In order to successfully shape a cultural change, we believe that holistic and professional transformation support, including the planning, provision and implementation of accompanying measures that support those affected by and involved in the change process during the course of the change, is key to increasing the chances of a positive and sustainable implementation.

A new understanding of leadership entails a change in structures. New management structures were therefore introduced, which were intended to bring about flatter hierarchies, agility and an effective communication structure, among other things. The 25 daycare centers and 31 schools were previously divided into two service areas, each of which was managed very independently by a managing director. The two service areas were therefore dissolved and a new management role, the role of regional management, was created. This means that there are no longer just two managing directors, but a total of twelve regional directors, each of whom is responsible for six to eight facilities in a region.

Through this new management structure, the business unit’s CEO delegates tasks and responsibilities to her regional managers, thus decentralizing work and responsibility. She hopes this will result in, among other things, faster coordination and decision-making processes, a clearer allocation of tasks, and improved regional collaboration with the other business units at Diakoneo.
In our opinion, the key to the successful implementation of New Leadership was the comprehensive and ongoing coaching of the new managers.

Immediately after taking on their new leadership roles, the regional managers received one-on-one coaching support, which helped them settle into their new roles. It was particularly important to our client to support the individual development of their employees, which is why we tailored the individual coaching process on Diakoneo. The coaching focused on working on leadership skills, change management skills, and their own attitudes toward the new leadership concept. We specifically supported the managers in strengthening their ability to act and make decisions and gaining more confidence in their new leadership role. We also worked with them on specific challenges they faced and developed individual solutions together, enabling them to develop new leadership skills step by step.

The content of each coaching session was always tailored to the needs of the coachees and therefore individually designed.
In addition to the individual coaching sessions for the new managers, we conducted accompanying change and team workshops. The accompanying workshops had different focuses. The goal of the workshops was to form a team of new managers that would mutually support, strengthen, and empower each other in accordance with New Leadership principles, as well as to facilitate the joint development and design of the new structures and regular exchange to share best practices and challenges.