
The German leadership debate thrives on contrasts. For years, organizations considered the empathetic, approachable, and coaching-oriented leader the ideal. Now the pendulum seems to be swinging back: In the face of economic stagnation, geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption, and painful restructuring, there is suddenly talk of a “new toughness.” So do Germany’s companies now need tougher…

According to Gartner Research, the average employee is faced with as many as ten enterprise-wide change initiatives per year. They can span from restructuring to achieve efficiencies, from a culture change to new work or a new IT system. Yet, even positive, well-intentioned changes can overwhelm employees when the volume or pace of projects is…

Corporate heritage is a company’s intangible legacy. It is its history. It is the sum of its employees’ stories, which reflect the company’s values and culture. Anyone planning a restructuring, a post-merger integration, a culture change, or other changes should conceptually incorporate corporate heritage from the very beginning. This is because it plays a key…

Restructuring is an important management tool. Those who plan it should also carefully prepare for its socio-psychological aspects. Particular attention must be paid to the organization’s collective memory and to ensuring that teams identify as strongly as possible with their company. With these aspects in mind, we examine the eventful restructuring of the German aerospace…