Consulting Projects

Project 023: Why Do People Value Living in the Märkisches Viertel?

Municipal housing association

Tasks:
Entrenched observation and in-depth interviews as “The philosopher in the Märkisches Viertel” with area residents and the client’s employees. Development of recommendations for the formation of residential areas as brands and derivation of recommendations for action for service and rental together with departmental staff. Book publication, numerous press reports, radio and television interviews. Establishment of a new, appreciative understanding of the Märkisches Viertel as a large residential area.

Project 036: Making Good Use of Myths

On behalf of a German developmental-aid organisation for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Johannesburg, South Africa

Tasks:
Development of a systemic intervention approach for the prevention of HIV/AIDS when dealing with myths that cannot be dispelled easily and magical-religious ideas and normative systems in South-African culture. Establishment of a path for acceptance of strongly moralised, i.e. taboo, values and norms of the respective other culture, which can be identity-threatening.

Project 058: Living Well Together!

Medium-sized housing construction company

Tasks:
Support for the communications and marketing department: Conception of and support for a project on tenant integration as part of existing brand development. Establishment of an integration officer position. Conception/planning of the “Integration Conference” in Berlin in 2007, which is regarded as pioneering throughout Germany. Conception and implementation of various social instruments and facilities for integration in the existing area. In 2008, the project received first-place honours in a competition hosted by the Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Housing Companies (BBU).

Project 034: The Idea of ​​Community in the Work of a Sponsoring Society

Social enterprise for assisted living on the occasion of its 50th anniversary

Tasks:
In-depth interviews with consultants, consultees and collaborative partners of the client on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. Book publication, reflection and discussion of the results with management and employees. Discussion, moderation and provision of solutions for latent identity and culture-related conflicts. Preparation of a future-oriented service portfolio.

Project 056: Relaunch of Employee Survey

Medium-sized enterprise

Tasks:
New conception and relaunch of the employee survey tool, which had not yet been optimally established in the company. Creation of a streamlined, technically elegant questionnaire including evaluation system, which is modifiable in terms of content. Strengthening of the understanding of employee surveys among middle managers as a tool for vertical communication, leadership, orientation and awareness of cultural topics and issues.

Project 071: Retreat for Sales Vision and Strategy

Medium-sized enterprise

Tasks:
Support for departmental head in the preparation, implementation and follow-up of a retreat for updating and refining the departmental vision and strategy. Meeting moderation. Additional requirements: Coaching of department head to refocus his management role in light of the rapid growth in the number of employees. Creation of stronger awareness of corporate values and their implementation in the performance culture of the department. Moderation of organisational change-related uncertainties and tensions among employees through orientations on goals, quality and performance. Development and introduction of an employee-supported methodology for planning, monitoring and continually improving performance processes in the department.

Project 075: Introduction of Group Leaders

Medium-sized enterprise

Tasks:
Support for the logistics department head in the introduction of group leaders as technical supervisors of drivers in the logistics area of the company. Special requirements: Development of the understanding of roles among group leaders vis-à-vis drivers and hierarchically superior heads of operations. Moderation of mistrust and defensive reactions with heads of operations through their integration into the planning and implementation process; development of tools for cooperative leadership practices.

Project 072: Process Expertise for Everyone!

Medium-sized enterprise

Tasks:
In light of a planned restructuring and strengthened process orientation of the company organisation: Development of an understanding of processes with employees approx. 1.5 years before the restructuring at the department level. Development of ability of employees to identify and jointly analyse processes and personal process components with colleagues, recognise process defects and potential for optimisation and develop methods for optimising processes in the team.  Anchoring of process expertise in the collaborative culture of the department through regular joint process analyses and optimisations. The acquired expertise allowed the employees to understand the need for restructuring and to help shape the reorganisation.

Project 065: Quality Moves Us Forward!

Medium-sized enterprise

Tasks:
Conception and planning of employee workshops as part of the company’s application for the Berlin-Brandenburg Quality Award. Conveying of basic understanding of the EFQM model, identification of strengths, potential for optimisation and development of ideas for improvement in the employees’ areas as part of a company self-assessment. Training and support for moderators, evaluation, systematisation and implementation of workshop results in the company’s work organisation.

Project 081: Our Self-image as Deputy Station Managers

Three hospitals in the Cologne area

Tasks:
Support for nursing management for leadership development. Planning and execution of workshops to develop a common self-understanding as well as awareness of tasks and responsibility in the newly introduced hierarchy level. Strengthening of role clarity and leadership skills by practising leadership-relevant reflection, decision and communication methods.

Project 025: Strength for the Future

Medium-sized enterprise in the housing industry

Tasks:
In close cooperation with the management: Conception, planning and implementation of a project for the ethical supplementation of an already-implemented business-management model (corporate valuation based on free cash flow). Development and implementation/practising of a tool for reflection and optimisation in order to establish an ethically and economically balanced decision-making and performance culture in the company at all employee levels.

Project 057: Using a Values Compass for Support

Small technology company

Tasks:
Development, introduction and optimisation of an easy-to-use tool that allows employees and management at all levels to align their daily decisions and actions with the corporate values.

Project 082: Ensuring Good Care with the “Value Cross”

Church-supported enterprise

Tasks:
Together with company executives and employees: Development of the “Value Cross” as a workshop-based tool for value and stakeholder-oriented reflection and optimisation of work goals, processes and structures in teams. (= Adaptation of the “Value Lab” developed by me to the specific requirements of the care facilities of the client.) Piloting in company facilities. Development of a concept for company-wide introduction of the tool. Coaching of the Value-Cross team during the introduction.

Project 026: Transparency against White-collar Crime

Medium-sized enterprise

Tasks:
Raising awareness, preventing/protecting the workforce from corruption and other forms of white-collar crime. Coaching of an employee project group in the conception, planning and implementation of the project, which independently worked on the topic and introduced it to the entire workforce through various communication measures.

Project 007: Brand Change with Substance

Small technology company

Tasks:
Occasioned by a planned brand change in the company: Sensitisation of the management and the supporting brand agency to dimensions of the project related to organisation and management culture as well as employees. Development of a management concept which, through the brand change, established the corporate brand as the core of the corporate identity and as a tool for corporate and employee management as well as customer and partner management (management of the company according to the brand). Conception and project planning for the entire change process. Briefing and supervision of the supervising brand agency with regard to requirements related to corporate organisation and development of corporate culture. Management coaching throughout the process.

Project 038: Giving It Our All!

Medium-sized waste-management company

Tasks:
Support for the head of internal corporate communications: Creation and anchoring of the corporate mission statement as well as strengthening awareness of corporate values ​​in the organisational culture through complementary tools and activities. Close integration of marketing communication with internal corporate communication. Development of employees into brand ambassadors.

Project 027: “At Home! In Berlin”

Berlin housing association

Tasks:
Support for the head of marketing and corporate communications: Appraisal and optimisation of the creative concept for an advertising campaign with regard to compatibility with the corporate, tenant and brand identity of the housing association. Moderation of heterogeneous values ​​for the campaign in corporate management. Raising awareness of the brand identity with the client and the advertising agency responsible for the campaign.

Project 047: Better Style with the “Text Kit”

Medium-sized housing association

Tasks:
Revision of all correspondence and e-mail templates for the company’s customer communications. Stylistic improvement/modernisation and creation of a friendlier tone and easier comprehension of the contents in written communications with the customers. Optimisation of existing communications together with employees on the basis of common criteria developed from the company’s brand identity. Combination of all improved templates in the company-wide “text kit”, including the establishment of a system for regular collection and incorporation of suggestions for improvement. Comprehensive strengthening of friendlier employee attitude towards customers/prospective customers in line with the values of the company and existing brands.

Project 062: Improving Camera Presence with the “TV Primer”

Berlin housing association

Tasks:
On the occasion of the planned company presence on regional television, together with the supervising advertising agency: Development and implementation of the “Wohnfühl-Experten” (“experts in comfortable residential living”) concept as an employee-focused aspect of the corporate brand. Preparation of employees for their appearances in TV video productions as representatives of the company using the “TV Primer” (a collection of the 12 most important rules for performing in front of the camera). Development of contents of the TV Primer together with an employee team; checking and optimisation of the primer after the first shoots. This allowed for the assuaging of fears and reservations about TV appearances and provided for reflection and the expansion of the employees’ self-understanding in their role as a brand ambassadors.