„Let us become drivers to change – visionaries and not just custodians”
Around 150 international speakers and participants came together November 21 in the Carl-Zeiss planetarium in Stuttgart, Germany to discuss the issues of digital transformation, particularly what it means for their working and private life. The Enabling Transformation Congress 2017 organized by the 2bAhead ThinkTank, that took place for the second time, was inspiring and informative. Essentially, it was about which kind of competences employees will need to cope with the requirements of the future. How shall chief transformation officers – the transcription of the new job profile – enable the entire staff to follow transformation by offering them a promising coaching?
Dr. Birgit Schneider-Bönninger, head of department of cultural affairs, Stuttgart, gave an exciting insight, how she is tackling transformation in the cultural sector. True to the motto „future lab department of cultural affairs“, various tools and methods of modern future research shall help to shape the future. „We all need to be the drivers. We do not want to merely administrate but interact as a visionary”. In the era of autonomous driving the interior of vehicles will become an extended cultural space that invites to be conquered experimentally with fresh ideas. Her personal credo: „Be curious, come out of the defensive, freak out!“.
Digital as a creative idea provider for analogue
Who might have imagined, that a football club is trying to increase the market value of its players by applying e-sport. Felix Welling, Head of corporate development, VFL Wolfsburg, has committed himself to test new content formats. Not only to provide their fans with additional user experience, but also to generate added value for VFL sponsors: „We support new technologies in the role of an incubator, we want to be modern and we regard Eastboard as a playing field to check out new modes of content placement. They might be transferred later to the classic analogue play.”
What means Ambidextrie* in the context of digital transformation? Learning needs to be as natural as teeth brushing
©IHOFMANN: Manuel Gerres, CEO Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures
Two HR executives from Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bahn explained their personal understanding of “digital leadership”. Dr. Elke Frank, Senior Vice President HR Development, Deutsche Telekom, portrayed her experience of the 10 months special training “Level Up” for the 2,800 executives of Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Telekom has a workforce of 200,000 people. That means: not always an easy task that often implies consequences and may even result in terminations.
” Venture architect” Manuel Gerres, CEO Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures, recommends a digital fitness-check for all executives of DB. The challenge is to motivate all 300,000 employees to take part in the ambitious journey towards enabling the huge vessel DB to arrive successfully in the digital era.
https://change.future.consulting
*The German term „Ambidextrie“ (ambidextrous) describes the ability of organizations to be both flexible and efficient.