Digital transformation definition

Digitalization is generally understood to mean a digital conversion and representation or implementation of information and communication or the digital modification of instruments (Gabler Lexicon). “ The digital transformation is understood as the exponential and permanent change of society and companies based on technology “(Lindner and Leyh 2018). Petry (2016) sees the rapid technological development as the basis of digitization, which has become faster and faster in recent years and therefore speaks of the age of acceleration. Hoffmeister’s book also states that the basis of digitization is also a kind of domino effect: Existing technologies pave the way for further technologies.

The digital transformation describes change processes, due to digital technologies at high speed. Many sources cite changes in customer requirements as the driving force behind this digitization, which can only be served with digital technologies. A good example of this is the Spotify streaming service, which makes music accessible anytime, anywhere, anytime and inexpensively (to a certain extent even for free).

Overall, the academy differentiates between enablers and actors. “Enablers” are more or less “enablers” and include the following:

• to the first digital technologies (cloud computing, …),
• digital infrastructures (protocols, …) and
• Last but not least, digital applications (online banking, …).

On the basis of these “enablers”, new exploitation potentials arise in new areas. Companies are starting to explore these and try them out in initial pilot projects. Examples are: digital business models and digital value networks. Digital business models describe the change from analog to digital models. A good example here is the Deutsche Bahn online ticket. Digital value creation networks are, for example, virtual teams.

The digital transformation affects many People: Entrepreneurs, researchers and employees as well as numerous other citizens of the Federal Republic and beyond its borders. They can now communicate with each other in real time or share events from their lives with others in the live stream. Just yesterday I networked with my toothbrush. However, these new possibilities also have their downsides: A lack of data protection and information overload are just two of the negative consequences.

Are a different actor Companies . Here work is changing into so-called digital work – business models are also changing fundamentally. Are also affected Science and teaching in the form of new possibilities for archiving, publication and preparation of research as well as e-learning. Also offers the digitalization Numerous challenges for governments: The main task here will be to steer this transformation through laws and guidelines as well as the own transformation of official processes.

Driver of the digital transformation

But why are we talking about digital transformation now of all times – why is the speed fast enough right now? To answer this question (s) has Petry (2016) the following diagram as well as drivers for the digital transformation provided. At the beginning there is the exponential growth of companies with the core topics of networking, AI and Big data . The main consequences are changes in work itself, in customer behavior and in the general competitive situation.

But we’ve been digitizing for 50 years!

Currently, the greatest criticism of the thesis on digital transformation is that we have been digitizing ourselves for many years. That is correct and it hits the nail on the head. However, if you look at current literature or directly at the company, you will notice a major difference: While many years ago we were largely digitalising on the surface, companies are now moving towards more profound digitalisation. A good example is going to the hairdresser: Here I book my appointment using an app. This approach is definitely digital. However, the actual cutting process is still carried out in the same way. Classic people business is therefore not scalable, as one employee is required for each customer. Similar to consulting, in which many tools support the advisor, but the actual advice still takes place in analog form and the advisor has not yet been digitized. You can find more about this in the article about Consulting 4.0 . This shows two examples of classic people business. Of course, there are still no direct answers to these questions, but there is currently a clear trend towards deeper digitization with fundamental changes in behavior. Digital transformation is therefore a profound social change in people’s behavior through digital technologies. One example that already exists is remote work instead of traditional attendance.

Evolutionary stages of the digital transformation

In the blog of Social Collaboration Academy I also found a nice “statement” on the criticism that we have been in a digital transformation for ages: According to the article, there are 4 levels of digitization – but we have only been talking about a digital transformation since we tried it To network the real world and the digital world.

• The first evolutionary stage lasted from approx. 1990 – 2000 and dealt with the networking of computers.
• In the second evolutionary stage from approx. 2000 – approx. 2015 it was primarily about general acceptance and general everyday introduction and use of mobile devices.
• The one in front of us now third evolutionary stage The duration of which experts estimate will be around 2015-2030, focuses on topics such as the general maturity of systems and the Internet of Things.
• With the fourth evolutionary stage , which should start from around 2030, there could be a complete merging of the real and digitally networked world.

Transformation, change, evolution or revolution?

There are many terms for digital transformation and just as many opinions everywhere. Is it a digital transformation or not? A transformation has a beginning and an end. A change stands for a state that changes into another state. Evolution stands for the peaceful further development of something and revolution for a fundamental, often violent, innovation of a respective status quo. Also read my on this Article on the digital r (evolution) . Many also simply refer to the digital transformation as “digitization”. However, this would simply mean: something analog becomes digital. What do you think: which “label” should we give to digital change?

Digitization in German companies

Digitization is not a new topic in the German corporate landscape. Processes have been digitally supported or even fully automated for a long time. The main difference in the current discussion is the increased speed and complexity of the change processes, which can meanwhile result in profound process changes and even job losses (Lindner 2019).

I have already identified some examples in my PhD in Lindner (2019): Siemens to automate over 7000 jobs in administration by 2020 (Heise 2018). Deutsche Telekom is also testing the use of chatbots in customer service, which could change numerous jobs (Handelsblatt 2018) and DHL has been experimenting with the delivery of parcels with drones since 2014 (DHL Paketkopter T3N 2018). Another example is the efforts to create self-driving cars at Audi, VW and Daimler, which could fundamentally change all mobility in Germany (Manager Magazin 2018).

These few examples show that, according to the practical literature, digitization could bring about numerous far-reaching changes.

What is digital transformation?

Many companies have been driving the digitization of society for a long time. We are now talking about digital transformation because of the speed and profound digital changes. While digital technologies were previously often only used “on the surface”, there are now profound changes right through to the original business model. In summary, we are also talking about a digital change or a digital evolution or revolution. You can also read mine at this point Article on the digital (r) evolution – another recommendation is that Book by Petry .

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We understand “digital Darwinsmus” when technology and society change faster than companies are able to adapt to them (Kreutzer / Land).

Adapt or die

Survival of the fittest: Darwin’s theory can best be transferred to the digitization of companies. Because the struggle for survival also takes place there. The strongest is the one who manages to react quickly to technological changes, adapts his business model to customer expectations, uses knowledge profitably and outperforms his opponent (start-up scene).
So the success factor seems to be the speed of your own digitization. Kreutzer and Land speak of a change from CEO to CDO (see figure). According to the two authors, a modern CDO should aim to “destroy” what already exists in order to make room for the “new and digital”. I already have a further article on the subject Leading digital released.

Me, everything, everywhere, immediately … – digital business

The new “connected, informed and all powerful consumer” has clear expectations: “I, everything, instantly and everywhere” (Kreutzer / Land). These challenges and changes in customer requirements can be counteracted in a targeted manner by means of digitization. Customer wishes as a digital business. More examples can be found in my article too digital change.

Customer trust instead of customer touch

It is no longer enough to simply build relationships with prospects and customers, with each being enriched with more information from level to level. Rather, it is important to build up more trust from level to level in order to be able to make increasingly targeted and therefore more relevant offers, especially by providing suitable information and convincing services (Kreutzer / Land). These trust points are therefore a success factor for digital business.

Despite all the euphoria about the engagement in social media, Kreuzter and Land point out the 1: 9:90 rule. Studies show that – across borders – approx. 1% of Internet users are very active and, for example, Post your own contributions in blogs or online communities. 9% of Internet users react to such entries – while a “silent majority” of 90% are only active as reading, according to Kreutzer and Land.
That is why the two authors recommend that we particularly recognize the 1% of opinion leaders on the Internet and ideally win them over. As a blogger, I also notice that many users read very actively. According to various studies, users only read a blog between 3-12 months before they actually comment or react to it. However, many companies stop the “ agile marketing “due to the low response rate. However, in this case it is important to persevere. It is therefore important to give the readers a channel through content in order to trust the company or, in my case, the research project.

The will to become an agile company

The advancing digitization demands a structural change in companies towards agile and evolutionary companies. Evolutionary means here the adaptation to changes. The Laloux’s theses complement each other very well with those of Kreutzer / Land. According to both, companies have the task of constantly adapting to new markets and customer requirements. Agile includes topics like Work 4.0 , New Work and agile leadership . But the exact change and the interpretation are still highly controversial. Also note my other book suggestions for the digital transformation.
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• Technically this means the preparation of information for storage in a digital technical system.
• in the Overall context It means the technologicalization of entire industries in a profound sense, so strategy, organization and socioculture are also affected. For a further definition, read the soon as well Article on digital transformation.

On the one hand, these changes are profound and, on the other hand, they have been developing for years. In this sense, many speak of a digital (r) evolution. For this reason, the aim of this article is to examine arguments for the digital revolution as well as for the digital evolution.

Digital revolution

A revolution means a radical change in “one step”. The term revolution is even often associated with armed violence or a brutal coup. Representatives of this thesis include the aforementioned authors on digital Darwinism. “Adapt or die” say the authors in their numerous keynotes and call for radical changes to ensure the survival of companies. Many companies such as Kodak have already felt this revolution. Established manufacturers in the automotive market are also being attacked with Apple and Google. Here, too, there is a “head to head” race to digitize the automobile.

Digital evolution

On the other hand, digitization has been emerging for a long time. Companies such as Apple and Google have been dedicated to the digitization of our society for years and are making progress with it. So isn’t it a direct revolution but simply the “next step” in the evolution of companies? So are companies just slowly transforming into so-called “digital corporations”?

Digital (r) evolution

Regardless of whether it is a digital evolution or a digital revolution, one thing is certain: companies have to act. In his book on Digital Leadership, Petry uses the Chinese proverb: “When the wind of change blows, some build protective walls and others build windmills”. The digital transformation is coming to German companies and is forcing them to digital change. In the course of the research project, the special influence on the structure of companies towards agile and evolutionary companies is examined.

Medium-sized companies in the digital (r) evolution

I think the main themes of digital transformation are like Consulting 4.0 , Work 4.0 and Industry 4.0 are still in the formulation phase. Most of my practice partners are currently in the phase of testing the first digital and agile lighthouse projects or trying out frameworks in individual teams. This is due to the fact that medium-sized companies are slowly noticing that employee turnover is increasing and customers are no longer as easy to win as they used to be.

Corporations in the digital (r) evolution

Can you compare the pressure on medium-sized companies with corporations? Absolutely! The only difference is that companies get more or less time depending on their size. In a small company, missed trends quickly become noticeable and immediately put it on the wrong side, while a large corporation can often generate business successfully for years afterwards. But this also poses a great danger: How can a company, for example, precisely measure fluctuation? There may be a constant number of employees, but we have to ask ourselves: Are they the best people who switch to innovative startups or medium-sized companies because there are better and digital working conditions there? So many large corporations are currently in crisis. A famous example are our banks or, possibly, our major automobile brands soon. Large banks now have problems with the hyped Number26 and Tesla is also attacking our renowned automobile brands from the USA. What was unthinkable in the past is a reality today. Or did you ever think that startups would attack corporations and Apple build cars?

What do you think?

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But where can that come from? There are certainly numerous aspects and I have already given many tips for managers, which I list below as reading tips. In this article I would like to address the aspect of self-organization, which can lead to doubts in executives. A special sub-aspect is the feeling that you are no longer needed.

• Leadership of virtual teams
• Leadership in times of Corona
• Leadership 4.0
• Lead like a gardener

My experience with self-organization

I have been a department head since 2019 and previously had a deputy for this role for almost 2 years. During this time I packed the goals of the board of directors into various projects, which contributed to the realization of the goals.

I would like to present three exemplary project models that I carried out under the aspect of self-organization at the level of a department head. The projects run through the typical waterfall process for better illustration. After analyzing the corporate goals and the conception, the project was quickly tested as a proof of concept. Then the implementation was carried out and the new result of the project, for example a new process in the department.

An important aspect is that as a department head I have to pull myself out of topics quickly, otherwise I will be fighting on too many construction sites at the same time. That’s why I delegate quickly and am still available for questions and coaching. Otherwise you run the risk of being overburdened or of being a bottleneck in the operation.

In the first example, I put a corporate goal into a specific project and explained it to the employees. The employees understood this quickly and were able to implement it as a project. I was only open to questions and then withdrew from the topic.

In the second example, I started a project together with an employee as a further development measure and helped him to carry out the analysis and concept. He was quite young and the concept was complex. It did him good that I helped. Now the employee was able to implement the project on his own and I then helped establish it.

In the third example, an experienced employee approached me with a suggestion. I then helped build it up from the concept. Now the employee has started the POC and then reported to me. We then planned the implementation in the department together and he established it.

Conclusion: Success through self-organization and doubts through redundancy

Only this approach ultimately helped me to implement many projects in a meaningful way and to address numerous topics at the same time. I had to put a lot of trust in the employees, but I don’t slow down operations as a bottleneck and give employees the opportunity to distinguish themselves through projects.

I believe this approach is correct and also good. I discussed it on the blog for a long time and also examined it during my research. Now I am actively doing it myself and after a while I was plagued by doubts that I was actually not doing anything right and only others would reap constant fame. I feel like a shadow between many stars completing permanent projects and rocking. In the end, these doubts spurred me on to make the department even better and to continue on this path. The end was that the board of directors praised me strongly, because in the end it is my department and even if others manage the projects, it falls back on you as a department head. It’s never been that I wasn’t needed. Employees kept telling me that they were glad that I was there. It was also known throughout the company that I often manage projects in the background.

Dear managers! It can feel hard that you are no longer in the spotlight and not always getting full glory quickly. Trust also requires a certain amount of overcoming and your own employees are sometimes more praised than you are. This can cause doubts even in the strongest of characters when traditionally thinking employees ask: “What are you still doing?”. I believe that through self-organization the short-term fame is lost, but the medium- and long-term is all the greater. That is why I appeal to you: do not give up, encourage self-organization, discard doubts and follow the path of success!

Reading tip: Be boss boss!

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If you are also thinking about changing jobs because of the manager, because her boss is unbearable or a narcissist, then you should continue reading this article. In the first step, I would like to discuss such unbearable behavior and then examine whether a termination is really the only solution.

The behavior of bosses

Unfortunately, a study shows that the number of personality disorders is increasing massively, especially at management level. A survey of the German Graduate School of Management and Law of almost 850 executives shows that over 300 people exhibited a high level of personality disorder. Lawyers (36%), managers (27%) and doctors (22%) are particularly affected. An even larger number show a moderate to mild personality disorder, especially in the managerial area.

The Dark Triad

The psychologists Delroy Paulhaus and Kevin Williams (University of Vancouver) conceived the so-called Dark Triad more than 15 years ago. The content is three specific personality disorders, which occur more and more in executives. The two psychologists found that white-collar workers, in particular, often pretend to be very different at work. Since executives tend to have greater freedom, they are more likely to be “you” as employees. You are sure to find one of these behaviors in your boss.

The classic: boss is a narcissist

The narcissist is the most common. According to Wikipedia, narcissism is : The expression narcissism In everyday psychology and colloquial terms stands for the self-love and self-admiration of a person who considers himself more important and valuable than judging observers characterize him.

Those who suffer from the personality disorder narcissism struggle with a lack of self-esteem and a high sensitivity to criticism. You are constantly fighting for recognition. But where does narcissism come from?

Historical and psychological explanation

The term comes from the Greek mythology of the river god Kephissos. Everyone around him loved him and he had an incredible attraction. But out of pride and arrogance, he rejected them all. His infatuation, however, was punished. There are two versions:

• He looks in a mirror and saw his reflection. He tries to achieve it and realizes that it is not possible. Plagued by longing, he dies and turns into a daffodil.
• Without realizing that it is his reflection in the mirror, Kephissos leans into the water to be close to the object of his love and drowns. A daffodil grew in the place where he went into the water.

Think of it in a person’s head like this: Narcissists have very little self-confidence and high doubts about themselves. You therefore need confirmation and admiration, as well as status as a boss. Normal people build their self-esteem on four feet. It is stable. The narcissist only has one shaky foot. At the slightest criticism or loss of status, this foot wobbles directly and threatens to tip over quickly. That’s why the narcissist hits the roof so quickly.

Narcissism in everyday life

I experience narcissism as the most common form in managers and I have dealt with it a lot in the past. As management consultants, we have generally been specially trained in this type of character. Specifically, I would like to give a few more examples of what such behavior looks like in everyday life.

• Not Critical: Any criticism is harshly thrown back and immediately counted as an attack.
• There are no mistakes There is no such thing as admitting a mistake. It’s always the others. What about successes? Of course, they are only ascribed to themselves!
• Self-promoter: Narcissists can appear extraordinarily nice, kind, and charismatic, especially in the beginning. You present yourself well to achieve your goals.
• There are no needs of others: It is difficult to change perspective (empathy). You don’t respond to the needs of others because it doesn’t promote your own goals. I believe that daffodils don’t lead people, they manage resources like characters.

Fighting or looking for a conversation with top management?

I often receive three specific tips from coaches and personnel developers, which I have often seen implemented in practice by other employees. Unfortunately, all three have never had any success so far.

• Look for a direct conversation
• Escalate with top management
• Wait for the boss to leave

Narcissists don’t talk! – direct conversation

Talking to a narcissist can be forgotten. Daffodils suffer from extreme insecurity and any criticism is fended off. You feel attacked and the other person is perceived directly as an enemy. You can be sure: He will make your life hell.

It is hardly possible for a narcissist to change fundamentally in the job. I’ve only ever seen someone want to change through therapy and it worked. However, it is an absolutely isolated case.

Bosses are often too tight in the saddle – escalation among top management

I experience that narcissists are often very firmly in the saddle and there is hardly any way to suppress them. The top management often picks it up and either it doesn’t happen or a direct conversation is sought between you and the boss. The consequence is as already described above. Everything will be denied and the top management will cover its manager. Unfortunately, in 5 years I have seen someone have success with it.

Bosses don’t change – it’s not worth waiting

Also the tip that you should wait for the boss to leave, “He won’t stay in that position much longer with this behavior”. I experience that most of them will very well be in one position for many years. It is not worth waiting in my eyes. It is not easy to change, especially for managers. On the one hand, the managers already have a high salary and, on the other hand, companies are often not looking for managers.

An article from Monster shows that in times of flat hierarchies the number of executives even decreases: No growth, only need for replacement ! Furthermore, I have only seen very rarely and only after a very long time that a manager has been transferred or even fired because of numerous layoffs. So 90% of the time you can assume that your boss will stay for a very long time and it is up to you whether you get along with the boss or not!

What to do? Slime, distance, be an expert or escape

So what do you do now? I found a total of four options. The first option is slime , which is particularly important in the context of service providers and management consultants when one is dependent on the customer. Narcissists are always on the lookout for confirmation and, accordingly, are prone to flattery and praise.

A second option is to keep your distance . I often see this especially in large companies. Avoid the person. You stay under the radar. This is especially good if you are very satisfied with your job and currently do not want to change or advance. The narcissist will leave you alone when he realizes that you are not threatening him. But be careful: as soon as you can be better than him, he will start fighting you.

The third option is to be an expert on something . They are irreplaceable for the company. The boss cannot achieve his goals without you and is dependent on your knowledge. You will find that the boss is flattering you.

If these three options don’t help, then there are Option four: escape! A high level of job dissatisfaction and stress can have a negative impact on private life and promote chronic diseases. Protect yourself and write applications diligently.

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The requirements for employees and managers differ significantly. A good employee is by no means a good manager. So if you want to be promoted, you must first make an advance payment: From tomorrow onwards, stop acting like an employee but be a manager. So move away from the mindset of the employee!

Reading tip: Become a manager

The mindset of employees

I am now involved in the selection and coaching of managers and pay close attention to the manager’s mindset. As a manager you are not hired directly. The majority have worked as employees in day-to-day business over the past few years.

The consequence is that due to the small scope, some behaviors, i.e. an employee mindset, have established themselves. An employee mindset is characterized by typical behaviors such as:

• They are hardworking and doing assigned tasks
• You have little network in the company
• They often point out that your manager is responsible for this
• You work in your clearly defined area of competence
• They often delve into details
• You work from nine to five and company events are hardly relevant
• You only ever solve all problems yourself
• You work 8 hours a day on assigned tasks

These behaviors may sound almost negative, but they are not. They show the solid and good employees who reliably perform tasks.

Reading tip: Become a senior

The mindset of executives

As already mentioned, the requirements for managers are completely different. You quickly notice that you can no longer do everything alone in leadership and that details also lose their importance. In this way, a manager distinguishes itself significantly from a good employee. The mindset of executives has typical behaviors such as:

• You accept challenges, even if you are outside of the competence
• You always think in a solution-oriented manner
• You distribute tasks so that you have time for leadership again
• You don’t delve into details but see the big picture
• You invest a lot of time in your networks with other managers
• They motivate those around them
• You are constantly planning how your team can be expanded
• You act at eye level with appreciation
• You always stay calm

You cannot usually be promoted by your direct boss

Now there is another difficulty: In most cases, it is not your direct boss who can promote you, but his boss.

Your task is therefore: Try to establish contact with the upper management floors. You can do this by actively addressing them or by having projects with management attention.

Establishing contacts takes time

It is no secret that management in a company is often a separate and self-contained circle despite all the agility. There is a simple rule from the animal kingdom that you should apply in such closed circles:

When you approach a strange cat, it is initially afraid of you. She sees you as a possible threat. So sit on the floor for a while and wait 3-5 minutes. You will notice that the cat slowly gets used to your presence and approaches. This tip is also given in flirt and sales seminars:

Stand at the customer’s table and only speak to them directly after 3-5 minutes

Establish contact with upper management!

So if you are in upper management follow this rule. It is best to do the following:

• Get in touch with the managers at the Christmas party
• Try to come to important meetings with the managers
• Try to meet the managers in places like the coffee kitchen etc.

Important rule to start with: Say as little as possible to show that you are not a threat. Show them with loyal sentences that you can be relied on.

tip : So just keep quiet for 3-5 meetings (a few sentences) and show the people around you that you are not a threat. You will notice that after a while you will start talking to the managers.

If you slowly and naturally become part of upper management in the manner described and someone trusts you, then it is only a matter of time before you get a firm seat there.

Conclusion

A promotion to management depends on different skills than in a specialist career. You have to have strong networks, manage company policy, land good projects, recognize intrigues and forge alliances, and manage and expand your area constantly like an entrepreneur.

You are often praised with the mindset of the employee and you are sometimes the boss’s favorite because you are reliable. That is great and certainly a first-rate condition. However, if you want to move up, that will hardly get you any further, as you do not exist in the eyes of top managers or are just a very good but little known employee.

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About a flagship project for a leadership role

The majority of the executives I have in the Study by Lindner and Greff (2018) questioned, took on a very difficult lighthouse project in the company before starting their job as a manager as a project manager or employee. You can recognize such a difficult lighthouse project by the following features:

• It has absolute management attention
• It has insufficient resources and is often over the deadline (or starts over)
• It’s highly political
• It is making a lot of money for the company or has already devoured a lot of money
• The current status is unclear and the project threatens to fail

Due to these facts, established project managers do not want to take over this project and, in the absence of alternatives, young people with little experience are often given the chance to take over the project. For you, however, this means a great risk, as the chance of failure is very high and a lot of overtime will be incurred. So be prepared for stressful times. But you will also come into a lot of contact with managers and the company’s board of directors as a result of the project. You will also continue to mature as a person and gain a lot of experience.
It is now a matter of showing what you can do. Private life should also take a back seat during this time. While you have a high chance of failure, there is also a lot to be won. Some employees will certainly view you with skepticism. However, there is the chance for you, for example, to bring a project to an end that has devoured money for many years or to lead a profitable project to success with too little time and resources. This strong reference in the company is then often known to the board of directors.
Now you have the best arguments to ask for an initial leadership role. Then the work really begins. At least this was the result of many conversations with managers from my study, as well as my observations in my own environment.

The first leadership role is the hardest

After the project you will often get the status of “Rising Star” in the company. But you deserve this after a stressful project. After all, you have shown that you can achieve a lot in a difficult environment with minimal resources. The tip is: seek an interview with the supervisor. Often there are the following options afterwards:

• Establish a project in the company
• Restructure the existing area
• Build a new area

You will either continue the project as a team leader (the project will become a permanent team), you will be given a new area (build area) or you will have to restructure an established area that is no longer running well. Certainly there are more options, but usually you will logically get these offers.
If you still pass this challenge, you have “arrived” as a manager, so to speak. Of course, your journey never stops and new challenges will constantly arise. You should also now remember that mentors have helped you and that you can now pass on your knowledge to others.

Conclusion: show what you can do!

Of course, that’s not all, and there are other ways to become a leader. Neither did I mention important factors such as personality, ability and relationships. However, the opportunity to take on a lighthouse project can help you show what you can do in the company. It serves as a kind of honest reference that you are able to achieve a good result with little experience and few resources. I think this is a good path, but it also takes a lot of courage to take on such a big challenge. Here are further articles with tips on leadership:

• Leadership 4.0
• Leadership 4.0
• Digital leadership
• Agile leadership

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Four management methods – four customers

In order to support the team as best as possible, I have divided it up according to customers. Every customer has a fixed contact person. This employee only works for this customer. The other 5 employees each work for 1.5 customers. In summary, a customer has a permanent employee as well as a representative.
In order to support this as best as possible, I used four management methods for the four customers. With a customer, I’m more there as a coach for the employee and as an escalation for the customer, if something should happen.
In contrast, I work for a customer, even in day-to-day business, and I am on a perfect eye-level with the customers and technicians in the project. For the third customer, we work according to DevOps and I play the Scrum Master in the team. The fourth customer is new and I can just find my rhythm. For this reason, I can’t say that much yet, because I carefully look at the customer and let the technicians do the work first, as the customer is still superbly guided by the responsible project manager.

Study: Success Factors of Virtual Teams

Akin and Rumpf already examined the success factors of virtual teams in 2013. Together with Tobias Greff from the AWS Institute I have in a study (Lindner and Greff 2018). selected of them examined. The 50 executives with a focus on virtual teams were asked to rate the factors according to importance from 1 (very important) to 5 (not important).

• Mentoring / coaching of team members (2.44 – higher importance)
• Determination of individual and group goals (2.48 – higher importance)
• Definition of roles and tasks (2.56 – average importance)
• Organization of personal meetings of the team to build trust (2.64 – average importance)
• Control and monitoring of team members (4.88 – low importance)

Definition of roles and tasks

My first important task was to define roles and tasks. As already described, some employees are permanently assigned to a customer. These are usually the strong seniors. The professionals each support 2 customers. Thus they are coached extensively by 2 seniors. Below is the organizational chart for the team. Since one customer and the 2 employees are still new, the cross-functional aspect is not yet pronounced for customer D, but that will come soon. I also have the role of “location representative” for each location, which one person permanently assumes. For example, he will book a room etc. for us if we are holding a meeting at a location.

Mentoring / coaching of the team members

The first place in our study was the mentoring of the team members. I also took this to heart in my team. For this reason, I travel back and forth between the locations on a monthly basis and talk to the team and make phone calls to the teams on a daily basis. Individual coaching is also important. For this reason, I telephone every single team member on a weekly basis. But I don’t think that I coach there, I just listen. Now and then I explain what the situation is like at the other location in order to create an understanding. Usually the employee knows better how to act with the customer anyway and usually only needs an open ear.
activities

• Weekly one-on-one meetings
• Daily conference call
• monthly visit

Determination of individual and group goals

Now I’ve set certain goals for the team. On the one hand, I wanted to develop the professionals further and further strengthen the seniors. So I have OKRs (Objective and key results set for customers). OKRS means that a team vision is defined, which is broken down into individual goals for the respective team and individual. These are negotiated democratically with the team. The result is as follows. For the time being we did without the team vision because the team is new and we want to maintain customer satisfaction for the time being.

• Customer A: no complaints and failures (proactive failure management)
• Customer B: Utilization of the hourly quota to the satisfaction of the customer
• Customer C: Achievement of the story points in each month
• Customer D: Release of the new technology in June and proactive maintenance

With the respective jumpers, i.e. who are not directly assigned to a customer, I have agreed that they should learn and help to get the senior title one day. So the goal for everyone was: to become a senior!
activities

• Customer goals negotiated democratically
• The individual goal is always the next career level

Organization of personal meetings of the team to build trust

Another point is of course building trust. With virtual teams in particular, it is always important that the team knows each other and works in harmony. Fortunately, in addition to enough travel budget, I also have a budget for a team evening a month. We usually go out together in the evening and often party extensively well into the night. I think this is an important factor in the success of this team. We also have a 3-4h meeting before the team evening in which we clarify various points.
activities

• Team evening once a month
• Team meeting once a month

Control and monitoring of team members

I’m actually not a fan of surveillance, as I find that it makes employees feel more insecure than encouraging them. I believe that everyone wants to work and that you should just measure the achievement of goals. We have Jira and a ticket system in which I can look up the employees’ tasks for hours. However, I tend to talk to the team in the daily or check the regular telco with the customer to see how satisfied they are. I also tend to make sure that all employees adhere to the customer’s processes (e.g. Scrum). Of course, I also check the ticket system from time to time, but mostly everything is okay there or with so many customers and tickets it is never possible to understand everything in depth anyway.
activities

• Measure goals
• Ask employees
• Customers ask

Open challenges and conclusion

At the time, I took on the challenge of virtual collaboration with pleasure and enjoy working with this team every day and also with and on this way of working. It is completely new to me, too, because in my doctorate I examined virtual leadership rather theoretically, but I was able to start the race with a little prior knowledge. In any case, it is important to cut the tasks clearly on the one hand and to allow overlaps on the other. Furthermore, clear goals and many individual discussions are very beneficial.
For the future, I am now planning to sensibly dock with the new customer and also to develop the seniors in the team into strong executives. Maybe one day you will replace me. Now I would like to face the last task, which is to abolish myself. My vision is that the team will continue to work for the customers in a completely autonomous, virtual and self-organized manner. Until then we still have a long way to go, but we are on the right track.
Reading tip: Organizational rebels – my change story
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Der Beitrag Digital Leadership – Tips for Virtual Teams erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

Choice of day and frequency

If you want to work from home, the first step is obvious: Talk to your boss and your team whether and how home office is possible. Appropriate approval or approval is an elementary step.
Set yourself a day. This can be regular or irregular. For example, I always work from home on Mondays or Thursdays, depending on the schedule. I rarely have direct meetings on these days and don’t plan any meetings on that day, if possible.
I work from home for a maximum of 2 days a week, otherwise you lose contact with the company. I also have a lot of management tasks that require communication. This is also reflected in the results of our study: It was found that the majority usually only work from home for 1 day per week. On the other hand, more than half of them do not use the home office offer and many respondents often want far more home office.

Choice of tasks in the home office

Every week I prepare tasks that I want to do in the home office. Especially when I work from home on Thursday, I try to collect various tasks from Monday to Wednesday. Here are some examples that are perfect for the home office:

• Sort Jira board and view and create Jira tasks
• Revise wiki pages and write documentation
• telephone extensively with remote employees
• create a powerpoint

In the home office, on the one hand, you are mostly quiet and, on the other hand, you are a little more cut off from communication than in the company. There are therefore always certain types of tasks that are suitable for the home office. So these are usually jobs that require little communication.
Reading tip: Opportunities of digital work
Looking at the study, most of the participants also do a lot of individual work. However, there is also a clear tendency towards teamwork. We noticed that this strongly depends on the technical equipment, since chats, video telephony and VPN as well as tools like Jira are important for this.

You also have to ensure that you can securely connect to your workplace and thus use all functions. Not all respondents can use the company’s full range of tools. However, I’m lucky and can connect to our network via VPN.

Technical Equipment

So we come to the real point: the technical equipment in the home office. I myself have a quiet alcove with a plant, ergonomic mouse / keyboard, comfortable chair and an iMac. There I have enough peace to work. As I work for my doctorate and often on weekends, equipping my workplace at home has always been very important.
Reading tip: Equipment in the home office
The majority of the participants also have quite good technical equipment at home, which in some cases is even better than in the office. Laptops, smartphones and tablets in particular are widespread in the home office. I find it funny that there is even a fax machine in the home office, but far fewer people with 2 screens.

Summary: advantages and disadvantages of working from home

Home office is a privilege in German companies and is still far from everywhere. I really enjoy it and it makes me a lot more productive. However, my company has both the technical equipment and a home office culture. I have also set up a suitable workplace for myself at home.
See the figure below for a summary of the study. Home office is therefore largely used for uninterrupted work and TelCos. The advantages are the compatibility of leisure and work as well as the gain in time (you save the commute). Disadvantages are of course the loss of communication in the company and the penetration of work content into the private environment.
I believe that working from home is a perfect complement to everyday work for 1-2 days a week and that it makes employees more productive and satisfied. Of course, not everyone is a so-called “home office” type, as work at home can also be distracting. It will therefore always be an optional offer in every company. I hope that the study and my tips have given you a few ideas about working from home and look forward to your comments. Below is the abstract of the study. Many thanks to Paul Niebler, who did a very good job.

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Der Beitrag Study: Tips for working from home erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.

What is digital leadership

In the study mentioned, Tobias Greff (AWS Institute for Digital Products and Processes) and I (Lindner and Greff 2018) looked at over 30 definitions of the digital leader. Together we came up with the following definition:
Digital leadership is a cross-sectional competence and a collective term for various methods, theories and tools that describe leadership and, in particular, leadership competence in the digital age (Lindner and Greff 2018).
Reading tip: What is digital leadership

What are the CHALLENGES of a digital leader?

As already mentioned in the study by Lindner and Greff (2018): Leadership, like leadership research, has always been subject to permanent change. What characterizes a manager is dealing with new challenges (Wiendick & Wiswede 1990). Leadership behavior is shaped by learning processes, self-reflection, lived vision and adaptation as well as changing framework conditions (Enste et al. 2013). One example is Taylorism, in which it was the task of the manager to achieve the maximum efficiency of employees and machines. It continued with new topics such as the increasing number of women, which sparked a gender-specific leadership discussion, or globalization, which triggered a discussion about diversity-oriented leadership. Managers are now facing increasing digitization. This has numerous challenges. In a round table Tobias Greff and I asked 6 managers about their current challenges. These are:

• Generational conflict / digital maturity of the individual
• Remote and distance guidance
• Agile team leadership

To explain: Digital maturity means that some employees like to use a lot of technology and other employees even refuse to use it. A manager must therefore lead employees individually according to the digital maturity level
There is no question that all employees work in the same place. This increases the need for a virtual tour by phone, video or email. The number of so-called agile teams (e.g. Scrum), which can no longer be successfully managed using conventional methods, is also increasing.

How can a digital leader master digitization?

In the study by Lindner and Greff, 66 executives were asked about the current approaches to solving the three challenges mentioned above. The results can be found extensively in the study, but I would like to quote a few of the recommendations for action.

Generation management (from Lindner and Greff 2018)

• Understand: Generation X, Y and Z stand for employees in three phases of digital affinity – beginners, advanced and digital natives. It is recommended to build up knowledge about the individual generations.
• Evaluate individually: Not every employee can be clearly classified into a generation or an older employee is not always a newcomer to digitization.
• Use acceptance: New flexible work concepts are generally valued across generations and thus offer the ideal starting point.
• Employee orientation: Generation management does not replace individual leadership, but it does offer guidance.
• Reading tip: What is generation management

Remote and distance guidance (from Lindner and Greff 2018)

• Create awareness: According to the study, virtual leadership skills are becoming increasingly important. More than 90% of employees are permanently available digitally. In more than 55% of the cases, a virtual tour is mandatory.
• Coach & motivate employees: The motivation of the employees in a virtual employment relationship and the coaching are regarded as one of the most important tasks of the manager.
• Concrete goals: It is recommended to control virtual teams via goals. Regular status reports are useful as an instrument for target correction.
• Clear distribution of roles: In a virtual team, the stable distribution of roles and working according to the pull principle could relieve a manager.
• Employees trust: According to the participants, virtual leadership is based on trust. It can be assumed that the larger the work packages, the more trust is required.
• Reading tip: What is e-leadership

Agile team leadership (from Lindner and Greff 2018)

• Skills : There is a common understanding that a digital leader should have social, technological and visionary skills that can be trained.
• Characteristics are : Promote leadership at eye level, trust in employees, experiments and inspiration as well as agility and participation.
• Competencies are : the knowledge of new trends, agile methods, new work concepts, new technologies and new markets.
• Reading tip: Agile leadership

Conclusion

A digital leader is characterized by dealing with current challenges in the course of digital change. Using the example of three selected challenges, I have given tips and hints for solving these in this article.
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Der Beitrag What makes a good digital leader? #TimeTac erschien zuerst auf agile Companies.