#ChangeAgent Sebastian Kolberg – Change through collaboration and trust

Sebastian Kolberg is the Change Manager for Digital Transformation at Bayer AG. In this role he supports people and teams to journey together and shape digital transformation. As a #ChangeAgent, he is particularly interested in promoting collaborations, establishing trusting networks and jointly challenging the status quo with a view toward the customer. Good reasons to introduce him here.

If you could change one thing in the workplace right away, what would that be?

I would block off at least fifteen minutes in the morning every day on the calendar for everyone. A quarter of an hour a day that everyone could use independently (and extend, if necessary), primarily for learning and reflection. Lifelong learning is a must in the age of digital transformation, but sometimes we fall short during the chaos of everyday life. Our own reflection enables us to become aware of how our behavior influences the culture, and thus the success, of our company. Reflection helps us to make things even more proactive and positive.

What is your personal contribution to changing something?

I’ll start with myself first. I learn every day by reading, talking, and through social media, and I consciously set aside times in which I reflect and set new goals. In addition, I live up to what I consider important. I provide work materials and concepts openly to the team through the digital workplace and ask for feedback as soon as possible to benefit from others’ experiences and knowledge, or to recognize that the idea is good but does not meet our needs. Third, I build networks and communities and support others because I believe that collaboration and trust are essential to mutual success. In addition, I ask a lot of questions in order to understand things and network people over conversations so that they can experiment with others and learn from each other.

What does a company look like to you that is prepared for the “working world of tomorrow?”

Companies that are prepared for the future have employees who are inspired and want to make a difference every day. Every day, people and leaders live together to achieve better results for the client through collaboration and trust, using modern work methods and digital workplaces. Decisions are made at the right level. Instead of too many rules, there is trust in the employees. Experiments are encouraged – to develop new ideas and business models. “Failure” is understood as a way of learning and recognizing that even long-term strategies need short-term adjustments.

Thanks for the exciting answers!

In our #ChangeAgents section, we introduce people who encourage us to tackle and change things. Strong minds who are passionately committed to a more humane world of work, thereby initiating a change in thinking and actively helping to shape change processes. Our #ChangeAgents are role models, lateral thinkers, multipliers and dissenters.