Posts by Drissia Schroeder-Hohenwarth

A few years ago, I was regularly flying to China to support the development of various divisions and locations of a European industrial corporation.   In one particular division that I worked with intensively, my assignment was to evolve this department from one of fear, destructive internal competition and dependence to one of self-awareness, team spirit…

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”, the famous slogan of the successful Management Instructor Peter Ducker, already quoted in a previous article, reminds us that you cannot implement a strategy without considering organisational culture. However, in a modification of Peter Ducker’s well-known saying one can also say: Leadership eats culture for dinner. The following case study illustrates…

I know that there is a lot of talk about resistance in the literature on change management. But when I observe how some change processes are conducted, I am not surprised that there is resistance. It is not because people are against change per se, but because they are either tired of having to change…

A while back, I was working with an executive who had been trying to change the culture in his area of responsibility. With the best intentions, this manager introduced a whole range of new ideas,  his intention was to keep his area agile and to leverage his experimental personality.  First, he introduced what he called…

Organizational structure varies from company to company and culture and structure usually fit together, e.g. hierarchical structures create hierarchical cultures and vice versa. The structure of an organisation also reveals  underlying values.  Despite the many different forms of organisations that can be found in the world, four archetypes can be identified that differ markedly in…

In the past, globalisation, merger and acquisition waves, and economic crises have forced many companies to redefine themselves again and again. At present, digital transformation is at the heart of all organisational development considerations, soon to be followed by the issue of artificial intelligence, which will entail further major changes. Along with  technological requirements, digital…

Organisational Design There is no ideal design for an organisation. Whether centralised, decentralised, organised by matrix, by product line, by region, hierarchical or without management. All forms of organisation have their advantages and disadvantages. It is important that you choose a form that not only helps your organisation today, but also makes it more sustainable…

Corporate culture plays a decisive role in the development of your organisation: It is the subconscious link between employees. It consists of values, beliefs and unofficial social rules, which are the condition for integration into the group. Culture is a collection of thoughts and behaviors that influence the perception of right and wrong and –…

The main role of an organisational developer is to find an answer to the following question: What framework do we create as an organisation, so that people can work optimally towards the corporate goal, today and in the future? Many leaders have a predominantly commercial understanding of the answer to this question leading them to…