Good communication in change projects
Why well-intentioned communication sometimes has the opposite effect… What makes change communication so challenging? As change managers, we are often asked to take on the communication in strategic projects. Employees should be sensitized to changes, understand and accept measures – and often a so-called “mindset shift” is desired. Deeply ingrained behavioral norms, attitudes and opinions […]
Myths about working from home – how to do it right!
The coronavirus pandemic has radically changed our working world. Many companies are now pushing their employees back into the office – often with the argument of productivity. But is this the right approach? The scientific evidence suggests otherwise. What we need now are tailored concepts for the optimal working environment for each organization. The productivity […]
How can medium-sized companies develop comprehensive HR work?
HR work in medium-sized companies often grows organically: the initial focus is on payroll accounting, with recruiting and other modules such as salary development programs or talent promotion being added at a later stage. But what is often missing? A systematic link between HR tools, business strategy and corporate culture. At Breitenstein Consulting, we see […]
TARGET OPERATING MODEL for HR – A medium-sized company perspective
The term “Target Operating Model” (TOM) is currently on everyone’s lips – especially in the HR departments of large corporations. The discussion is usually conducted from a corporate perspective. But what does this concept actually mean for industrial SMEs? Is it even applicable to them? A critical examination from the field shows: it depends. What […]
Strategic and sustainable HR work for SMEs
Mr. Gisdakis is one of the partners of Breitenstein Consulting. Mr. Gisdakis: Why is strategic HR work so important for SMEs in particular? SMEs are particularly affected by the shortage of skilled workers. Since the coronavirus pandemic, corporations have been increasingly moving into the regions and competing with local companies for scarce workers. Why does […]
(HOME) OFFICE – Our successful self-experiment
The debate is becoming increasingly controversial: How do you get employees back into the office? On the one hand:The corona lockdowns have given virtuality in management – and thus home office – the long-awaited boost. Many employees have adapted their lives accordingly: Integration of work and family. No more long journeys and travel costs. More […]
Get to know Martin Kempen.
Welcome to Breitenstein Consulting! We are pleased to introduce our latest addition: Martin Kempen. He has been part of our team since May 2023 and brings a wealth of expertise and experience with him. In a short interview to get to know him, Martin shares insights into his background, his goals and his working style. […]
Turning point in employer branding – true beauty comes from within!
The term “turning point” is stolen – just like the slogan of a cosmetics company in the 1980s. But it’s not too far-fetched for the developments on the labor markets that we are currently facing. And the turnaround requires a change of strategy in HR work – and also in the people strategy of every […]
People & Culture Health Check instead of Management Audits
The German economy is undergoing transformation – in almost all sectors. Are the management teams, organization, processes and culture set up correctly to manage the transformation?Investors and family businesses in particular are asking themselves this question. A management audit can be a good, but also risky method of assessing the future viability of an organization. […]
Do we recognize ourselves? – About personnel diagnostics
Whenever we meet people, we unconsciously form a picture of ‚how‘ someone is and how they will act. So we do diagnostics. And in almost every professional people process in companies, diagnostics is somehow the basis. And when strategies fail, it is often due to human behavior.However, very few companies deal with diagnostics professionally – […]
Everything AGIL or what?
Which form of work suits us? A readiness check. The trend away from traditional hierarchies towards more agile forms of work continues unabated. But which organization and which management model really suits us? Many of our customers ask themselves this question. On closer inspection, there is a whole spectrum of different organizational forms and leadership […]
Social sustainability in German SMEs
In order to investigate the current state of German SMEs with regard to social sustainability, students at LMU Munich conducted a survey with Breitenstein Consulting and the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW). Social sustainability Sustainability can be divided into three dimensions: ecological, social and economic. While ecological sustainability has arrived in most […]
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND THEN? – Hybrid forms of work as a model for the future
The outdoor pools and restaurants are full, almost two-thirds of Germans are fully vaccinated, and the first people are returning from vacation with a tan – it almost seems as if the coronavirus pandemic is history. The fact is that we can at least enjoy the summer almost as we did in pre-coronavirus times. But […]
#FutureofWork = #FutureofHR?
A sustainable HR strategy tailored to your organization! The first stage of the corona crisis seems to be over – many of our customers are returning to the strategic questions: How will we work in our organization in the future? What changes will trends such as digitalization bring about in our jobs, processes and business […]
AFTER THE WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION – Learning from purchasing means…
Human Resources is facing major challenges that will change the function. In the two previous articles, I described how strategic workforce management will affect the skills requirements for HR. In the discussions that followed, I was asked: What comes next… When we have transformed everything? Where is the workforce of the future? I had the […]
WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION – new skills for HR?
Workforce transformation is a strategic challenge for Human Resources. The age-old question keeps coming up: Is this our role as HR? And do we even have the right skills? I would like to take a closer look at these questions in this article. As always, with practical experience. What does Strategic Workforce Transformation require from […]
WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION – Is the journey the goal?
Workforce transformation has been the most discussed topic in the HR community for years. The coronavirus pandemic has only accelerated this. How much workforce expansion, contraction and restructuring is needed due to digitalization, for example, and where exactly? We have gained some important insights from specific projects and I would like to share them here. […]
DIGITAL STATE FAILURE – Does the corona crisis also reveal a dangerous deficit in the way public authorities handle IT innovations?
The tightening of the lockdown measures in Bavaria was overdue! However, one of Söders 10 measures points to where the core problem of the exponential growth in infection lay: in the lack of software at the health authorities. This was announced and the problem was already known in May. And it shows: we have a […]
Myth of Culture Change
Can culture really be managed? “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” Peter Drucker once said. This is why culture change is often regarded as the supreme discipline in change management. Strategies, organizations, processes or rules can be developed and changed relatively easily on paper. But do people and organizations behave as desired afterwards? Academics and the […]
Conflict culture in the management team – the basis for successful change management
The coronavirus crisis has triggered far-reaching changes and necessitated new business strategies, which will necessarily result in organizational changes. However, any change usually also carries the potential for conflict and often results in clashes of interest within the management team. The way in which the management team handles this is one of the most important […]
Leadership tandems
Janina Kugel and other prominent women have reignited the justified debate about quotas for women. Rightly so, in my opinion – an initiative by the German Chancellor on voluntary quotas about 10 years ago failed miserably. Is now the time for a quota? And what is still needed? Should a man take a stand in […]
HR at the mixer
What will HR work look like in the future? At the HR BarCamp on October 24, we discussed the future role of HR with HR managers from various companies. And we developed the idea that there could be a radical individualization of employment conditions in the future. We have consistently developed this idea further here. […]
What if it gets really tough? The topic of insolvency
What if dealing with the operational consequences of the global pandemic is suddenly the least of your problems? In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Wirecard is certainly one of the most spectacular white-collar crimes of the post-war period. Anyone who has experienced this from the inside is certainly shaped for life. Annegret Jansen held […]
h&z HR BarCamp September 24, 2020
At the first h&z HR BarCamp this week, we had an exciting discussion with HR professionals from seven companies on the question ‚HR, what’s next? – What lies ahead for HR after corona?‘ The HR BarCamp was not only the first h&z symposium focused on HR as a function, it was also a first in […]
The new HR dilemma
Is a new wave of downsizing presenting HR with an insoluble dilemma? The past few years have had a positive impact on HR work: New work culture, digitalization, NewWork, diversity, flat structures, agile mindset, new learning formats, GenY, democratization, value-based leadership – and, above all, a positive external employer image geared towards recruiting markets. However, […]
Talents to combat crises
The waves of crisis are increasingly overlapping: Covid waves, climate crisis, supply bottlenecks, energy supply, embargo consequences and a new looming financial crisis. And the ‚old‘ challenges are still there too: digital transformation, demographic change, skills shortages, decarbonization and electrification.How do you make an organization strategically fit and resilient? How can employees be emotionally stabilized? […]
Digital skills management – the new currency for business success
The digitalization of HR is sparking a renaissance of competence management. For many years, competence management was an unfulfilled promise of HR.A complex, bureaucratic system of organization – with dubious benefits for the company – except for the satisfaction of collective bargaining systems.Digital HR tools are now taking a new approach and really promising added […]
Back to the alpha animal with Trump – Do we need new heroes?
Donald Trump, Xi Jingping, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Victor Orban, but also Macron for a moment, Söder: the last few years give the impression that we are developing back into the age of authoritarian alpha animals – at least in political leadership roles. The masses vote for them or support them. Are we experiencing […]
An HR day in the year 2030
June 6, 2023 6:15 a.m.:The alarm clock projects the sunrise. On the way to the bathroom – don’t look now – there are 4 alerts. Four! Already in the bedroom! “Not now, Alexi, please, after breakfast. In the car.” Alexi is the echo box. The company’s AI system runs on Echo. Another alert at breakfast. […]
IT-supported campaign management also in change?
IT-supported campaign management for change? – Yes, but … What is fluid, IT-supported campaign management? IT-supported, so-called “fluid” campaign management is the new wonder weapon of campaign strategists. Intelligent, learning algorithms permanently identify target groups and adapt the approach to the specific interests and needs of the target groups. The mechanism is simple in principle […]
Generation Y: Spoiled, self-absorbed and delusional?
In many German companies, five generations work under one roof. Sometimes worlds collide. How do you motivate employees from different age groups and how do they work together? It is obvious that measures to increase motivation and commitment do not reach everyone equally. So if you want to go beyond general measures to increase the […]
Committed or internally resigned?
For 14 years, Gallup has been asking German companies the crucial question: What is the level of commitment among employees and managers in Germany? With slight fluctuations, this representative survey always comes to a result that makes you sit up and take notice. 16% of employees are engaged 68% of employees are not committed or […]