Podcast

Episode 41: “What does the term “resilience” mean in connection with future supply chains?” 

The short answer is: If we translate the term from psychology into the technical world, i.e. into supply chain management, the word takes on new meanings, because its definition here implies that a supply chain is a system that can be managed and which, in the event of a disruption, can and should be restored to its original state as quickly as possible. You already know that this definition reaches a limit, because the technical view is not the only perspective in the 21st century; social and ecological issues are also increasingly coming into focus. 

Episode 40: “Is complexity our destiny?” 

The short answer is no, because the term reflects a subjective evaluation. Everyone first decides for themselves what is beyond their horizon of knowledge. The approach of inferring general ignorance from one’s own is undiplomatic.

Episode 39: “How do I deal with conflicting demands on leadership? Part 2″ 

The short answer is that there can be no general answer to this question as it is necessary to balance interests in order to resolve conflicting requirements. For situations that are not so extreme, this consideration depends on too many parameters and no general formula can be applied to all situations. There is no static pattern for leadership behavior – which is what makes successful leadership so difficult to learn. It is much more important to face contradictions and accept them, otherwise any attempt to resolve them is doomed to fail.

Episode 38: “How do I deal with conflicting demands on leadership? Part 1″ 

The short answer is that there can be no general answer to this question as it is necessary to balance interests in order to resolve conflicting requirements. For situations that are not so extreme, this consideration depends on too many parameters and no general formula can be applied to all situations. There is no static pattern for leadership behavior – which is what makes successful leadership so difficult to learn. It is much more important to face contradictions and accept them, otherwise any attempt to resolve them is doomed to fail.

Episode 36: “Why does leadership fail?” 

Contradictory demands are being placed on managers. And on the extreme end, they are told that leadership will be of little importance in the future world of work anyway. But before we rashly deny the necessity of leadership, let’s first ask ourselves: What causes leadership to fail? 

Episode 28: “Are hierarchies still appropriate nowadays?”

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been meeting more and more people who say to me: “Mr. Krause, the concept of hierarchies is out of date – why are they still necessary? Now that we have a modern work environment.”

Frank Krause, Senior Partner at Staufen AG, talks about the meaning of hierarchies.

Episode 34: “Our kids have the right to live in a better world than ours.”

Futurologist Sven Gabor Janszky talks with Janice Köser, Academy Manager at Staufen AG, in the Staufen podcast about what the future of companies will look like, the right methods to design ideas for the future and what mindset is essential for innovation.

Episode 33: “Communication is of course a very important point.” 

New work promises to make work easier, more flexible and more enjoyable, but there is a long way to go. Detlev Artelt, Communication Architect and Managing Director of aixvox GmbH in Aachen, talks about the challenges and solutions in this context with Janice Köser, Academy Manager at Staufen AG, in the podcast for change. 

Episode 32: “Rule Number One of CRM: Don’t get on your customer’s nerves.” 

Economist Nils Hafner has been addressing the topic of customer relationships for a quarter of a century. In an interview with Janice Köser, he talks about the early years of his profession and his experiences since that time. The core of his elaborations: the importance of satisfied employees for a positive customer experience and examples of good and modern customer orientation. 

Episode 31: “We really are not thinking digitally.” 

Prof. Peter Gentsch is an entrepreneur and a professor at Aalen University of Applied Sciences. In both fields of activity, his focus is on digital transformation. In this podcast, he joins Janice Köser, Academy Manager at Staufen AG, to talk about Germany’s failures and opportunities with respect to digitalization.

Episode 30: “We have a systems problem.” 

Germany’s corporations need a new culture of learning, which can only be achieved with a changed leadership style, explains Niels Pfläging, business economist with a focus on organizational management, in a Staufen AG podcast.

Episode 37: Green Transformation in Machine and Plant Construction: “In the current situation, most companies are not struggling with sustainability, but rather with delivery bottlenecks.” 

By 2030, every second company wants to be climate-neutral according to a result of the Staufen study “Green Transformation in Machine and Plant Construction.” Dr. Björn Falk, industry manager, explains in a conversation with Staufen Principal Canan Jungel, whether this is a realistic goal.

Episode 35: “Agility should not be an end in itself” 

Michael Metzger and Nicolas Romfeld are consultants in the context of Lean and Agile. They spoke with Lea Buchmüller, Deputy Director of the Staufen Academy, about the connection between Lean Management and agility. One focus is on why executives should address the topic of agility. 

Episode 27: Green Transformation in the Automotive Industry: “The Clock is Ticking.”

Social and political pressure on the automotive industry to finally make a leap forward with regards to green transformation is growing. But established manufacturers – long-time pioneers for other industrial companies in many fields – are still lagging behind in development, as the Staufen study “Green Transformation in the Automotive Industry” shows. Automotive expert Dr. Thomas Buchholz explains why this is the case in an interview with Staufen Consultant Dr. Björn Falk.

Episode 26: “Thanks to Shop Floor Management, we have really taken off with the Lean Transformation”

To take full effect, a Lean Transformation must include all levels of a company. This is like running a marathon, explain Alexander Burgbacher and Stephan Filthuth in the podcast. Insta GmbH, which they lead, has not yet completed its first marathon, but it’s already clear: there will be a second one.

Episode 25: “We will be desperately seeking skilled workers for the human-maschine interface”

The future of businesses around the world is closely tied to artificial intelligence (AI). Verena Fink is an expert in this field and speaks with Janice Köser from Staufen AG about the opportunities and risks of the new technology.

Episode 24: “We are the most brilliant problem solvers to have ever walked this planet”

The economy and the work world need to break new ground to ensure a prosperous life. In an interview with Janice Köser, business philosopher Anders Indset explains why this is necessary and describes how it can be done.

Episode 23: “Thanks to lean and digital, we managed to get off lightly”

Lean transformation and digitalization go hand in hand. In the podcast, Tobias Kehrer and Falk Hieber explain how Carl Stahl Hebetechnik GmbH benefited during the pandemic.

Episode 22: “This is not a one-time project – it is a lean enterprise journey”

“We can say that we achieved sustainable change in the behavior of managers through Lean Management.” Lisa Rinzivillo, Lean Management Officer at Kreissparkasse Göppingen, reports on the milestones, challenges and successes in the financial institution’s lean journey. She also trained at the Staufen Academy to best support this journey.

Episode 21: Digitalization and Industry 4.0

Staufen AG consultants now use tools developed in the course of digitalization to optimize processes in companies. They supplement the professionals’ expertise and help analyze large amounts of data.

Episode 20: Lean principles at RECARO Aircraft

Lean Principles are used in order to optimize various processes within companies. Esther Smart, Head of Lean Enterprise, explains the success stories that RECARO can celebrate and how the principles help the company through the crisis.

Episode 19: Romania as a location – an opportunity for German companies

The pandemic has made Romania as a location a focus of interest for many German companies. Intra-European supply chains are less susceptible to restrictions, and the country offers a wide range of opportunities.

Episode 18: Collaboration 2021 study – Collaboration as the key to success

In its Collaboration 2021 study, Staufen AG asked numerous companies to what extent collaboration suffered due to Corona. Companies that had trouble with communication beforehand continued to experience problems.

Episode 17: “I was far too operational for many bosses”

Johann Soder has been with SEW-EURODRIVE for more than five decades. He serves as COO for the drive technology manufacturer, which operates manufacturing plants in many different parts of the world. During this time, he has witnessed many changes, driven them himself and turned them into improvements. He speaks with Martin Haas, Founder and Supervisory Board Member of Staufen AG, about how much a company must learn in order to remain competitive.

Episode 16: Simplification at Microsoft

Anna Kopp, Head of IT at Microsoft Germany, talks about New Work, the progress of digitization in times of a pandemic and the need for a good error culture for companies of the future.

Episode 15: Why Better Consulting Needs Technology – a Conversation with Celonis

To transform a company successfully, you must trace all of its processes, discover the problems and eliminate them. Celonis SE of Munich, the market leader in this area, offers the opportunity to do this and provides practical solutions that can be implemented. Bastian Nominacher, Co-Founder and CEO of Celonis, speaks to Janice Köser of Staufen AG about the company’s work.

Episode 14: Agility Within ING – Responding Flexibly to the Market

Agile transformation takes the company down a journey that has no end – yet it facilitates solving problems quickly while keeping both employees and customers happy. How this can work at a bank is explained by Hatice Sen and Patrick Hofacker, both Agile Coaches at ING.

Episode 13: Predictive Restructuring – Fit for the Future

Predictive Restructuring allows companies to better circumvent potential crises. Digitalization, employee retention and flexible financial structures offer security despite volatile markets.

Episode 12: 20 Years of Experience in Brazil

Our Brazilian subsidiary Staufen Taktica, nowadays Staufen Brazil, was founded 20 years ago. We spoke with Dario Spinola, Managing Director of Staufen Brazil about the Brazilian economy 20 years ago when he founded Staufen Taktica, how he sees the economy today and where the economy is heading.

Episode 11: Change management – for a company’s successful future

With well-organized and individually designed change management, companies can eradicate deep-seated problems and actively shape the future through targeted change. Dr. Dirk Bayas-Linke, expert for change management and organizational development and Partner at Staufen AG, explains what is important to ensure effective change brought about by management.

Episode 10: Agility – Trend or company optimization

We want to answer this question and show why it is sometimes important to take on new perspectives and apply other ways of looking at things. If you are already familiar with Scrum, you should definitely keep reading…

Episode 9: “It’s not starting that’s difficult, it’s persevering.”

What makes companies successful in the long term? Why do we need more courage? How can companies motivate their employees in the long term? We talk about this with Marc Gassert, communication scientist and martial arts master, also known as the “blond Shaolin”.

Episode 8: Why is the topic of variant and complexity management more relevant today than ever?

The constant increase in product diversity is forcing many companies to face up to the issue of variant and complexity management. In order to survive in competition in the long term, the existing product and process complexity must be reduced. We discuss how this can be achieved with Dino Munk, partner at Staufen AG.

Episode 7: What must future supply chain management be capable of? Part 2

In the wake of the Corona crisis, global networks have had to make adjustments to increase their flexibility and respond to short-term fluctuations. But what challenges do innovative supply chains bring with them? With Thomas Spiess, member of the management board of Staufen.Inova AG, we discuss where companies have opportunities to connect and what proven solution strategies already exist.

Episode 6: What must future supply chain management be capable of? Part 1

Innovative supply chains are characterized by strong customer orientation, excellent performance, and high flexibility and agility in the face of new market and environmental requirements. If the supply chain is developed from a cost factor to a success factor, it can become an integral part of the competitive strategy.

Episode 5: Lean Hospital

Just two years ago, clinics were being closed due to cost pressure and inefficient processes. The pandemic has temporarily pushed “clinic closures” as the sword of Damocles out of the media, but the topic will come up again as the pandemic fades. The ARCUS Clinics Pforzheim have found a way to continuously increase efficiency and quality in their daily clinic routine. Christian Sobau, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon for hips and knees and chief physician at ARCUS Clinics Pforzheim since 2010, has actively supported the introduction of so-called clinical pathway managers.

Episode 4: Can you also lead employees digitally?

Leaders in digital times must create clarity and consistency with regard to what needs to be preserved and what requires targeted change. Florian Hochenrieder, partner at Staufen AG, explains how this so-called two-handed leadership can work.

Episode 3: Lean is for production, right?

Lean methods are being used more and more in administrative areas as well. For example, we talk among other things about Lean Administration. But exactly which areas do we mean here? Administration or the administrative areas are understood to be all company areas that really have nothing to do with the machining of a (physical) product, like HR, Controlling, Purchasing, Sales, Marketing etc.

Episode 2: Does the future belong to agile companies?

Precisely what is behind the term and how is the topic being interpreted and implemented in practice by Staufen AG? Jan Haug has a degree in industrial engineering and has been a part of the Staufen AG team for 13 years. Heading the Lean Development unit, together with his team, he has also been working on the topic of agility for years, and how it can be successfully implemented in traditional corporate structures.

Episode 1: Leadership-switch. Does leadership have to change?

The topic of leadership is always surrounded by dilemma, context and objective.” says Remco Peters, partner at Staufen AG. Leadership is a complex, very multifaceted topic and not easy to penetrate. At the same time, good leadership is the basis for a successful company. Thus, we are regularly asked by customers and seminar participants about the “right” leadership or the “golden nugget”

Even we do not have a clear answer to this (unfortunately). However, there are clear levers that help develop effective leadership in the organization.

Episode 1: Leadership-switch. Does leadership have to change?

The topic of leadership is always surrounded by dilemma, context and objective.” says Remco Peters, partner at Staufen AG. Leadership is a complex, very multifaceted topic and not easy to penetrate. At the same time, good leadership is the basis for a successful company. Thus, we are regularly asked by customers and seminar participants about the “right” leadership or the “golden nugget”

Even we do not have a clear answer to this (unfortunately). However, there are clear levers that help develop effective leadership in the organization.