Finanz Informatik, the digitalization partner and central IT service provider of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, has fundamentally reorganized its infrastructure consulting division. In a comprehensive change management project, the service provision process was completely revised and aligned with the increased requirements and needs of customers. FI Infrastructure Consulting is thus taking an important step towards digital transformation and is following the IT service provider's long-term strategy. The Change@IB project was carried out over the course of more than a year in close collaboration with the consultants from noventum consulting.
Generational changes in management and constant growth often put companies in the situation of having to put their management methods to the test. Openness to new management methods and the desire to be up to date in an agile working environment also act as a driver for change in management. Following a detailed cultural analysis, Borgel Elementbau GmbH decided to place more decision-making freedom and responsibility in the hands of its project managers. Supported by noventum consultants, a change process was initiated that included new management structures and agile methods. A kick-start workshop and the creation of a project manager handbook were key measures.
In a management training course for current and future managers, the Münsterland-based service companies Cathalog and Cathamed made a statement for participation and active further development in their organisation. Together with the consultants from noventum consulting, the participants, who also included friendly business partners, worked intensively and very personally on their role and expectations as managers in a workshop lasting several days. Managing Director Kai Eickelpasch talks about the "Cathalog and Friends" workshop in an nc360° interview.
The Ostbevern municipal administration is to develop significantly in terms of corporate culture, leadership quality and organisational structure in order to improve its attractiveness as an employer and at the same time increase trust, motivation, commitment, cooperation, identification, customer focus, efficiency, speed and citizen service. These were the objectives of the newly elected mayor Karl Piochowiak, with which he approached the noventum team in 2022.
The MyWay programme of the Münsterland-based vehicle manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull is all about promoting networking, exchanging knowledge and, overall, sharing expertise and driving innovation faster and more efficiently. noventum consultants have been active as trainers in the MyWay programme for more than a year with great success and have already familiarised more than 50 employees with the basics of agile methods, change management and design thinking in the training series.
The IT division of RWE Supply and Trading is spread across several locations in Europe with main sites in Essen and Swindon/UK. In an entertaining 3-day meeting, the IT strategy for the group company was to be discussed and continued. The planning team, consisting of 2 English and 3 German RWEST employees as well as Uwe Rotermund from noventum, gladly accepted this "challenge". RWE quickly decided that it should go to Barcelona, which offered a good cultural balance and complement to the demanding professional framework.
Companies are under great pressure to change. Work is being redefined, employees are striving for meaningfulness and want to actively participate in the work process. Digitalisation, agility and staff shortages are driving the demand for "New Work". These changes are a challenge for managers. They have to adapt the way they work and find new roles for themselves and their teams. Leadership training is therefore becoming increasingly important. Successful leadership training can help managers to further develop their skills and potential.
To ensure the success of a management seminar, there are a few steps that the client and participants should take into account.
For Stadtsparkasse Lengerich, the time was ripe for a new mission statement in spring 2023. One reason for this was the generational change on the Management Board, but it was also important to align the bank for the challenging years ahead and to create a strong, easy-to-understand and attractive orientation for employees and applicants. Customers and business partners also needed to understand what Stadtsparkasse Lengerich stands for and why it is so important that this organisation exists and plays a very useful and important role in the business ecosystem. noventum organisational consultants moderated the process.
In autumn 2022, Backstube MALZERS set up a project lasting several months to further develop its attractiveness as an employer. Motivated by participation in the Great Place to Work® employee survey, a project group made up of employees and managers from all areas of the company drew up suggestions for improvement, which were implemented in individual projects. Organisational developers from noventum consulting supported the agile process. Following the great success of the first round, the second "Future Kneaders" group has been working at MALZERS since June 2023.
Organisations must be able to react to complex market requirements in order to remain sustainable through innovation. Self-organisation, assumption of responsibility and participation are necessary for successful agile change. With this premise in mind, the management of Industriebau Hoff und Partner from Gronau started an intensive process together with the change consultants from noventum consulting, which provides a strong impulse for the future management and leadership culture of the industrial construction and engineering company.
In the digital change project "Future Image", genua GmbH relies on a modern way of working: Hybrid project management, a high degree of self-organisation, participative decision-making and the accompaniment of change in the company from the very beginning characterise the complex project. Due to the strong further development of the company in the past years, the requirements have changed - among others for the IT core system. In order to meet the ambitious objectives, a large-scale project is being set up that will trigger a transformation in the company at various levels, which will be accompanied by strong change management in the project from the very beginning. In addition, the project is characterised by a high level of employee engagement, an agile to hybrid methodology, a participative approach as well as flexibility to manage the high level of complexity. The common thread besides the strong performance in the project - noventum.
Addressing the meaning of an organisation is more important than ever. In his work "Re-Inventing Organizations", Frederic Laloux identified the sense orientation of companies as one of the three key drivers of motivation of people and groups. Companies whose success depends on the intrinsic motivation of their employees should therefore have a good answer to the question of meaning and make sure that a management process is established for this purpose that prevents meaning orientation from being lost in day-to-day business and money-making.
Trust is more than a concept or an attitude, it needs to be actively built and nurtured. Most institutions emphasise the importance of trust between staff and with clients in their mission or vision statements. Few, however, have defined the cultivation of a culture of trust as a process and a leadership task. In his contribution, Uwe Rotermund advocates treating trust consistently as a management task and pursuing it systematically and sustainably.
The Sparkassenverbund Olpe-Drolshagen-Wenden invited local entrepreneurs to the 11th "Sparkasse Entrepreneur Forum". The topic of the event was effective strategies and instruments for employee retention. noventum managing director Uwe Rotermund explained to the lively audience how important active participation and opportunities for employees to get involved can be as an instrument in combating the shortage of skilled workers.
Employee participation is part of the guiding principle of many companies. In order to be able to live this principle, it helps to have a well thought-out concept and often the support of appropriate software that provides a framework for everyday work. OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) and "ZielNavigator®" are a successful combination for planning and controlling and are increasingly used in everyday business.
With a fundamental renewal of its organizational and leadership culture, the Ibbenbüren-based mechanical engineering company MBH is meeting the challenge of being positioned for the future with technical and organizational excellence, even in its anniversary year of 2027. Under the programmatic title "Fit for Fifty", they have set out with the organization and culture experts from noventum to further develop the organizational and leadership culture of MBH using agile methods.
A EINS Digital Innovation GmbH, based in Wittlich, is a project service provider and product supplier for innovative digital solutions. Founder and CEO Andy Altmeyer sees the future of the company in the expansion of the standardised solutions business, especially in comprehensive SMART CITY solutions. A EINS' flagship product is PORTAZON - the Smart City Super App. At the beginning of the project with noventum, A EINS had the challenge of finding a healthy balance between requested project services at its customers and the investment in the further development of the Smart City App PORTAZON.
In 2020, the Corona epidemic radically hit the travel industry. Almost all trips were cancelled, new contracts were no longer concluded and only with the help of emergency government aid were the travel agencies able to prevent the immediate end. The three Lufthansa City Center travel agencies ReiseArt, Lückertz and Schlagheck from Münsterland had already been negotiating a stronger cooperation before Corona, but now the catastrophic market situation accelerated their plans and since April 2022 they have been united under the brand "reiseart". The change consultants from noventum consulting accompanied the merger process since August 2021.
Alliance Automotive Germany GmbH (AAGG) is part of the Alliance Automotive Group, the second largest car parts dealer and full-service workshop provider in Europe. It is working on the introduction of a uniform ERP system for the entire company. After the technical start of the project in 2019, those responsible prepared themselves in intensive change management workshops in the summer and autumn of 2021 to take the project into the company. noventum change management consultants Jan Helmchen and Rabea Wolters moderated the workshops.
Like many other partner companies, noventum consulting has signed the Microsoft "Act to accelerate". With this paper, Microsoft is making a statement about the future of the digital world, in which the IT economy can and wants to make a significant contribution. The terms innovation, trust, culture, sustainability and empowerment mark the framework for the Microsoft Partner Pledge. In a detailed concept, noventum sets its own impulses on the topic of sustainability.
Traditional methods of hierarchical leadership are increasingly less suitable in companies and institutions to deal with the complexity and confusion that have to be managed on a daily basis in the digital age. Self-organisation and agility are replacing the "top-down principle" and unfolding an inspiring dynamic in organisation and operation. The management of the Allwetterzoos Münster is also agile today after Advanced Training in "agile project management". The change management consultants from noventum consulting opened up the goal and methodology of agile management in an intensive workshop.
Mastering the technology and methodology of the digital professional world is part of the armor of future managers in all industries. For some, this is a real challenge that also requires personal courage to embrace change. With Zert-Ex, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is promoting a corresponding continuing education program for future specialists and managers, which was conducted by the North Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Uwe Rotermund, change expert and "missionary" for a new leadership culture, opened up perspectives for an agile future to the training participants.
For some years now, terms from the world of agility have increasingly been shaping change management in large organizations. Teams develop their tasks in rapid, intensive and agile intervals in the ongoing process, and the customer himself has the chance for concrete participation. Public administrations are also facing major challenges such as the Corona crisis, digitalization, the shortage of skilled workers or the climate crisis and need to review their way of working. Does agile working also fit the mission, thinking and actions of public administrations? nc360° interview with Münster's Lord Mayor Markus Lewe.
Objectives and Key Results (OKR) are among the much discussed leadership and management methods worldwide. The idea behind them is to steer companies through ambitious goals and measurable measures and to strengthen results, motivation and togetherness through maximum transparency. At Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, the "IT & Digital" department began structuring its work with OKRs a year ago. With the support of the management consultancy noventum consulting, representatives from different IT teams have now reviewed their previous approach in several workshops and set new standards for future work.
In a large-scale change project, , the IT oft he WBS GRUPPE developed new principles for its own work. Communication, performance and employee satisfaction were to be promoted in equal measure. In order to motivate as many people as possible to participate, the change initiative was launched openly and as an agile process. The noventum corporate culture experts provided the agile tools and managed the multi-layered project.
With OSPlus_neo, Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf is increasingly focusing on digital customer communication. In a workshop on the implementation of agile working methods and the further development of the digitalisation strategy, the board and management worked on the future direction of the bank in the open air in a Corona-like manner. But that was not the only special feature of this unusual conference, which was moderated by culture change consultant Uwe Rotermund.
Major technical innovations can really upset a company. If "everything has worked well so far", the employees of companies used to success often experience the introduction of Office 365 as a collaboration platform as a general attack on "their" working environment. The rollout of such an innovation requires more than the usual project management, as the concrete work of all employees is affected.
The change from classic office work to completely decentralized teams is accelerating massively in times of "social distance". The measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) show the old system its limits. Employers must go digital with immediate effect and must not lose sight of the social aspects.
Experts from the human resources sector were invited to pursue the question of what digitalization does to work, how it questions values, orientations and solutions and turns them upside down. Until late in the evening the participants of the conference discussed New Pay, AI in the handling of personnel data, modern personnel requirements planning and agile methods. In three parallel series of topics CULTURE CHANGE, HR MANAGEMENT and HR CONTROLLING, experts presented their approaches and projects and faced interested professionals for discussion.
The ECB's zero interest rate policy has had a dramatic and direct impact on the business model of almost all traditional banks. Above all, the clear signals from the new ECB President Christine Lagarde that the low interest rate policy will not change for many years to come underline the urgency of seriously addressing this issue.
NetCologne GmbH has repeatedly participated in the GREAT PLACE to WORK® competition and had its own staff rate their employer in comprehensive interviews in the context of a survey. Based on the numerous responses received, the human resources staff of the Cologne-based company have gained projects for the further development of both business culture and employer attractiveness.
IT teams are currently under pressure from two sides: the business demands new and complex solutions that drive the digital transformation process, while at the same time the existing infrastructure must be kept up-to-date and operated smoothly. The lack of IT specialists is blocking staff growth, and outsourcing alone is not always the way out. In addition, the pressure in IT departments is increasing and employees are as dissatisfied as the longer queues of customers at the door.
noventum consulting is among Germany’s 100 best employers! At the festive gala in the Titanic Chaussee Hotel in Berlin, noventum’s managing director, Uwe Rotermund, his deputy and head of human resources, Frank Petersen, and several employees accepted the award. With this outstanding rating in the group of companies with 101 to 205 employees, noventum once again obtained a place in the first row of attractive employers. In an anonymous questionnaire, the employees assessed their employer in detail and provided their employer with an excellent report. Ever since 2006, noventum consulting has participated in the nationwide competition repeatedly with great success. In 2012, noventum’s employees catapulted their employer into first place in its category for the third time in a row. The IT management consulting firm has now been able to continue these successes.
A business culture that is characterised by trust and performance provides a broad foundation for successful business activities to the benefit of customers, the company's employees, and all other parties participating in the business eco system. In addition to its IT subject matter topics, the IT management consulting firm noventum consulting wants to support its customers with organisational consulting in order to establish a business culture on the pillars of credibility, respect, fairness, deep connection, and team spirit. In an interview, the managing director of noventum, Uwe Rotermund, is explaining the interconnections.
The annually updated strategic planning process is a well exercised practice of the management team of Volksbank Ruhr Mitte eG. In recent years, the company also had to take into consideration massive challenges in this, just like any other bank – from the lasting low-interest rate situation via the always further increasing regulatory requirements all the way to significantly changing customer requirements and completely new agile competitors. These challenges can be mastered only with significant efficiency increases, cost reductions, and reorganisations, whereupon solutions were found in the strategic planning dialogue of Volksbank Ruhr-Mitte that will be consistently implemented in the months and years ahead. In this, the term planning dialogue emphasises that these are not "lone" decisions but rather a strategy developed in dialogue.
Matthias Horx, renowned futurologist and intellectual contemporary, is an avowed optimist. On Friday, September 30, 2016, the managers and company owners at the Business Unusual Forum 2016 at the Factory Hotel in Münster were able to experience how Horx and other speakers with a critical and at the same time optimistic outlook put the current state of the capitalistic economy and the roles of its actors under scrutiny Uwe Rotermund, managing director of Münster-based business consultancy noventum consulting, had extended an invitation and visitors from all over Germany came to discuss new management approaches and management methods. ...
For seven years, noventum consulting has participated with great success in the nationwide "Great Place to Work" competition organized by the Cologne-based institute of the same name. In 2012, noventum employees promoted their employer to first place in the group of companies with up to 500 employees for the third time in the anonymous survey that accompanies every competition participation.
Improvisation and intuition skills are two important skills for personalizing communication. Improvisation is closely related to the concept of intuition and can be derived from it. Improvisation training is now part of management training.
Uwe Rotermund, managing director of Münster-based business consultancy noventum consulting, had extended an invitation to the 2015 Business Unusual Forum, and 90 company owners and managers from all over Germany came to discuss new management approaches and management methods. On Friday, September 25th, at the Factory Hotel in Münster, they experienced a day filled with provocative presentations, thoughtful conversations, satirical exaggerations, and a lot of self-activation. The moderation of the day was handled by Oliver Pauli, improv theatre maker from Münster.
„Preliminary and right from the start temporally restricted regulation (in delineation from organisation). These are ad-hoc regulations that are created intuitively (controlled by feelings) or heuristically (driven by experience). They do often only have a preliminary character since the thorough analysis of their underlying decision situation is omitted. Improvisation is a sign of insufficient organisation (sub-organisation). In organisational science, improvisation is juxtaposed to organisation. While organisation is striving for a permanently and comprehensively structuring of division of labour systems, improvisation deals with the structuring of a limited number of cases...“
Is competition „driving progress“? Ever since Adam Smith, we have come to believe that the answer to this question is „yes“. According to Smith, the „selfish rational striving of the individual competitor for maximum profit does at the same time also lead to increasing common good“. The ideas of Smith were picked up and fine-tuned by numerous economic theorists. Worth mentioning at this point is the „dynamic competition“ model of John M. Clark, which was developed further by Wolfgang Kerber into the „evolutionary competition theory“.
With which recipes can companies be controlled in a forward-looking and employee-oriented manner, so that the task of management and leadership is not just working but actually fun, making the person in charge of the company happy in the same way as the employees and customers, and ensuring commensurate successes? Uwe Rotermund, managing partner of noventum consulting GmbH, which in the past three years in a row was awarded as „Germany‘s Best Employer" by the Great Place to Work® Institute, is drawing up an interim balance after 20 years of business activity.
The German game of chance market is changing at a fast pace. More and more providers, legal and especially numerous illegal companies are meanwhile crowding the lottery and sports betting market. For the German consumers it is becoming more and more difficult to filter out trustworthy offerings from the multitude of game offerings. WestLotto, as a state provider of lotteries such as LOTTO 6aus49, the GlücksSpirale or Eurojackpot wants to tackle these changed framework conditions.
In newer innovation research, a fundamental paradigm shift can be observed, from pure basic research to a resource recombination. In the future, so the thesis of the newer innovation research, the innovation process will no longer be controlled by radical break-throughs but rather mostly by the synthetisation, linking and intersection of already existing insights and experiences.
The competitiveness of companies will, in the future, depend even much more on the ability to attract, keep and promote high-performing employees. Employer attractiveness therefore gains decisive importance. The HR manager who wants to coordinate all measures for controlling employer attractiveness therefore becomes one of the most important “strategists” in the 21st century company. Additionally, what is expected from HR managers in the near future is that they, with the help of integrated HR processes and IT systems, will be technologically and organisationally able to provide optimal support to demanding executives.
novum: For 10 years now, noventum consulting has worked very intensively and successfully with a culture of trust and the goal of being a „Great Place to Work®“. Now you went even a step further.
Uwe Rotermund: As head of the company it has been my wish for many years to provide a structure to performance orientation, not just trust in the fact that everyone will define for himself what constitutes performance.
The work environment is changing permanently and will, in the years ahead, become completely different from what we have known in the past. These are not trends that come and go but rather a true change of the rules of the game. Even though today traditional work is still common at a lot of companies, this model is approaching its expiration date. The young generation of „digital natives“ and an unstoppable change of values in society are reaching the work environment more and more.
The change in role from technical expert to executive is a common phenomenon, yet all too often it is encountered by participants who are ill-prepared. Nobody would get the idea to have a Windows 8 implementation performed by a specialist without any Windows 8 expertise and experience.
On Monday, November 4th, 2013 , managers and business owners from Belarus visited noventum consulting GmbH in Münster as part of a 4-week study trip to Germany. Managing director Uwe Rotermund welcomed the guests and gave presentations on the topics of "Employee-oriented Business Management" and establishing a "GREAT PLACE to WORK".
Despite the international financial crisis, the economy was not brought to its knees. The lack of qualified personnel that had already been looming on the horizon in 2009 has continued and is becoming tangible once more with the improving economy. Has the time arrived now to bring foreign professionals to Germany with attractive conditions in order to not lose out on the business opportunities presenting themselves?
In addition to our activities in the Münsterland region regarding a trust-based company culture, we are also taking advantage of opportunities to discuss 21st century management style concepts in an international arena. As such, Uwe Rotermund recently spoke in Stockholm (Sweden) at the international meeting of HR organisations, to which the German Association for Personnel Management (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalmanagement e.V.) had extended an invitation, about the effect of the global mega trends on the work environment.
