an unconventional thinker and a pioneer, I particularly enjoy thinking out of all kinds of boxes and developing new approaches and ideas. It seems I am in good company. This year, I once again took the liberty of visiting the Solutions congress in Hamburg (https://solutions.hamburg). One of the keynote speakers was Ranga Yogeshwar (https://yogeshwar.de).
In numerous discussions it became clear that we too often face new problems with old approaches. For example, why does an autonomously driving car have to record everything that can lead to a danger itself? Why can’t the car communicate with street lights, traffic lights or letterboxes? That would make the amount of data that the car itself has to collect much smaller.
A dialog between cars and digitalized objects could be as follows: The car continuously sends its data along the route. In keeping with the announced times, the streetlights would provide it with the information that a woman with a pram has just passed, crossing the car’s route in about 37 seconds. The traffic light could say: Hello car, if you continue to drive at the current speed, the traffic light phase will be set to red, please slow down now. Then the car can calculate whether at reduced speed a possible endangerment of the woman with the baby carriage can be ruled out.
Less is more. Mies van der Rohe’s motto seems to be true in the data world too. As a normal Internet user, you have long been aware of the fact that more data does not necessarily mean more useful information. So it’s not more data, but the right data that is required for a well-functioning digital world that is useful for people.
This is where algorithms can help: Once upon a time there was a bet between Google’s search engine and medical experts as to how well a flu epidemic could be predicted. The search engine won because it had access to search queries, for example on over-the-counter drugs for treating colds and flu infections. This information was available in a fraction of the time doctors needed for the same information.
Or the prediction of sudden infant death from premature births: The doctors were at a loss, but an algorithm found out that it often occurs when the organ functions of premature babies have become STABLE. Whether this means that the body then gives up or the hospital staff gives the all-clear and the premature babies are no longer screened so carefully could not be determined.
So what does all this have to do with strategy implementation with and through people? In my opinion quite a lot. The successful implementation of a strategy begins – even if it sounds absurd – with the fact that there is a well thought-out strategy at all. Then comes one of the most important vehicles for implementation – communication: who needs what information, when, for what purpose and in what form?
This is where the paths between traditional, hierarchically structured companies and agile organisations diverge. In traditional companies, too much information is often passed through the different hierarchical levels. The recipients have to process the information, and many use that opportunity to add more or less important information.
In agile organizations, on the other hand, only those for whom it is actually relevant receive the information. Communication therefore takes place in the same way as the above-mentioned communication between car, traffic light and street lamp, which together ensure that mobile machines and people arrive at their destination safely.
In the past one used to refer to a “need-to-know-basis”. At the time, this meant that some parts of the workforce were deprived of important information because it was assumed that they could not do anything with it. Only the management had access to the complete information. In agile work systems, on the other hand, only those people and groups of people who need the information for their work are informed (need-to-know). This does not necessarily have to be the department, division or management, but could even refer to only the trainees.
Defining the right information for decision-making is usually the most complicated part of strategy implementation. If you are looking for someone to light the way for you: just give me a sign!
As a lecturer, I often talk about the different concepts of leadership. Many very bright minds have thought about this issue and written a lot of books. Because when it comes to leadership, it is above all about the people who are to be led. And about awakening in them joy for what they are doing or keeping them excited about it.
Yes, that actually goes together. Surely you know people who have turned their passion into their profession. And many of these people are absorbed in their work and do not perceive it as a burden. They all work in an area that they like and enjoy working in it.
As an employee, I should consider which activities best suit me. And as a manager, my most important task is to help employees find out what they want and are able to do, and to create a suitable environment for that in the respective department or company. The tricky part is that managers should tone down their own expectations. Because often people will believe that others think just like them, meaning that career paths are created that do not optimally fit the respective employees.
In addition, the requirements of the market are constantly changing as a result of rapid economic change. Thus, managers in companies are challenged to put existing structures and activities to the test again and again and to adapt them to the new circumstances if necessary – without losing sight of the wishes and abilities of the individual employees. Managers today, therefore, need more and different skills than mere expert knowledge in order to be successful in and for a company. And, in my experience, they need sufficient time for successful personnel work. For some companies, it may even make sense for one person to deal exclusively with these issues.
If you would like to consider which creative structures can be implemented in your company: Just let me know!
World leaders have just met in Davos and the EU-Japan Economic Agreement is entering into force. There is an interesting question on the WEC website: If we are at globalisation 4.0 today, what were the other three? And what does globalisation mean for SMEs? Its influence used to be limited, but today it is immense. For one thing, the level of knowledge of customers, suppliers, competitors and employees is much higher. On the other hand, a new ground-breaking idea may emerge at any time, or a competing good may emerge that is globally available. The time in which one could act locally is nearing its end.
What does this mean for the strategy of a company or for its structure? It is important to stay informed at all times, i.e. to keep your eyes and ears open in all directions so that you can recognise the signs of change in good time. This is where a system that collects and processes all ideas and observations of all employees can do a lot of good. Important impulses often also come from customers if they are listened to carefully. Even lateral thinking has created a lot of good things. If companies make it possible to have ideas, explain them and put them into practice, they will always be able to redefine themselves in good time. New methods such as Scrum, Kanban and other methods also help. The most important thing, however, is the right attitude: only those who are open and curious will be able to act quickly and agilely.
So what is the situation in your company? If a trainee comes up with a new product idea, will he or she be heard? If logistics proposes to offer customers an additional service, can this idea be pursued further? If someone from sales provides insights into new methods from another industry that could also be used in your own industry – will these be checked more closely? Do you keep asking yourself questions in order to recognize your own need for optimization? For example, by imagining that your business model might suddenly be based on borrowing instead of buying…
If you’re looking for a partner in the “what if” game: I’m ready!