Rethink strategies.
Lead transformation.
Be inspiring.
My Mission
is to foster change
by counseling
organisations
to rethink
strategies
by coaching
managers
to become
leaders
by facilitating
communication
to enhance
cultures
by inspiring
people
to challenge
viewpoints
“Rethinking strategies is not about planning, but about learning.”
My Expertise
Each organisation has a unique culture and faces specific management opportunities and challenges when it comes to strategy, leadership and change. I serve my clients through customised consulting, coaching and training solutions that best fit their situation. My expertise in a wide range of management and social science methodologies, concepts and tools as well as my experience that I have gained in various industries are essential to inspire my clients.
Rethinking
Strategies
Today, rethinking organisational strategies has become an ongoing process. Successfully rethinking strategies both for profit and for non-profit enterprises requires an understanding that it is about facilitating participative discourses between engaged, savvy, decent and diverse people – irrespective of their hierarchical status, age, gender, ethnical background or organisational affiliation. Implementing top-down detailed plans worked out by senior management alone no longer is a road to success. I support clients by developing a constructive organisational setting for rethinking strategies, by inspiring decision makers to shift their mindset, by facilitating discourses between people across hierarchies and consequently contribute to erecting a more successful business model and achieving better performance.
Developing
Leadership
Although most managers are strong when it comes to day-to-day routines, their management skills alone fall short when it comes to rethinking strategies, transforming organisations and enhancing corporate cultures. This is when leadership qualities become essential. Leaders integrate new knowledge, experiences and keen thinking in their decision making. They do not think and act in hierarchical and closed-shop settings or play political games. Instead, they speak with one voice and create a motivating, trustful and sense making climate. I help clients to develop their leadership skills/qualities by creating a visionary, entrepreneurial and humane mindset, a specific skill-set and stimulating management systems and procedures.
Enhancing
Cultures
Many organisations currently are realising that their culture is not one that drives change. They are characterised for example by too much routine management and too little leadership, a prevailing culture of safety instead of an inspirational intrapreneurship, decision makers engaging in destructive political games rather than forming guiding coalitions, favouring strong beliefs in personal track records over nurturing strong team spirit. An organisation that is serious about cultural change needs to first focus on radical changes in communication. I facilitate these changes by including more people into the process, by creating meaningful networks, by communicating more intensely and using appropriate channels. The outcome is more leadership, stronger teams, the ability to rethink strategies as well as satisfying work experiences for all involved.
Coaching
People
When organisations change their culture, leaders, managers and employees are all affected. In particular it is their mindsets that need to change, they need to grow their skill-sets and learn to master new work routines. I coach people to identify the potential that organisational cultural changes hold for their personal growth, to define fields of action that correspond to their situations and to find ways to unite job satisfaction with their professional success.
Strengthening
Teams
Strong teams are what both operational efficiency and strategic rethinking are built on. The spread of agile management and new work have accelerated this trend. I strengthen teams by facilitating communication between team members, by jointly reflecting the team´s identity, by identifying their unique resources and by balancing organisational objectives and personal needs.
Stimulating
Discussions
Clients invite me to speak at conferences and to contribute to panel discussions. Being a professor for international management and with more than 20 years of management and consulting experience, I have gained in-depth insights into a wide range of up-to-date business topics, i.e. agile management, blue oceans, business model innovation, cultural change, digital transformation, leadership, new work, sense-making and strategic success factors.
“Leading transformation starts with understanding people.”
My Clients
About Me
For more than 20 years I have been supporting organisations, executives and employees from various industries when they initiate change and transformation processes. I contribute by rethinking strategies, by developing leadership, by strengthening teams, by coaching people and, consequently, by enhancing organisational cultures. My experiences include management responsibilities in Germany, the UK and the US. I studied Business Administration at the University of Kiel (Germany) and McMaster University (Canada) and I hold a PhD in Organisation Development from the University of Hamburg (Germany). Since 2008, I have the privilege of being a Professor for International Management at FOM Hamburg (Germany) and to support students in advancing their business careers. Teaching and research assignments have taken me to universities in Istanbul, Kiev, Murcia, New York and Sydney.
What is most important for me is my family – it is my source of energy. I my leisure time, I also enjoy playing football, hiking in the Alps and I find inspirations when discussing various topics with friends. What drives me as consultant, coach and facilitator is a profound curiosity for dynamics in individuals and organisations and their very unique energy. I am convinced that in today’s complex and dynamic world everyone of us is confronted with changes on many levels and that how well we deal with this large array of changes depends on our mindset and willingness to change. Throughout my career I have been inspired by people – family, friends, teachers, business people, students, and chance encounters – who combine profound expertise with a down-to-earth mentality, moral fibre and pragmatic hands-on attitude. Those values inspire what I do and how I service my clients.
News
Podcast about New Leadership
On 11th November, my podcast about “New Leadership” went live on www.sgb2.info/DE/Ideen-Koepfe/Podcast/podcasts.html – an information portal for German jobcenter employees initiated by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. I give an impression of my understanding of new leadership, especially in connection with the challenges of digital transformation.
