Strategy & change-consulting

As change-management consultants, we help companies, organizations and NGOs to master change processes quickly and effectively.

We ensure attention is paid to

strong involvement of employees and managers
an appropriate mix of bottom-up and top-down elements
a pragmatic and practice-oriented approach
feedback mechanisms that enable organizational learning
agile loops and fast learning
modern activating participation formats
sustainable and effective anchoring of the change in the organizational structure, processes, regulations, habits – in other words: the cultural DNA of your company

Our approach has won several awards – as a management consultancy with 21 years of change-management experience in a wide range of industries.

What does a change-management consultant do?

We understand change-management to be the sum of targeted actions to implement new

strategies
structures
systems
processes
regulations
and visible behaviors.

The aim is successful realization and long-term stable anchoring of the desired outcome.

In a sense, change-management is the “implementation component” in the context of organizational development.

Why change-management consulting?

Lack of experience:
by proceeding carelessly, you create resistance among employees and managers that could actually be avoided with skill and experience.
Poor communication:
the objectives and the necessity for change are not clear to everyone involved. It needs a clear “change story” – well crafted and perfectly conveyed.
Is it really the best solution?
What to do if employees do not believe in the “change story” – despite all reasoning and communication? Do you just have a “communication problem” or possibly not the best solution after all?
Resistance is not addressed:
can you turn resistance into a productive force for the change process?
Hardened resistance:
what experiences has the workforce had with previous change processes?
Complex structures:
“ested interests”, “not invented here” syndrome, “historical” staff appointments, an unfavorable management culture – the more complex, the more likely it is that change-management consulting with “effective levers” is needed
Lack of change structure:
complex situations in particular require a sophisticated and excellently executed sequence of actions and “dramaturgical tricks” (we call this an effective “change structure”)
Inadequate project management:
a good plan is no substitute for excellent execution…
Managers not sufficiently qualified:
you can fully rely on us as consultants as a matter of course. But if your management also knows why we do things the way we do, and which mistakes to avoid in change-management, all the better (you learn this in our change-management training, amongst other things).

Change-management specialists

Our range of services

Complex change-processes
Agile change-management
Agile transformation
Digital transformation
Strategy processes and implementation support
Culture change
Process optimization
Change and further development of leadership and management culture
Implementation of strategic goals
Digitization
Optimization or adaptation of core and support processes
Introduction of a new process management system
Introduction of a new project management system
Restructuring / structural changes / merger
New management, matrix organization
Change towards an agile organization
Introduction of an “organizational culture of learning”
Cultural change (innovation, corporate responsibility, …)

Change-management for IT projects according to the ITIL standard

Change-projects in an IT context often have a different focus. Here, operational and transition security have a higher priority.

These standards are defined and documented in detail in ITIL.

Here, change-management is defined as a process that ensures that all changes to the IT infrastructure are

controlled
efficient
and minimize risks to the ongoing operations of the affected business areas.

In change-projects for IT departments, we align the form and content of change-projects with the standards defined in ITIL.

How we support you in your transformation project

Every change-project is different – in terms of the starting point, the objective and the framework conditions that need to be taken into account.

There is no “silver bullet”for change.

But there are a few steps that can help you to develop a suitable approach together that is appropriate to the situation:

A typical sequence of actions includes:

Analysis of the current state of affairs
Clear definition of targets
Analysis of stakeholders
Planning the necessary change actions
Development of an effective change-structure
Development of a meaningful change-project structure
Development of a joint communication strategy with all stakeholders
Planning and implementation of modern formats of participation

This is how we proceed:

We listen – and ask questions

Key questions:

What needs to change?
Why does it have to change?
How did the current situation come about?
What stabilizing and destabilizing factors were there and are there?

Only when we understand what happened and why it happened, do we understand the social system “organization”.

This is essential if we want to be successful as change-consultants. After all, change can only be successful in the long term if we work with the “social organism” that is the company – and not against all existing forces and conventions.

We formulate goals and CPIs

The development of reliable indicators focusses the common understanding of the goals to be achieved.

In other words: only when there is a common understanding of how “success” should be measured can we be “success-full” together with you.

Analyzing stakeholders together

Who is affected, who needs to be heard, who is needed to help develop tailor-made solutions?

We use this stakeholder matrix to analyze and prioritize the stakeholder landscape:

Developing a coherent change-structure

By “change-structure” we mean an overview of which stakeholders work in which phases and in which order on which topics and issues in order to move step by step towards a tailor-made solution.

Some fundamental decisions need to be made:

How high should and can the level of participation among employees be?
Which framework conditions are more appropriately decided “top down” and which solutions are developed “bottom-up”?
Which milestones must be reached when and with what quality?

And last but not least, this question:

How agile can (or should) the change-project be?

Arrange a free initial consultation here!

Following on from this: develop a change structure

As soon as we have compiled all the necessary information in the afore-mentioned steps, we can make an informed decision about the structure and management of the change-project.

Larger change-management projects often require a hierarchy of responsibility and decision-making with

the project owner
a steering committee
project or sub-project groups

Smaller projects tend to be overloaded with such complexity. Here, less (bureaucracy) is often more.

Or to put it another way: “the more agile, the leaner”.

And finally: develop measures in the fields of action

When the

goals of the change process have been defined,
the change-structure has been coordinated
and the project-structure has been decided,

the project groups coordinate the necessary actions with the steering committee in order to implement the changes step by step.

We support the planning groups in this – in different roles depending on the requirements:

project developer
coaches
providers of impulses
facilitators
challengers
or as specialist consultants using our in-depth change-expertise

Change-Prozess geplant?

Irrwege umgehen
Unnötige Kosten vermeiden

…durch unsere 21 Jahre Erfahrung in vielen Branchen!

Jetzt Informationen anfordern

Kostenlos & unverbindlich

Change-Prozess geplant?

Irrwege umgehen
Unnötige Kosten vermeiden

…durch unsere 21 Jahre Erfahrung in vielen Branchen!

Jetzt Informationen anfordern

Kostenlos & unverbindlich

Change-communication as a field of action

Change-management is often confused with “change communication”.

However, communicating change is not a sufficient substitute for the change itself.

At the same time, changes, their goals and the steps to achieve them must always be communicated in a digestible and truthful manner. The aim is to achieve the greatest possible transparency about the purpose of the change-project:

Klarheit und Transparenz	Orientierung und Unterstützung im Prozess
Worum geht es?	Vorhaben verstehen, mitgehen können und wollen
Wofür machen wir das?	“Marketing” für das Vorhaben machen
Was ändert sich?	Sicherheit geben
Was ist der Nutzen?	Perspektive entwickeln
Wer ist wie betroffen und/oder beteiligt?	Steuern – statt reagieren auf Gerüchte
Wer ist wofür verantwortlich/Ansprechpartner?	Fragen, Sorgen, Ängste auf- und ernst nehmen
Wie sieht der Zeitplan aus?	Konstruktiv mit Widerständen umgehen

Here are some approaches for coordinated change-communication that have proven successful in past projects:

Arrange a free initial consultation on your change-project here!

Agile change-management consulting

By “agile approach” we mean a change-approach with a high proportion of bottom-up processes and a procedure in incremental loops. Here is an overview of the differences to the “classic” approach in change-processes:

“Traditionelles” Change-Management	Agiles Change-Management
Change “von oben” getrieben	Change top-down / bottom-up
Von “geheimen” Teams vorbereitet	Multidisziplinäres & transparentes Team
“plötzlich” Big Bang	Veränderung inkrementell & in kleinen Schritten
Detaillierte, langfristige Planung & wenig Raum für Anpassung zwischendurch	“Just in time” Planung / Anpassung in agilen Schleifen
Change hat Abschluss	Change ist ein Prozess und hat keinen Abschluss – sondern inkrementelle Verbesserungen

“Agile change” as a learning opportunity

The “agility” aspect of a change project is particularly important for three reasons:

Today, agility is often the goal of a change-process so that organizations can react more quickly to changing requirements
However, agility is often also a required characteristic for change-projects. (This usually refers to a particularly high degree of flexibility and adaptability of the project structure and the course which the project takes).
Frequently, the intention is to anchor agility principles as a cultural characteristic in the organization as part of a change-project. (A change-project can indeed be a “learning opportunity” that should not be underestimated).

We will always take the relevant requirements into account accordingly in our “change-structure”.

Implementation step by step

Implementation will not always proceed “according to plan”, just as it does not in “classic” projects. After all, we are dealing with living and (hopefully) vibrant social organisms in every company/organization:

Resistances emerge,
unplanned events only appear late on the “radar”,
the external conditions are changing,
responsibilities change
and the “human element” plays a part, as it does in every project.

Change-projects can therefore not be thought of and planned in a classic “waterfall” manner. We use an “agile toolkit” during implementation to integrate the unforeseen into the course of the project as well as possible:

Target/customer focus

A change-process always begins with the definition of objectives based on vision, purpose, guiding principles/values and strategic goals. These must be clear, understandable and comprehensible and serve as orientation for all those involved in the change process.

Together with you, we always ensure transparency and focus.

Self-organization

On the basis of a focus on the target that is binding for everyone, we rely on the ability and willingness of employees and managers to shape procedures and the use of methods, measures and their implementation on their own, taking into account the framework provided. Here, too, the following applies: a market economy is much more successful than a planned economy – within the framework of the set rules and objectives.

We support you in empowering and motivating those involved and in setting the right framework (can – will – may).

Learning in short learning loops

Not everything can be tried out, but implementing and testing changes quickly in small steps or on a small scale is the basis for rapid learning. Mistakes are connotated as a valuable resource in the process, in the sense of, “I only learned from my mistakes, because if it worked, then I already knew how to do it.”

We create space for continuous joint learning, which ensures maximum flexibility, accuracy of fit and speed of implementation.

Free initial consultation on your change-project here!

People before systems

The people in an organization have an outstanding role to play in their different roles, tasks and responsibilities for the success of a change. They want their concerns and emotional needs to be taken seriously in a change-process. Most people are then prepared to take an arduous path and overcome hurdles, where necessary.

Here are the key areas of action to ensure that change can be accepted:

Together with you, we ensure attentive participation, transparency and understanding of the goals and approach, time and space for exchange and emotions, regular feedback and recognition.

Our approach as external change-management consultants

In change-management consulting, we usually start from scratch: we listen and form our own independent opinion first.

Strategy:
is the direction correct, is the strategy coherent and comprehensible?
Change-story:
does the “story” make sense, do questions remain unanswered?
Change-structure:
What actions are planned so far? Do they fit and work together? Is the sequencing correct?
Working with resistance:
what visible and hidden reactions are there to the change project? Which stakeholders are there – and how would they have to be adequately informed and involved?
Obtaining buy-in from managers:
how does management assess the planned change? Which are the “forces of resistance” that need to be dealt with?
Qualifying change agents:
we can do “change”, but we will be gone again at some point. So your team should learn how to proceed once we are gone (in this and future change-projects).
Agile change-management:
good planning is important, rapid adaptation to acute developments is even more important. Therefore, we work in agile change-management mode right from the start. And we will teach you and your staff the basics – and cutting edge change-know-how.
Excellent execution:
if you read carefully, you will have already recognized some of the “pitfalls” in change-management. We know these and more (not to mention almost all of them) – and we save our customers from all the mistakes that others have already made.

With our change-management approach you will achieve the following goals:

The changes are jointly supported and accepted
Experience, knowledge and concerns of your employees are used as a powerful resource in the change-process
The “costs” of change are minimizedfor all sides
Your organization remains controllable, your team is sustainably strengthened

As a specialized consulting firm for change-management, we have already won many awards! We would also be happy to advise you in a free initial consultation .

Your benefits

Greater speed:
change-processes are accelerated by our goal and solution-oriented consulting approach.
Lower costs:
conflicts that usually arise in change-processes are less inhibiting due to the consideration of differences in interests. Friction losses are thus significantly reduced.
Better results:
systemic organizational consulting supports decisions that take into account remote and side effects as well as potential “pitfalls”.
Higher quality of decisions:
the inclusion of different perspectives, expertise and ideas from key stakeholders ensures that the best possible decisions are made.
More commitment:
by consciously managing the process with the involvement of employees, significantly more motivation and commitment is generated.
Better cooperation:
the systemic way of working promotes cooperation between departments in the company, even after the consulting process has officially ended.
More sustainability:
change-processes are firmly anchored in the company through participatory development and lead to greater acceptance of decisions.
More know-how development in the company:
systemic consultants do not see themselves as carriers of secret expert and methodological knowledge, but rather ensure a targeted transfer of knowledge into the company.
More freedom and relief for managers:
external consultants relieve managers of the burden of designing and facilitating processes. You can focus more on content, solutions and team-work.

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In-depth reading on change-management consulting

Let’s talk!

We have more than 21 years of experience and will be happy to advise you!

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