Which really successful companies can you think of? Think of companies that are innovative. Can you think of them? Could it be that innovative companies are particularly successful?

Actually, it seems logical that innovation brings success. A competitive advantage lies precisely in the fact that the competition does not own it. However, the word “innovation” is usually not understood in its entirety.

You can only call something innovation when you have pushed it through against the resistance of the environment (according to Joseph Schumpeter).

This is where many companies fail that want to bring about innovation in a convulsive way. They equate innovation with profit and return. The real purpose of innovation is to benefit customers and society. After all, good marketing is not about imposing anything on customers.

Healthy companies…

• …pay close attention to the benefits that innovation should bring to all.
• …encourage their employees to actively approach innovations and contribute ideas.
• …are oriented towards long-term success and want to act sustainably.
• …know that innovations do not always prevail directly and sometimes take time (the first smartphones were already available in the mid-90s, but only with moderate success at that time).

We are happy to help!

Learn more about a healthy corporate culture that is necessary to promote and sustain innovation.

Contact us now at info@ingenior.de or at +49 6181 945 34 0.

ingenior training & consulting GmbH is an internationally active system house that specializes in employee management and has many years of experience in this field.

Trainer recommendation

Our trainer for your success: Ralf Juhre, Senior Expert for Organizational Development and Innovation

If you want to be happy, you need courage!

• Courage to change
• Courage to build new bridges
• Courage to leave old paths
• Courage to break new ground

EVERYTHING is in flux, nothing stands still…
…and often you feel carried away by the vortex of change. If change processes in companies are accompanied by wrongly or not at all, not only employees but also managers can feel as if they are up to their neck in the water.

But that doesn’t have to be the case! Change processes are lived dynamic processes. The challenge is to structure them and approach them systematically.

Because one thing is clear: 
Systematic change management achieves more change goals!

4 tips for the success of your change process

1. Change needs wanting
   Willingness to change is the key to success;
   no change without the will of the managers and employees.
   Make yourself and your employees aware of the opportunities arising from change and clarify the consequences of standstill:
   No change = no further development = no competitiveness
2. Dealing with resistance
   Every process of change generates resistance, especially when the object of change has identity-creating significance for those affected.
   Take the fears and concerns of your employees seriously and ask questions. If fears are not addressed and expressed, they block further development.
3. Attention to the phases in change management
   Change processes go through different phases. Change is not possible without prior destabilization of a system. Skipping or shortening individual phases leads to internal and external resistance and thus ultimately prolongs the process.
4. Competence of the Change Guide
   Change processes often trigger strong emotional reactions among those affected. The change manager should therefore know and be able to handle psychological processes as well as have good project management skills.

Because: Everyone gets the employees they deserve!

There are good reasons to talk to employees, such as praise and recognition. However, there are also less pleasant occasions, such as misconduct on the part of the employee or operational changes that affect the employee’s working relationship.

No matter whether it is a problem solution, bad news or criticism. Even for “old hands” it is an unavoidable challenge to conduct staff appraisals correctly. The characteristic feature of a good manager is the ability to communicate respectfully and effectively at the same time, especially in difficult conversations. But how do you find the perfect balance?

Why employee appraisals fail

Avoiding mistakes is not always successful. However, it is crucial to become aware of the situation and the possible mistakes and to question oneself again and again.

Because when a manager:

• not listening attentively
• under time pressure the conversation is conducted
• is biased
• searches for fast patent solutions
• unstructured into the conversation goes
• done other things on the side

the employee interview is doomed to failure. Treat your employee as you would like to be treated.

This is how it works: Tips for effective communication

• Be clear in advance about what you want to communicate
• Develop a clear concept of your thoughts and feelings
• “Words themselves have no meaning, but people attribute them one” – be clear whether the words and actions used to mean the same to the recipient as they do to you
• Pay your full attention to your counterpart
• Listen actively – i.e. encourage through feedback, do not interrupt the interviewer, avoid “filter effects”, pay attention to the thoughts and feelings behind the words
• Try to reproduce the words and behaviors of the sender to make sure that you have understood them correctly

“If you don’t know where you’re going,
doesn’t have to wonder,
when he arrives somewhere else.”
– after Robert F. Mager –

“Tell me when you were born and I’ll tell you how you work.” Companies used to have it easy – they chose the right candidates from a large number of applicants. That has changed: Qualified employees can choose which employer they would like to work for.

War for Talents – the battle for the best

It goes without saying that in the competition for young talent, companies that are best prepared for future generations are ahead of the pack. Those who persistently rely on outdated structures and management models will eventually discover that there is a shortage of young talent and that the average age of employees is rising.

The reason for this is not just demographic change – values, motivation, and views of life have changed time and again over the generations. Where the baby boomers still lived to work, the currently courted Generation Z cultivates “work-life separation”, i.e. strict separation of professional and private life!

Was everything better in the past?

Burnout prophylaxis is unnecessary here – Generation Z can switch off and is rarely tempted to burden himself with professional problems after work. Supervisors who equate this attitude with laziness and disinterest will emerge as “losers”:  Young talents are not influenced by these negative signals and will move on without digression. Possible successors are already confronted and deterred by the unwanted attitude of the allegedly “unwilling to work” predecessor during the interview – the candidate will decide on the offer of the competitor who, for example, is open to creative breaks during working hours, for today’s generation!

Employer brand

This change determines the fact that companies are now taking up the applicant position:  Once upon a time, it was indispensable for career starters and those willing to change jobs to prepare professionally for job interviews and assessment centers. Now it is your turn as a company to present yourself in such a way that the potential employee becomes curious and makes his or her manpower available to you.

How compatible are your corporate values with the values of today’s generation? Can you compete for qualified employees? How far have you progressed in developing an attractive employer brand?

We are happy to support you in shaping the dialogue between the generations. We offer lectures as well as seminars and individual workshops.

Mental blockages – how to recognize and dissolve them

Mental patterns

Man is a creature of habit. This applies to daily routines in professional and private life as well as to our thinking. Habitually we think in certain ways. Our experiences and experiences have shaped patterns of interpretation with the help of which we interpret events. Mental patterns are habits of thinking and these, in turn, trigger a certain behavior: If I have positive thoughts about a person or situation, I behave differently than if my thinking is more negative or critical. Also in groups, departments and whole organizations collective patterns develop, which convey the message: “This is how it works here…”.

Thinking controls behavior

So behavior is always the result of the inner attitude. Sustainable changes in behavior can only be achieved by changing mental patterns. Behavioral conditioning in the form of reward and punishment systems regularly fail due to already pronounced thinking habits. On the other hand, a change in thinking and attitude always leads to a change in behavior.

Mental Blockades

Some thought patterns are so firmly established that an alternative thought model exceeds the imagination. The questioning of the previous point of view alone is perceived as so threatening that it cannot be considered in principle. Mental blockades trigger blocking behavior: Depending on the situation and environment, this can include retreat, sabotage, passivity, defamation and much more.

Reducing Certainty to Overcome Mental Blockades 

In order to overcome mental blockades, it is essential to stimulate the imagination, i.e. to develop imagination and learn to think beyond existing frameworks.

All instruments of organizational development for overcoming mental blockades in organizations, therefore, have one thing in common: a deliberate irritation of thinking arises, a confusion about previous thought patterns. Exactly this confusion is necessary in order to reduce the certainty of one’s own patterns of thinking and interpretation and thus to trigger the inner motive for the self-renewal of thinking as a motive for learning. The stimulation of the imagination provides the necessary inspiration that is urgently needed for the renewal of thinking.

“Conflicts are positive!”, “I like to face any conflict!”

Such statements are rarely heard! Most people do not like conflicts and shy away from them, even out of fear of the possible consequences! 

Conflicts are part of everyday professional life

The cooperation with superiors, employees, colleagues and even customers rarely runs completely smoothly.
Differences of opinion and moods often clash, leading to a conflict.

Conflicts only become a real problem when they are denied, when those involved resign and withdraw, or when compromises are made that they cannot support. To insist on one’s point of view or to feel right without self-criticism also causes conflicts to escalate.

Grow beyond yourself!

…and use conflicts as an opportunity for further development! The following formula applies

 Acceptance + Confrontation = Development
 
If there is no confrontation in conflicts, the causer has no chance of being able to adapt his behavior. Through confrontation, escalations can be avoided, successful arguments can be conducted and friction losses in everyday life can be reduced. A positive culture of conflict is inevitable: Separate the relationship level from the factual level In this way you create the basis for appreciative relationships and find solutions that do justice to all participants! 

12 tips for solving problems in a nutshell

With the targeted use of these communication techniques, you will achieve a win-win situation!
 
1. Talk about yourself, not about the others
Always explain problems from your personal point of view. This way, you avoid stepping on the necktie of your conversation partner and at the same time increase your own powers of persuasion.

2. Always have several alternatives available
Leave the selection of the most promising alternatives open and, depending on the course of the conversation, decide at a later point in time on the best alternative.
 
3. Let your face be saved
Make suggestions in a way that is acceptable to the other. This is usually not about the facts, but about how you formulate the proposals.

4. Surprise the other
Go directly to your opponent instead of just talking to him at the conference table. This signals that you want to be a real partner.

5. Separating problems and people
Concentrate solely on the matter, regardless of whether your conversation partner is particularly sympathetic or unsympathetic to you.

6. First the problem, then the solution
Never make demands without first identifying the underlying problem. This way, you only provoke counterarguments.
 
7. Set no limits
Never say to yourself “this far and no further.” By drawing this line, you often prevent a solution, because you cannot use the information you receive during the conversation.

8. Putting yourself in the position of the other person
You don’t have to accept this view of your interlocutor, but the mere realization that he disagrees with you helps you a lot.

9. Do not give in under pressure
If the other side is not prepared to talk about principles and give in in any way, there is no basis for discussion.

10. Not to retaliate the same with the same
Allow the person you are talking to to to spray up once in a while. The best strategy for you is to listen calmly. After that, the discussion will certainly become much more objective.
 
11. Never stubbornly insist on positions
The more you haggle over positions, the more you cement your posture. It will be very difficult for you to give up a stubbornly defended position later on. Concentrate on asserting your interests. There are several ways to do this. In the course of the conversation, you will recognize which one leads to the goal.

12. Attempts at intimidation only harden the situation 
Instead, try to list possible consequences together with the other side and find common solutions or alternatives. This way, you take your opponent to task and have already won half of the game.

Are you also surrounded by people who think first and foremost of themselves and think they can do everything best on their own? And who don’t want to realize that individualism and individualism stand in the way of a common goal? As responsible managers, whether in sports, politics or in companies, you will be confronted with this challenge on a daily basis: How do I turn a group of individualists into a team in which the strengths and abilities of the individual are not lost and used in a targeted manner?

A good team is unbeatable

Complex tasks and pressure to be efficient presuppose the efficiency and willingness to perform of the employees and make working in a team unavoidable! However, the overall clout depends on the quality of the cooperation between the people involved. Good cooperation increases employee satisfaction, which leads to higher product and service quality, customer satisfaction increases and thus leads to sales increases: A positive cycle is created!

Pulling a string together

The successful mastering of challenges can only succeed through open communication, effective cooperation, creative ideas, respect and genuine trust in each other. This releases enthusiasm and motivation – the two essential guarantors of success.

Outdoor Training – get down to it together, instead of discussing!

How does YOUR team become a high-performance team, which ensures you sustainable success? Hardly any topic is more sensitive to the discrepancy between theory and practice. Conventional team development usually follows a rather intellectual approach. In contrast, our concept for the implementation of professional team training, which has been tried and tested over many years, is experience-oriented and offers a high degree of authenticity.

True to the motto “Learning NATUR(E)ally how a successful team works”. Our outdoor training’s use nature’s learning field: Change of setting = Change of mind! Our experience shows that a change of location causes a change of perspective and thus brings new wind and new thought-provoking impulses into the team. 
 
The group becomes a team
 
Our outdoor team tasks with a high level of practical relevance promote the problem-solving potential and creativity of the team members. The team gets involved in concrete challenges and experiences joint successes through borderline experience. Real personal encounters between the participants spur on and strengthen the team spirit! The transfer of the daily work routine is ensured by self-reflection of all participants and YOUR team pulls together in the future!

Do you also know people who seem to be unperturbed by nothing, who always have time for a smile and a short conversation in the midst of all the hustle and bustle and demands? Have you ever envied such people and wondered where they actually get this calmness from?
The quality described is called resilience. It is the ability to deal with stress and crises, to cope with setbacks and to learn from them profitably for future challenges.

This resilience has developed into an important core competency for managers and is an indispensable ability to live healthily and efficiently in the long term.

Resilience – A core competence for managers

As a manager, you and your team are challenged to meet the defined performance requirements. This is particularly challenging in situations where more and more work has to be distributed among fewer and fewer top performers. At the same time, the pace of change in many companies is rapid.  Market changes, internal restructuring, mergers and the like often add a latent sense of insecurity to the pressure to perform.

Managers are doubly challenged here. On the one hand, you have to balance these requirements for yourself, on the other hand, it is your task to transport this into your team.

Parasympathetic nervous system – your new friend

Resilience is a learnable ability that can be increased by regular training. A first step could be a date with your parasympathetic nervous system. Do you already know it? If not, you should definitely get to know him! Because our body lives on the principle of stress recovery – we need to live both the effort and phases of recovery.

Do you already know how best to recharge your batteries? 

The parasympathetic nervous system – a part of our vegetative nervous system – is responsible for the fact that we come down again after hard work and much effort and refuel strength. The little guy jumps at each of us quite differently. Some go jogging, others go to the pub, others have to read for hours undisturbed. How is that with you? What do you need to arrive in active recreation? Targeted parasympathetic activation is an important step towards more resilience and long-term performance.

In my everyday life as an organizational developer, I notice that the same mistakes are made again and again in change processes. Those affected are far too seldom turned into real participants – rather, those involved are affected by bad procedures. A good part of the resistance to change that occurs is thus homemade.

In approaching and dealing with change, many change managers still criminally underestimate the fact that people need a period of emotional acceptance. A change is only “mature” when its necessity has really been understood. Nevertheless, change processes are often carried out without the appropriate participation of those affected. However, the extent and quality of the participation of those affected are essential for the successful implementation of change processes, regardless of whether they are company mergers, plant relocations or cultural changes.

The Change Manager as mourning counselor

Every change triggers a mourning process that must be endured and accompanied. Any attempt to shorten this process by ignoring or skipping individual phases sooner or later takes revenge elsewhere.

For a long time, one of the most discussed personnel development topics was the work-life balance, the establishment of a balance between work and private life. What exactly this strict separation of the two sides looks like is at the discretion of the individual and depends on age, marital status and basic views on life. But this model has failed. More and more workers check their e-mails in their spare time, use their business mobile phone on holiday and take work home with them, as they still had a (private) appointment at noon. The successor model is Work-Life-Blending.

The decisive factor for digital change is a cultural change, i.e. the anchoring of digital leadership in corporate culture. For the Executive Board and the company management, this means giving top-down impulses but also the freedom to deal with the new instruments and IT structures. The bottom-up experience then triggers a cultural change. A prerequisite is always a common understanding of the new management structures and processes, which must be clearly formulated beforehand, as well as talent management adapted to the digital change.

More and more employers and employees attach importance to mobility and flexibility. The increasing merging of work and leisure time is made possible by new working time models and digital technologies, which make it possible to work from anywhere at any time. More and more employees see their work no longer as a mere source of money but as an integral part of their lives. Anyone who has fun and enjoyment at work also experiences self-realization here. Employees are therefore increasingly willing to work in their free time if they in return get the go from their employer to do private things during their working hours.

• No more closing time, due to missing, fixed working hours
• Danger of exploiting oneself
• Self-determination and self-organization can be a burden
• No possibility of mental detachment from work
• Risk of neglecting private relationships and looking only for “friends” in the workplace.
• The job becomes the most important life content – a notice represents the end

• Higher motivation due to self-determination
• No time off from working hours, but use them effectively in productivity phases
• Flexible and free work
• No holiday taking for private appointments etc.
• Good balance between family and career
• Quality instead of quantity