Can companies be decent?

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. 

The central theme was already woven into the title of the event: "On the path to becoming a Triple A company: Agil. Anständig. Attraktiv (Agile. Decent. Attractive)". In their analysis, the day's speakers were on the same page. The technically highly developed economy requires flexible action models; company owners and employees are not indifferent to how they work and what they are working for, work spaces must be attractive in order to be successful in the competition for good employees.

The "Creative Capitalism" of Matthias Horx even had multiple answers to each of these basic questions. With historical and sociological cross-references, he encouraged the attendees to be optimistic regarding the future; a colourful palette of examples emphasised his credo: "To conquer the future means to ask the right questions." The other speakers also gave occasion for vivid questions and answers. Stephanie Borgert varied the topic of "Agile Management" and Andreas Zeuch demanded an "Awakening of the business democrats".

The event organiser, Uwe Rotermund of noventum consulting, was very satisfied at the end of the day. "With the BUF, which we have been conducting since 2007 in constantly changing form, we have by now reached a large number of critically thinking company owners and managers. What is connecting us to one another is the conviction that everybody can become active on their own. The conditions for carrying out business successfully are changing and we can bring these changes into our companies."