47 percent of managers in Germany are convinced that their own company is in great danger of disruption. As the “Change Readiness Index 2019” defined by the management consultancy Staufen shows, the fear of being ousted from the market by innovative developments has increased significantly. More than 400 top executives of German companies were surveyed for the index, as part of the “Success in Change” study. The complete survey will be presented at the beginning of July at “BestPractice Day 2019” – Europe’s leading lean management congress.
“The pressure to adapt and make changes is increasing. And the study makes it clear that neither large corporations nor small and medium-sized enterprises can escape this change,” says Wilhelm Goschy, CEO of Staufen AG. “The ongoing digitalization and individualization of production as well as products and services is causing nervousness across all industries. Companies have to confront this development – otherwise there is a great danger of being partially or completely driven out of the market.”
The threats posed by innovative developments are estimated to be significantly higher in 2019 than in the study first conducted two years ago. In 2017, only 40 percent of respondents saw their own company in danger. “Companies know that markets and technologies are developing rapidly,” according to Staufen CEO Goschy. “But disruption should not be considered negative. On the contrary, after all, there is always a chance to try something new and to win a significant advantage over the competition.
However, companies must also realistically assess whether they are in a position to drive change, as the Staufen AG “Change Readiness Index” shows. Among other things, the gap between perceived and actual adaptability in German companies was examined in the survey. And the comparison between self-assessment on the one hand and detailed study results in the areas of structures, processes, leadership and corporate culture as well as employees/qualifications on the other hand makes people sit up and take notice. “The study shows that companies overestimate their ability to change. The discrepancy between subjective perception and objective analysis is high in all four areas,” says management consultant Goschy with a sense of unease. However, a realistic assessment of one’s own possibilities is important in order to be able to set up one’s own organization for the future.
About the study “Success in Change”
In Spring 2019, the management consultancy Staufen surveyed a total of 421 companies in Germany on the subject of “Success in Change”, for the “Change Readiness Index 2019”. More than 65 percent of the companies surveyed come from the mechanical and plant engineering industry, the electrical industry and the automotive industry. The complete survey will be presented at the beginning of July at “BestPractice Day 2019”.
BestPractice Day 2019: Europe’s leading Lean Management Congress
The rules have changed. If you want to stick around or get ahead, you need to take action! The motto of this year’s BestPractice Day on July 02, 2019 in Darmstadt (optional add-on workshops on July 3 and 4) is therefore “Learn. Lead. Shape change.” Experience a first-class program with key speakers from the lean, new work and digital scene. With more than 350 participants annually, BestPractice Day has earned the distinction of being the place for decision-makers in the fields of industry and science to meet.
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