59 percent of executives in Germany are convinced that their company succeeds in constantly adapting its own processes to the changes they face. Conversely, four out of ten companies fail to keep up with current upheavals. These are the results of the “Success in Change” study. Management consultancy Staufen interviewed more than 400 top executives from German companies for this study.
“Preparing for the challenges of tomorrow is difficult for companies. However, the will to change is clearly visible,” says Wilhelm Goschy, Board Member at Staufen AG. “But withstanding change requires more than just meticulously adhering to set processes. Based on the data collected, an average Change Readiness Index (CRI) of 55 on a scale of 1 to 100 points was calculated for German companies – three points less than two years ago. This slightly negative development is not dramatic but clearly shows that companies still have a long way to go.
Nearly four-fifths of companies surveyed state that processes are comprehensibly documented, and corresponding responsibilities are clearly defined. But less than two-thirds are in the process of systematically adapting to current developments and regularly reviewing their processes. In addition, many companies are not completely convinced of the future viability of their processes: Only one out of every two companies considers them to be flexible and evaluates them with regards to future challenges.
“The desire to counteract complexity and the quick pace of change in our world is great,” notes Staufen Board Member Goschy, “but not all organizations manage to actually adapt their processes to change.” 59 percent of respondents believe that they are good to very good at setting the course for the future – a decline from 2017. More than a third of companies feel they are lagging behind today.
How can companies prepare for change? “An important success factor for all companies is Lean Management,” explains Management Consultant and Lean Expert Goschy. “It turns companies into learning organizations, which helps them adapt quickly to change and challenges.” This is also shown by the study: Consistent implementation of Lean Management in all areas of a company has demonstrably improved Change Readiness. An increase in the Lean maturity level increases the CRI by 7 points. This proves that Lean Management makes companies more versatile and paves the path to a sustainable organization.
About the study “Success in Change”
Business 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 study can be downloaded at:
https://www.staufen.ag/studien
