Consulting · Strategy & Change

Consulting in organisational development: an award-winning approach

As an award-winning consulting firm for organisational development, we offer you all consulting services for an

  • agile
  • flexible
  • fast
  • adaptable
  • and livable organisation
  • with clear goals
  • transparent areas of responsibility
  • a leadership culture that releases energy and promotes talents
  • and an organisational structure that is oriented towards strategic goals and optimal processes
  • and in which your managers and employees feel comfortable.

We make sure the new culture & new structure you are aiming at take hold in everyday practice.

This is the result of initio's organisational development consulting.

Consulting in organisational development: what is it about?

Organisational development consulting supports organisations in managing change processes and in improving processes, structures and cultures. The goal is to increase the performance and flexibility of the organisation, to enhance its adaptability and to involve employees better.

The core topics of organisational development consulting are:

  • Strategy and change: "the way forward" and the actions needed
  • Innovation and development: staying fit for the future and for the generations to come
  • Organisational structure and design: agile or "traditional" forms of organisation
  • The best possible collaboration: structures, processes, interfaces
  • Targeted cultural change: adapting the operating system when the complexity of the environment increases
  • Motivation and leadership: developing employees and managers, letting them unfold and involving them

Our Consulting Offer in OD

Strategy development

  • Develop Strategies
  • Consulting on strategy development and implementation
  • Conducting effective strategy processes
  • Facilitation of Strategy Workshops

change management.

  • Change management consulting
  • The biggest mistakes in change processes
  • Change Management "Checklist"

Organisational Consulting

  • Organisational design / the optimal form of organisation 
  • Agile forms of organisation 
  • Reorganisation

The agile organisation

Process Management and Process Optimisation

  • Optimisation of Workflows, Interfaces, Processes

Implementation Consulting

Large Group Moderation

Cooperation Management

  • Founding, Further Development and Professionalization of Networks, Establishment and Expansion of Cooperations

Our approach in organisational development consulting

Strategic corporate development needs room and time. And clever minds thinking together.

To find solutions to complex questions about the future, you need the knowledge and the experience of every relevant control point, centre of power and knowledge holder. Systematically and with a plan, we work with

  • Top Management
  • Middle Management Level
  • Team Leads
  • Experts and Knowledge Carriers
  • Formal and Informal Power Centres

and involve them in the development processes and discussions relevant to each.

Success Factor: Effective Process Architecture

The essence of effective organisational development is discourse.

So that

  • the right stakeholders
  • on  relevant questions
  • in an agreed, sensible order
  • in effective formats

develop suitable solutions, we develop an effective process architecture at the start of every consulting process. Here is an example from a (real) change project in the sales department of a German mid-sized company:

Organisational development consulting process architecture
Example of an effective process architecture from an organisational consulting process

Agile Approach

More complex organisational development projects often need a step-by-step approach. An agile consulting approach gets implementation moving quickly and adjusts course where and when that is needed: 

Agile organisational development - schematic
Agile organisational development: a typical approach

Even when an "agile transformation" is the aim of the reorganisation, we work in "agile mode".

We have set out our approach and our stance in agile organisational development in detail here.

Organising Focused Discourse

Organisations are divided into business fields, departments and functions. These organisational units pursue their specific tasks and thereby develop their own interests, which they have to protect in order to do their job.

Each part of the organisation therefore interprets the company's goal in its own way. These perceptions are usually driven by interests and not necessarily directed at a shared goal.

These differing views meet at the interfaces of the operational organisation. Conflicts and sometimes considerable friction losses are the consequence, and in many companies they are part of everyday business.

These differing views make understanding one another difficult. What seems rational to one side is far from obvious to the other.

Understanding has to be worked out with the relevant groups involved. In these processes of agreement, the different parts of the company settle on shared solutions. That calls for discussion across hierarchies and beyond traditional "silo structures".

As experienced consultants in organisational development we have the background knowledge and the proven formats for this.

Our Approach - Step by Step

We develop a tailored and coherent approach together with you and keep adapting it  to current requirements in agile loops as the process runs (the principle of the "Continuous Improvement Process" – CIP).

Here is a rough outline of a typical approach:

  1. Clarifying the assignment and the context
  2. Interviews where appropriate
  3. Summary and reflecting back of results, conclusions and working hypotheses
  4. Formulating objectives and the effects wanted
  5. For larger projects: developing a "change architecture"
  6. For workshops and short interventions: developing workshop designs
  7. Running the workshops
  8. (Interim) evaluation of the objectives and effects achieved
  9. constantly adjusting the project – re-calibrating the approach and the objectives
  10. Stabilisation and review, once the consulting objectives agreed beforehand have been reached

Consulting in organisational development: who has to be there?

Understanding as a Leadership Task

Understanding about

  • the "right direction"
  • an implementation strategy that works
  • handling the challenges of the future with a plan

is a central leadership task.

Involve Knowledge Carriers in a Counterflow Procedure

At the same time, understanding can rarely be ordered "top-down" from the executive floor.

And it helps just as little to let employees determine solutions in purely "bottom-up" processes. In both approaches, what already exists is often simply carried forward.

With complex topics you often need the knowledge, the experience and the contributions of several parts of the company to arrive at solutions that really hold

Understanding therefore has to work in both directions: with a frame for the content "from above" and the expertise of the stakeholders "from below". 

With directional decisions, the question is not what it costs to lead a discourse - but rather what it costs not to lead one.

Thomas Sattelberger, former Telekom board member

Effective Process Architecture

We therefore develop a process architecture with you in which the essential questions and topics in the organisational development process are resolved. 

Work based on the counter-flow principle (example=
Agile organisational development: a typical approach

This discursive approach also means that those involved make the matter their own and pull with you.

Planning an OD project? Here you will find experienced consultants and the right trainers!

Advantages and Effects of our Approach

With our discursive consulting approach in organisational development we make sure that

  • truly tailored solutions are created
  • every relevant level of the organisation takes part in developing the solution
  • we are faster in implementation as a result
  • newly developed solutions and designs can first be tested, adapted and then move into regular operation in a "stable" version
  • The knowledge in your organisation is used and developed further
  • That your managers and employees take responsibility from the outset and can help shape the change
  • Your cleverest people still see a motivating outlook with you after the change
  • That the changes are accepted and implemented with energy

References

Many companies have already benefited from our 19 years of experience in consulting projects. Here you can see a selection of our references from consulting in organisational development. 

What we offer in organisational development

We have more than 21 years of experience in organisational development processes and would be glad to advise you!

FAQ: frequently asked questions about our organisational development consulting

What is organisational development consulting?

Organisational development covers four main fields: strategy & change, leadership & teams, structure & processes, corporate culture & mission statements. Here is a complete overview of all the detailed questions and topics.

How much work is involved, and what does the consulting cost?

That depends on the topics in question. Many topics can be addressed very effectively with 1-3 days of consulting. In a free initial consultation we will give you a first assessment.

What sets initio apart in OD consulting?

Among others, these factors: expertise in the subject and experience, excellence in the craft, our eye for the substantive, social and temporal dimensions of development processes, our efficient way of working – and certainly also our references.

What our clients say

What clients say about working with us

A very helpful, well-run workshop. The results served us well through the restructuring phase too.
Andreas Kogler Andreas Kogler Deutsche Telekom AG
The strategy workshop was exceptionally productive. You kept the group focused on what mattered throughout. We recommend your facilitation without reservation.
S. Folke S. Folke Head of Procurement BASF
It was striking how much came out of our workshop. That was outstanding.
Jörg Graichen Jörg Graichen Brose Fahrzeugteile
Many thanks again for the excellent collaboration, the organisation and the very good workshop results.
Jan-Michael Wolfer Jan-Michael Wolfer Head of Production voestalpine Automotive
The change management training was very good. You understand the subject in real depth, and it shows.
Christian Hauswirth Christian Hauswirth Head of Internal Consulting MIGROS / M-Industries (Schweiz)
We received very positive feedback on your training. Thank you for that.
Daniela Bentley Daniela Bentley Head of People, IT Product Development Drogerie Müller Holding GmbH & Co. KG
You prepared our workshop thoroughly and precisely. Both the method and the facilitation fitted our objectives very well. We were able to carry on working very successfully with the results. Many thanks.
Hans Helmreich Hans Helmreich Head of Division Bayerischer Rundfunk
Four days of workshop and still playful, creative, inspiring and well structured, with good methodology. Thoroughly recommended.
Dr. Siegfried Gelbhaar Dr. Siegfried Gelbhaar Head of Event Management Deutscher Bundestag
Thanks again for the excellent workshop — we have already started putting the first ideas into practice, and enjoying it.
Eva-Maria Bauer Eva-Maria Bauer Human Resources Generalist Dywidag AG
Many thanks for a genuinely helpful seminar.
Dr. Vivien Lutz Dr. Vivien Lutz Head of Department Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
I thoroughly enjoyed working with you, personally and professionally, and it was a great pleasure to run this workshop with you.
Eva Sprengard Eva Sprengard Adviser, HR, Organisation and Knowledge Management Deutsches Evaluierungsinstitut der. Entwicklungszusammenarbeit gGmbH
You facilitated our two-day strategy workshop very professionally. It was a demanding brief and the result is very good. Thank you for that.
Alfred Riester Alfred Riester Managing Director motio consulting

Free initial consultation

Contact.

We have more than 21 years of experience and would be glad to advise you! Book our free initial consultation. We will get back to you.

Free initial consultation
Free initial consultation