“What am I to do?”

This question, shortened to the point, unites our clients – senior executives, managing directors and board members of companies. And often leaves them sleepless.

Missing clartity about one’s own direction and target or the way to get there is not surprising – particularly when it comes to addressing major decisions and challenges. This is equally true for individual and organizational issues – but even more so for large scale transformations due to their greater complexity.

It is therefore important to find new direction in order to be able to make clear decisions – for oneself and for the company.

The primary goal of our support is to ensure that you and your leadership team reach this point of clarity and inner peace, thus to successfully master the challenges ahead.

Based on this basic understanding, we guide you as a “rock of strength” with heart and mind, knowlegde and wisdom – as consultants, coaches and trainers, individually and/or collectively.

Especially for demanding leadership challenges, like organizational transformation projects, we suggest the following approach, adapted to your specific needs:

1. conscious consideration of evolutionary development stages.
2. integral and inclusive approach.
3. combination of collective support with individual development.

1. Conscious consideration of evolutionary development stages

The development of human beings takes place in developmental stages, which are described in so-called “evolutionary level models” (e.g. “Barrett Model”, “Spiral Dynamics (R)”, “Laloux Culture Model”). Each level of development has different values, attitudes, and mind-sets of individuals, but also as F. Laloux has pointed different cultures and forms of organization.

In contrast to classical “change projects”, we refer to the further development and transition to the next development level or stage as “transformation”
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Recognizing the necessity of transition to the next stage and, in this case, promoting it consciously with appropriate experience is essential for the success of a transformation project. This is because every transition to the next level involves a fundamental change in consciousness and presents organizations and individuals with major challenges that are often associated with massive fears and resistance. Moreover, the challenges vary depending on which level transition is involved.

Often it is external circumstances, such as increasing digitalization or new competitors, that make such a transition in level necessary. This must be taken into account in the design and implementation of the transformation and the transformation process has to be supported accordingly, mindfully and with the required level of humilty.

2. Integral and inclusive approach
   

In projects, we always prefer to take an integral and inclusive approach. The integral approach – based on Ken Wilber – takes four perspectives into account: an internal and an external perspective, as well as an individual and an organizational perspective. This results in four quadrants (see graphic), which should be equally considered in the transformation:

The further development of a company must always be carried out coherently, i.e., in close coordination across all four quadrants. This applies in particular to a transition of level. Example: The introduction of new, digital business models (a development in the “bottom-right” quadrant to a higher level), always requires changes in the type of collaboration and culture (“bottom-left”). Likewise, developments at the individual level that are aligned with this are necessary, e.g., different leadership skills (“top-right”) and new, digital thought models (“top-left”). This 4-quadrant approach should be taken into account in the definition of goals, diagnosis and implementation.

We also attach great importance to an inclusive approach right from the start, i.e., involving as many employees as possible in the design process at an early stage. All of this with the aim of finding better solutions together and reducing resistance by giving employees the opportunity to help shape the process. To make this happen even in large organizational units, we have developed an online tool with our software partner Evalea (360 Degree Profiler), which we use to record the current situation and regularly measure progress.

3. Combination of collective support and coaching/training

Apart from all process models, the essential factor for the success is that you as leaders pull together and authentically model what matters in the future.  Only by standing fully behind what is required and authentically exemplifying what matters in the future, it can be successfully lead.

As a rule, this includes that you yourself and your management team also have to develop further. To this end, we offer (together with our partners) integrated support with coordinated coaching and leadership development programs, so to address all quadrants of development coherently and “from a single source”.