OPINION! Specialist author Katharina Daniels on change processes in companies: “Managers have to go from general to gardener”

Katharina Daniels published the book “Doing business differently – what successful people do better”. In an interview, she talks about different corporate cultures, learning and decision-making processes and hidden ones networks in Companys - and why many companies fear social media.

Katharina Daniels, born in 1956, studied law and is a specialist and PR journalist for the topics of work and organizational psychology as well as healthcare and hospital communication. She advises board members, management and Executives in PRAsk, designs and develops communication strategies, websites and image brochures and carries out text coaching. In “Anders wirtschaften”, eight authors present eight perspectives on leadership and organizational development and document their respective perspectives Perspektive with best-practice examples from companies.

Mrs. Daniels, does your book finally reveal the secret tricks of successful managers?

No, it's not about exaggerated expectations of salvation and any Tricks, with which companies on fast Success hope. You can't impose any success model on a company, you have to look at what this company specifically needs and where it currently "stands".

And where are the companies - and how do you figure it out?

For example, by looking at company culture!

This is often talked about - but is not that often an empty worthülse?

Not at all. Every company, indeed every department, has its own culture, with a basic understanding of values ​​and action logics. Suppose two departments are to be put together. One is focused exclusively on performance optimization, with an understanding of competition, the best and the fastest when a previously shared goal is achieved.

The books on the subject (advertising)

On the way there then applies logically as in a race "everyone against everyone". The other department works on the basic understanding of social interaction, even intermediate results are socialized, "everyone for everyone". The relay race of a team would perhaps fit here as a sports picture. It is likely that a basic understanding of each other is required before you can work together productively clear be. Here there are scientifically based procedures with which those responsible in the company can recognize such cultures and work with these findings.

And how is it ensured that the employees go along with it?

Again, another point of view can be very interesting, this time referring to the company as a living being.

Business as a living being - what do you mean?

All Employees in a company contribute their individual experiences and opinions. For example, whether it's worth going for high Set to get involved or whether you have actually already achieved everything. In sum, these attitudes condense into a collective one Energy. This can lead to a comfort zone, for example. Basic mood: everything is running smoothly here, what should we push ourselves to the limit? The danger here: the competition may soon pass.

Discounts for your success (advertising)!

Another collective tuning is the autoaggression. The employees are all very active, but they pursue completely different objectives, so that a destructive work against each other and a destruction process comes. Please do not confuse this with the contest for the best and fastest way to a common goal in a performance culture!

A third general state of mind is resignation, which can often be observed after unsuccessful ones Change-processes. "What's the point of all this, those up there are doing their own thing, nobody asks us". An ideal state is pluripotency. Everyone pulls together here, is open to new developments, almost heavenly.

How does a manager know how his company is ticking?

For example in decision-making processes. Here it is very important to look at the sum of effort and quality. There are companies in which, although constantly Meetings scheduled to advance decisions. But they are torpedoed, e.g. B. is demonstratively typed on the iPod in the meeting. That is at least an indication of an auto-aggressive mood.

Do you think managers are so self-critical that they recognize something like that?

This is again a new field, to what extent a manager deals with their own leadership actions. In this complex of books, the authors examine the inner impeller, which “drive” a leader to act in a certain way.

It is also about authenticity in decision-making processes and about the ability of leadership to understand its actions in a wider context even at times of greatest pressure. For every action triggers a chain of follow-up actions.

Well, but I am concerned now with what is happening in the company and what is possible there. Do not many of the great management ideas often fail to implement?

A very interesting approach here is the holacracy model. There are many different, interconnected working groups throughout the hierarchical levels: one for strategic decisions, the other for the Definition from Featuresthat are currently required in the company, for example whether the company needs a public relations officer and who should then take on this task and, thirdly, for the work steps that are currently pending.

All working groups overlap with one another through a special communication system. Imagine that a very motivated employee comes up to him with a small thesis paper Executive: “I have a super Idea for a new product line”. In the classical hierarchy it happens fastthat the boss wearily dismisses: "No time" and the employee is demotivated. In the holacracy model, the employee knows that there is a special working group for new ideas.

Sounds democratically, but also difficult - what says the boss, if he does not like the idea?

It goes in this System not about always finding a consensus on everything, with which everyone satisfied are. The focus here is on the benefit, which is developed in special discussion cultures. It is possible that, due to certain developments, a certain procedure turns out to be no longer useful a short time later.

This is introduced in the same logical second into the conceptual processing process of the workgroups. The executives here are no longer the ones who determine from the top like a general, but they help to nurture and nurture the incessant processes in the working classes - like a gardener.

Are there already successful examples in companies?

In the US, there are already some companies that are very successful with this model. In Germany this is just coming. Holacracy can be seen as a completely new operating system with which all parties involved have to learn to work.

How can managers promote networked thinking that is not yet “ready for holacracy”?

The key word here is “hidden communities” in companies. In the classic organization chart structures, decisions and thus also change processes usually run vertically. A decision is made on the upper floors and the employees are informed. Perhaps there is also a subsequent employee survey.

But what happens in the white surfaces between the structural units does not penetrate to the level of the guide. Just think about the classic canteen round in which the programmer, the accountant and the employees of corporate communications meet.

And which is important for the company?

Yes, even if you don't appear in any organizational chart in this formation. But they are the ones that decisively influence the mood in a company. The gossip in the company is in his Significance underestimated or immediately banished to the negative corner. This is probably one of the reasons why many companies do this Commitment so reluctant to see their employees on social media.

Who knows what's brewing and then leaking out. For companies, it can be very useful be to identify the hidden opinion-forming groups and take up their suggestions instead of sanctioning them. Managers with an ear to the ground don't need one either Anxiety to have in front of the net. Managers who know what is being said in the canteen need not be afraid of it Internet to have.

Top books on the subject

Read text as PDF

Acquire this text as a PDF (only for own use without passing it on according to Terms and conditions): Please send us one after purchase eMail with the desired title supportberufebilder.de, we will then send the PDF to you immediately. You can also purchase text series.

4,99€Buy

Advice on success, goal achievement or marketing

Do you have questions about careers, Recruiting, personal development or increasing reach? Our AIAdviser helps you for 5 euros a month – free for book buyers. We offer special ones for other topics IT services

5,00€ / per month   Book

Book eCourse on Demand

Up to 30 lessons with 4 learning tasks each + final lesson as a PDF download. Please send us one after purchase eMail with the desired title supportberufebilder.de. Alternatively, we would be happy to put your course together for you or offer you a personal, regular one eMail-Course - all further information!

29,99€Buy

Skate eBook as desired

If our store does not offer you your desired topic: We will be happy to put together a book according to your wishes and deliver it in a format of yours Choice. Please sign us after purchase supportberufebilder.de

79,99€Buy