Q&A for companies
The specific challenges of large change processes and transformations are:
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Orchestrating the change expertly, from the outset
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Finding a sufficient number of suitable (and maybe unusual) measures, and implementing them in a very high-quality manner
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Reaching a large number of people in a variety of ways
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Staying patient and resilient throughout the time it takes to make a real, significant change
We support you with all these challenges (and more). Here are some of the ways how:
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By combining top-down, bottom-up and viral change to reach as many people as possible
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By instigating large and, above all, numerous small change impulses
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By proceeding in a structured and systematic way, with a lot of heart and emotional efficacy
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By using our knowledge and experience in project management to manage large projects cleanly
Real change takes time, so projects with us are typically between 1.5 and 5 years in duration. You don't have to make a long term commitment right from the start, of course. Get to know us first, and see how satisfied you are with our work. FYI: the intensity of the collaboration in each project will decrease somewhat over time, and we tend to take a more agile approach to projects (to what extent is up to you), and limit long-term planning, as reality usually overtakes long-ranging plans anyway.
Depending on the size of the change and the organization, a project might require up to 50, 200 or even 1,000+ person days. We carefully consider each individual case and discuss our recommendation very openly with you. You can, of course, start low-risk, by getting to know how the cooperation with us works first. See how satisfied you are with us, and what support needs you might identify, on closer inspection.
To achieve optimal impact, we usually assign five roles per project:
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- Partner
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- Project leader
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- Expert (e.g. for Change Communication or New Work Architecture)
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- (Senior) Consultant
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- Junior Consultant (in our case, this is an intern)
In smaller projects, two roles might be covered by one person, while with larger projects, roles can be occupied by more than one person.
Modest as we are (ha ha), we believe we offer not one, but five value contributions:
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We "reeeally" do things. This means we don't only apply methods, but execute them in such a way that they are maximally effective. In so doing, we have the courage to try out new things and, with all our passion and enthusiasm, even have the occasional slip-up.
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We bring a huge and sometimes unusual treasure trove of concepts and methods to every project, adapting these to your individual needs and constantly developing something new in a creative way.
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We are change interventions personified. Working with us, people invariably find themselves developing professionally and personally, just as we will do in our contact with you. For example - we constantly strive to give and receive appreciative feedback and we are coaches
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We help to both organize and orchestrate the change in question, making sure that the chosen measures interlock with each other, and are sensibly distributed along the timeline
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We know about strategy and classic consulting, so we incorporate best practices in terms of content, as well as facilitate contemplation on these topics using our highly structured mindset.
As a rule, three things:
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We build the team - project and client -and bind everyone together. This often involves onboarding training highly effective (top) team training
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We carry out pragmatic diagnostics and, based on this, write up a concept and plan measures cleanly. This might be achieved with in-depth interviews and diagnostic planning workshops, or perhaps with questionnaires, and the analysis of existing data and documents
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Depending on the type and status of the project, we make the most urgent tasks, e.g. delicate initial communication, our top priority. This might mean writing a short-term communication concept and implementing initial communication measures - like a tailor-made large group event with "moments of truth" - or communicating sensitively in text form
We prefer to design sustainable and long-term change programs with clients who mean business. If we can support you in any other way with our expertise, we will happily do so. You can, of course, start low-risk, by getting to know how the cooperation with us works first. See how satisfied you are with us, and what support needs you might identify, on closer inspection.
There are two main types of management consulting.
Traditional management consultancies are often excellent at providing technical and/or strategic advice. But they are less excellent at implementing their solutions. And in day-to-day business, the value of the solutions gets lost. These kinds of consultancies are not well-versed in how to really change a corporate culture, although they often claim to be change and communication professionals.
Change consultants work with individuals and groups in organizations on soft issues. The term "consulting" can be misleading here, particularly when only training courses, workshops, coaching sessions and other such measures are applied and the management consulting element is left out.
Combining both these worlds and helping companies to develop holistically, i.e. professionally/strategically and culturally, is what we call "Consulting 2.0".
Have a browse through our sample projects to get a better idea of what we mean. Also, why not take a look at our own change management professional training course "Living Change", or simply join us for a workshop or an out-of-the-ordinary team training session, to get a more detailed look and feel of our work?
We do consulting 2.0, which means that we provide strategic advice on content and, at the same time, work with you to ensure that the results are actually put into practice. In this context, change management is just as important as the more classic business consulting approach.
In addition, we provide many non-advisory services, especially in the areas of change communication, new work architecture, change and learning software, and training.
We work successfully with companies from a wide range of industries. We focus on financial services, technical companies, public organizations, and pharmaceutical & chemical industries.
We do not work for the following industries/clients for ethical reasons: armament, animal industry, tobacco, alcohol, oil & gas, coal, nuclear fission, dictators/unjust regimes.
Differences to classic management consultancies:
The best-known consultancies provide primarily technical and strategic advice. Change is, if considered at all, clearly a subordinate topic for them, which does not fit into their own corporate culture. Their projects typically last a few weeks or 3 to 6 months at most. The implementation of their (often excellent) concepts is mostly left up to the clients. We, however...
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Have not only rationally understood that change is crucial for success, but also live it to the full - and combine it with specialist strategic, high-quality work, with the big picture always in mind
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Intensively involve our clients in our specialist strategic consulting work, rather than just doing the work for them
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Stay with clients until something has changed in their hearts and minds, usually 1.5 to 5 years
Differences from other change consultancies:
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Our corporate culture lives and breathes change in a very transformational way. This might sound unusual, but then again, the cobbler often wears the worst shoes.
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Most change consultancies are networks of freelance consultants who rarely work together, and thus bring approaches to the table that are both difficult to reconcile and varying in quality. It is difficult to assemble a highly-effective consulting and change support team from this starting point. Truly effective transformationality requires closeness, a long-term approach, and important common goals. This combination cannot thrive with a network structure that comprises distance and varying interests: a structure that, from a systemic point of view, is more of a "heap" than a "team", or real community.
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We live by a people model, which means team members are trained intensively for years to develop both professionally and personally. Most change consultancies tend to use freelancers for projects: in other words, people who are not "home-grown", which means investment in their training and development has been low.
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We are not only a change consultancy, but the first fully integrated change company. We therefore also offer non-consultancy services, especially in the areas of change communication, new work architecture, change and learning software, as well as professional training courses.
If there is a couch nearby, you are welcome to sit or lie down on it at any time, if you like :o) However, our methods are not psychoanalysis or therapy and we won't need you to lie down on a couch, either figuratively or physically. That said, change always involves altering the attitudes and behaviors of each individual. This requires you to open up and work on yourself, but only as much as you want to. You are always in control, if you want to be. We are happy to support you in your further development, and also offer coaching. The same principle applies to everything we do: "Open to everyone, obligatory for no one".
In short, there is plenty! For example, we can't (yet) manage climbing routes beyond 8+, we certainly won't win a football match against an professional team, and as we don't have green fingers, it is fortunate we have a gardener for our office garden. Above all, we are not a specialist consultancy. We do not support clients with deep technical detail questions about e.g. controlling, capacitors or IT. However, our sound knowledge of business and technology enables us to connect with and fundamentally understand what is at stake in any given specialist project. And this means we're capable of taking on our specific tasks in the respective project.