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.
Dr. Elisabeth Keßeböhmer & Nicole Vogler
The world is becoming more complex every day, and organizations are facing the challenge of responding smartly. In particular, the banking industry is strongly affected by change and urgently needs to reorient and innovate. While many banks in Germany appear uncertain and are on the decline, Hamburger Sparkasse relies on good networking and is thus definitely one of the pioneers in the banking industry. With the introduction of the internal Tandemploy software as an internal networking platform (christened “FlexWorkz”), they show how flexibilization and networking can look in a modern working environment. They use Tandemploy software to better network all employees and pave the way for new modes of working. Within HASPA, employees can now easily find job sharing, knowledge sharing (expert knowledge and career tips), reverse mentoring and lunch dating. We talked with Dr. Elisabeth Keßeböhmer (Head of Human Resources) and Nicole Vogler (HR Manager & Project Manager for Tandemploy SaaS at HASPA) about the great importance of networking in the context of digital transformation, their tool “FlexWorkz,” and their first success stories.
© Simona Bednarek
Ninia “LaGrande” Binias (* 1983) lives and works in Hannover. She writes for various media, hosts events and acts as a slam poet. She moderates her own TV and podcast formats and is a regular guest at cabaret and comedy shows. She also writes columns and articles for various newspapers, magazines and online portals, including RND (RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland), Missy Magazine, and leidmedien.de. Additionally, Ninia moderates congresses, events, festivals and numerous other formats live or in front of the camera. She is the managing director of the Büro für Popkultur GmbH (Department for Pop Culture), which was honored in 2017 as the “Creative Pilot of Germany.” She volunteers as the chair of the the Advisory Board on how to promote Hannover to become Capital of Culture 2025. Ninia is also an active feminist and has been working for inclusion for many years. All good reasons to talk with Ninia about diversity in the world of work. Read more
We live in a networked world in which everything is interconnected. We have unlimited opportunities to connect with people around the globe, to find like-minded people and an expert for everything. Professional cross-company networks such as Linkedin allow us to make contacts around the world, around the clock. Why are we still so badly networked within companies? And how can internal organizational silos be reduced? Here’s why networking is the key to almost all processes of digital transformation, and what we should all do more of to improve our careers:
In this time of social media platforms, a new term comes up every now and then: flash organizations. Very briefly, flash organizations are temporary companies that can be used to quickly and effectively implement complex projects. To do this, optimal teams with the right skills are put together within a very short time. Sounds exciting. It’s reason enough to take a closer look at the “flash organization” model.
At our Berlin office, we work with the highest degree of flexibility – and think in terms of tasks, not in fixed positions. We are always trying new forms and formats of work and trying every day to live what we preach to the outside world. In our 30-member team, all colleagues work in flexible work models. Currently we have three job-sharing tandems, four interdisciplinary project teams, five freelancers and 12 colleagues with a four-day week. We want to introduce some of them today and explain why we do what we do.
The best software in the world can only change organizations as much as people and culture allow. That is why at Tandemploy we do not only believe in the tandem principle when it comes to our job: through our new partnership with nextexitfuture, we’re changing and guiding companies sustainably – and with their cumulative startup and corporate experience. Together, the 8 founders of nextexitfuture have an impressive 160 years of experience in large companies: in top management, on executive boards and supervisory boards, and as investors. They know big hierarchical constructs, silo mentality, and the “but culture” of some internal stakeholders like the backs of their hands.
Globalization, demographic change, skills shortage, technologization, automation – external factors have changed the demands on companies and thus on managers enormously. But what does that mean for managers? How must leadership look today and in the future? Which leadership do companies need for digital transformation? And what about digital leadership?
What role do networks play in digitalization? How can the digital transformation be designed effectively and how can employees be helped along the way? What else is there to digitalization apart from the buzzwords? And do we really still need HR?
Every day, we get many exciting visitors at the Tandemploy office. So, we thought we would invite these digitalization experts, role models, New Workers, digital leaders and difference makers to our Yellow Couch and ask them these and other questions. Yellow Couch Talks – our new Tandemploy format for inspiration, questions, and discussions.
We signed the Diversity Charter in September 2018 and are very excited to be part of this wonderful and important initiative. In this article, we explain the goals of the Charter, why we are part of this initiative, and how important diversity is for businesses today. Read more
Knowledge is an important topic when it comes to digital transformation in companies. Good and continuous knowledge transfer brings many benefits and can provide a competitive advantage. Similarly, conscious use of the knowledge and ability of employees is playing an increasingly important role. What knowledge already exists in your company? What skills are there? Which ones do organizations need in the future? And how can they be used strategically? A systematic skill management plan can offer solutions.
Knowledge transfer is currently one of THE topics when it comes to digital transformation in companies. At the same time, dealing with knowledge is also a big challenge. Increased flexibility, higher turnover and greater complexity make companies more vulnerable to a loss of knowledge. Therefore, a good, continuous knowledge transfer has many advantages.
Flexibility and collaboration are essential for holistic digitalization. However, neither are not possible in silos. Much of the knowledge lies in the minds of employees. So how can knowledge transfer take place when employees work in their own silos? They need structures and ways of working that not only allow creative, innovative and free thinking, but actively promote it. In companies, therefore, one’s own digital transformation always begins with the successful networking of employees and a flexibilization of the work models and structures – which thus enables a lively transfer of knowledge.
All these aspects also mean that companies can save time and money. In-house knowledge transfer is therefore worthwhile at all levels: relevant knowledge remains within the company, and employees can work together in a more collaborative manner and complement each other optimally – thereby promoting the ability to innovate. New colleagues find it easier to familiarize themselves and knowledge is available more quickly to all employees.
Although these sound like good arguments, you might still need some help with the implementation.
Here’s the good news upfront: every company already has an incredible amount of knowledge, creativity and innovation potential. What’s missing are spaces to share knowledge, to open and connect silos, and to foster a lively exchange of expertise and ideas. With our Tandemploy SaaS, we connect this valuable and existing knowledge within your company – and support you in your full potential development.
© Hendrik Lüders
Tijen Onaran is a businesswoman, presenter and speaker. With startup affairs, she advises companies on PR and publicity, as well as on building and maintaining communities, and, with her Global Digital Women initiative, is committed to the networking and visibility of women in the digital industry. In addition, Tijen Onaran regularly publishes as a member of the Handelsblatt Expert Council, as well as a columnist for Lead Digital. She has been appointed to the Faculty Board for Digital Leadership of the Management School St. Gallen and to the jury of the Digital Leader, Corporate Culture and PR Report Awards. Before becoming self-employed, Tijen Onaran worked for members of the European parliament and the Bundestag, the Federal President’s Office, and for associations and a university in leading positions. In the interview, we talked about New Work, “tomorrow’s world of work” and the key skills needed in a digital and connected world.
Magdalena Rogl heads the department of Social Media and Internal Communications at Microsoft as Head of Digital Channels. Her passion is to connect people and build networks. She is a mother of four children and is committed to the topic of work–life balance and digital education. As a lateral entrant (she is a trained educator), Magdalena can also tell exciting stories about the importance of lifelong learning. We talked to her about mentoring, sustainable work and her view on digital transformation.
New Work is definitely a buzzword of our time. It shows up in very different contexts. Sometimes it’s about technology, sometimes about the free choice of workplace and time, and almost always about digital transformation. But what exactly is New Work? And what can it do for companies?
Digitization is not something that “simply passes by.” What many may have thought (or hoped?) at the onset has been all too clearly refuted. Digitization is here to stay, it’s advancing – and it’s changing organizations and their business models from the ground up.
Digitalization not only determines our everyday (working) life, it is also changing the entire business world. The associated challenges affect all companies: rapid changes and increasingly complex market requirements, strong competitors, and, above all, courageous disruptors who are breaking new ground with new technologies. Every company has the right prerequisites to not be left behind and to shape their own digital transformation. They just have to be recognized and used.
Cloud technology is unstoppable and changing the way we work together. But where does the human being end up when more and more data, topics and communication take place in the cloud? And does it make him more expendable – or even more important?
Digitization is unstoppable and one of those developments that certainly will not “simply pass by,” even if some may secretly wish that. It is a megatrend that will not only fundamentally change our way of living and working, but also radically transform business models and business purposes. So, what does it mean for organizations – and how is it related to the second big trend, the flexibilization of working models and structures?
There are a few prejudices that are seemingly inseparable from the term “job sharing.” For one, many people still think that job sharing is simply part time with a new, nicer name. Additionally, this model is consistently assumed to be much more expensive and, above all, more time-consuming than “normal” jobs. It’s high time to show that these prejudices are just that, and demonstrate the added value that job sharers bring to business.
Who actually decided that almost every task, every job, would fit best into a 40-hour full-time position? Who says that? And who can judge that?
Isn’t that an absolutely crazy assumption? Outdated? Generalized? And, on closer inspection, incredibly inflexible? Doesn’t this (hardly ever questioned) assumption of the ideal 40-hour work week mean that we, as an employer, tend to build in too much capacity for tasks that could be accomplished in a few hours – and far too little for those that clearly require more? Doesn’t it also cause us to force people into a scheme that is not guaranteed to be life-phase-oriented?
Can organizations even transition from being elephants to gazelles when they stick to this very basic thought pattern?
Robert Franken deals with Digital Leadership, Gender Empathy and New Work. As a speaker, moderator and author, he brings socially relevant content to the outside world and publishes it (among other things) on his blog, Digitale Tanzformation, as well as on the platform for Male Feminists Europe. He is committed to fair employment – for both women and men – and stands up for his beliefs. He definitely belongs among our #ChangeAgents.
I’m reading a book that inspires me to ask more questions. I like questions anyway, but in “Rock your Idea. To change the world with ideas” by Martin Gaedt, one is downright encouraged to ask excessive questions. “Questions bring ideas and change,” it says, and “questioning habits brings new things to the world.” I especially like the statement, “Everything works differently.” Because hey, why not?
The author suggests asking questions at every traffic light, in every traffic jam, in every waiting room, at every imaginable opportunity: 44 in one go. Anyone who does this regularly (practicing questioning, so to speak) increases his question fitness and comes up with completely new ideas. Even a “throw-away question” can make the difference. The chapter ends with a clear request: “Asking good questions is trainable. So, get to practicing!”
I felt directly challenged and tried to go with my gut to ask 44 questions about the world of work, the issue closest to my heart.
| Important Links | Modules of our Software | Where does our Software help? | Legal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book a Demo | Job Sharing | Digitalization | Legal Notice | |
| Pricing | Mentoring | Knowledge Transfer | Privacy | |
| Whitepaper | Projects | Change Management | General Terms for B2B | |
| Shop | Job Rotation | Flexibilization | Terms of use for Job Sharers | |
| Jobs | Working Circles | Innovation |
| Important Links | Book a Demo | Pricing | Whitepaper | Shop | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modules of our Software | Job Sharing | Mentoring | Projects | Job Rotation | Working Circles |
| Where does our Software help? | Digitalization | Knowledge Transfer | Change Management | Flexibilization | Innovation |
| Legal | Legal Notice | Privacy | General Terms for B2B | Terms of use for Job Sharers |