Umbrella​ ​Corporations:

A​ ​narrative​ ​on​ ​change​ ​management

Authors:
Aiko​ ​Thumm
Gerhard​ ​Helm
Michelle​ ​Hartmann
Patrick​ ​Großpötzl

Supervisor:
Magnus​ ​Forslund

Semester:
Autumn​ ​2017

Course:
Organizational​ ​Change​ ​&​ ​Renewal

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Chapter​ ​1​ ​-​ ​Introduction​ ​to​ ​Umbrella 3
1.1​ ​The​ ​history 3
1.1.1​ ​Unfreeze: 5
1.1.2.​ ​Moving: 5
1.1.3.​ ​Freezing: 5

Chapter​ ​2​ ​-​ ​The​ ​management 9

2.1​ ​Changes​ ​implemented​ ​by​ ​Umbrella​ ​so​ ​far 9

Chapter​ ​3​ ​-​ ​The​ ​employees 12

3.1​ ​Analysis​ ​of​ ​the​ ​now-situation 12

Chapter​ ​4​ ​-​ ​The​ ​Planning 20

4.1​ ​Choosing​ ​the​ ​right​ ​strategy 23
4.1.1.​ ​The​ ​development​ ​of​ ​a​ ​compelling​ ​and​ ​balanced​ ​business​ ​and​ ​organization
development​ ​direction: 23
4.1.2.​ ​The​ ​management​ ​of​ ​key​ ​stakeholders​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​buy​ ​time​ ​to​ ​develop
organizational​ ​capability: 24
4.1.3.​ ​The​ ​adoption​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sociotechnical​ ​approach​ ​that​ ​involves​ ​the​ ​development​ ​of
down​ ​the​ ​line​ ​managers: 25
4.2.​ ​Eight-task​ ​planning​ ​of​ ​change 25
4.2.1.​ ​Appoint​ ​a​ ​transition​ ​manager 25
4.2.2.​ ​Identify​ ​what​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be​ ​done 26
4.2.3.​ ​Develop​ ​an​ ​implementation​ ​plan 27
4.2.4.​ ​Use​ ​multiple​ ​and​ ​consistent​ ​leverage​ ​points​ ​for​ ​change 27
4.2.5.​ ​Schedule​ ​activities 28
4.2.6.​ ​Provide​ ​resources​ ​for​ ​the​ ​transition 28
4.2.7.​ ​Reward​ ​transition​ ​behaviors 29
4.2.8.​ ​Develop​ ​feedback​ ​mechanisms 29

Chapter​ ​5​ ​-​ ​The​ ​implementation​ ​process 31

5.1​ ​The​ ​supervisor​ ​meeting 36
5.2​ ​Introduce​ ​the​ ​new​ ​change​ ​manager
5.3​ ​Employee​ ​event​ ​“Beyond​ ​the​ ​change”

Chapter​ ​6​ ​-​ ​References 41

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Chapter​ ​1​ ​-​ ​Introduction​ ​to​ ​Umbrella

1.1​ ​The​ ​history

It was yet another rainy day in Munich on the 12th of November 2017 when I came
through the gate of the once so shiny upstart at 06:00. “Umbrella Corp.” was written
in​ ​large​ ​letters​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​their​ ​headquarters.
Germany’s biggest retailer for consumer electronics was established in 1945 by
Klemens Kleber, right after Word War II. No one was interested in radios or
televisions back in the day of course, but Umbrella made use of its manpower and
know-how to get one of their largest contracts so far 2 years later: The government
instructed the firm to re-establish the destroyed telephone network which heavily
suffered from the bomb blasts throughout Germany. The presence of an Umbrella
employee around the block was soon linked to “I can finally make phone calls again!”
and therefore people welcomed the service personnel with open arms. It was only
later that decade, when the market was saturated meaning shrinking profit. A new
niche had to be found to guarantee further success - the household electronics
branch was therefore established. Consequently, when the first Umbrella retail store
for consumer electronics opened, a few blocks away from the current headquarters
in 1955, not much marketing was necessary: The public immediately trusted Kleber’s
outlet - no, they relied blindly on the firm! And who could blame them? Umbrella was
able to provide quality goods for cheap prices and finally also the man on the street
could​ ​afford​ ​a​ ​little​ ​bit​ ​of​ ​luxury​ ​in​ ​form​ ​of​ ​electronic​ ​products.
Whether young or old, everyone in Germany knows about the funding history of
Umbrella and every household owns at least one item from one of their 11 stores
around the country. Let it be a television, washing machine, radio, refrigerator or
even an electric-powered scooter - you name it. I think it’s fair to say, Umbrella was a
success story all along the line and not without good reason, the founder, Klemens
Kleber, was well regarded round here. Perhaps no better theory than the path
dependency model, which I once found in a book by Hayes (2014), would apply to
describe the history of Umbrella as it really mattered for them - not only in the past
but until now, whereas the eventful saga has an enduring influence on today’s

3
business still. At the end of the World War II, American occupying forces were still
present in the country and therefore corporate liberty in terms of production,
resources and expansion was limited. Umbrella had to make the best out of the
given situation, already starting early with lean processes and putting its manpower
to best use. They were probably the pioneer in Germany when retailers for consumer
electronics became a thing, thus many stores were built already in the early days.
The key to success were high quality products which often lasted for decades,
resulting in high customer satisfaction. In addition to that, the ambitious employees
were not only selling commodities but rather identified with the firm's vision of long
term growth in times where sustainability wasn’t really on every corporate agenda,
leading to very high retention rates among the overall workforce. Even back in the
1990s, where many retailers started to count on cheap sourcing in foreign countries
such as China or India, Umbrella stayed true to it’s motto of long-lasting, endurable
but also pricey products which is yet another indicator for their tendency to prefer
traditional practices, even if alternatives were already available. “But is it really the
key to success to never change a running system?” I think out loud. Sometimes you
might want to definitely adapt to the changing environment and evolve as a firm,
otherwise we would still be driving the same car as Fred Flintstone. The thought
made​ ​me​ ​chuckle​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​as​ ​I​ ​continued​ ​my​ ​way​ ​up​ ​the​ ​gateway.

War in general really had a big impact on the overall company, maybe Umbrella
would not even exist without it? Earlier, the nation strived towards a democratic order
and a cultural change process, away from the occupation by allies, as this was
symptomatic for the years after 1945. The Lewin's model of three phases, taken from
Hayes (2014), also found its way into the Umbrella corp. as the first retail shop was
opened and many employees were insecure if and how they still fit in the company. It
was once again Mr. Kleber, who handled the situation quite well by applying several
measures​ ​upfront​ ​I​ ​think​ ​to​ ​myself:

4
1.1.1​ ​Unfreeze

It was probably the most vital and crucial stage for the successful switch to a retail
company. Employees had to be prepared for their future tasks in the stores,
therefore Kleber organised workshops and individual trainings for each and
everyone. People were lifted out of their comfort zone, not wanting to give up their
original job, to the transformed situation with new opportunities and goals. Of course,
the proper communication through personnell meetings played also an important role
to​ ​carry​ ​on​ ​the​ ​company's​ ​vision​ ​to​ ​the​ ​overall​ ​workforce.

1.1.2.​ ​Moving

When the actual change was then implemented, meaning the first store opened,
Kleber took away all the fears his employees still got. Not only did he promise each
and everyone job security for the next 5 years, but he also carefully planned each
task so it was fitting to the individual giving them a high level of autonomy and at the
same​ ​time​ ​support​ ​if​ ​things​ ​were​ ​still​ ​unclear.

1.1.3.​ ​Freezing

Once the first store was established, meaning the stable state of successful change
was reached, Kleber reinforced the new environment by a sophisticated reward
system granting the employee of the month one item of their choice from the store.
In addition to that, when it came to expansion of the retail network, current staff of
the “old” stores were consulted to train new applicants. People really felt needed and
could​ ​align​ ​with​ ​Umbrella’s​ ​vision.
All this background information might not have attracted the attention of everyone
here in Germany but at least I should know, as we analyzed several european retail
firms in this regard back in 2011, when I was still studying at the Linnaeus University
during my semester abroad. Anyway, the success story of Umbrella had caught my
attention from the very first second I have heard of them and accompanied me for
years during my International Business and Consulting Master studies in Offenburg
and later on when my consulting company was started. Ever since I could
remember, I wanted to advise and consult people, whether in school when I once

5
told my colleague he is holding his pencil wrong and it would be faster if he just uses
a ball pen or in private life, where I didn't have a girlfriend until my mid-twenties. I
think​ ​this​ ​speaks​ ​for​ ​itself.​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​a​ ​know-it-all,​ ​but​ ​I​ ​try​ ​to​ ​be.
Hardly surprising, it was a major loss to the firm when Mr. Kleber passed away in
2008 after a serious illness at the age of 83. At this time, his son who worked for
Umbrella for more than 20 years already, was in charge of the day-to-day business
and luckily he stepped into the leading position immediately afterwards: Klaus
Kleber. He’s probably sitting in the highest-floor of the headquarters at this exact
moment​ ​and​ ​he​ ​is​ ​also​ ​the​ ​reason​ ​for​ ​my​ ​visit​ ​today.

As I stroll up the paved driveway heading to the main entrance, my eyes keep
wandering over the massive front of the skyscraper once again. When it was being
constructed some fifty years ago, the building was considered to be the biggest deal
in southern Germany, all twenty storeys of it. But there wasn’t much left from the
original glory as boston fern and english ivy carves it’s way up the concrete facade of
the high-rise in the heart of Bavaria. Not only has the building seen better days but
also the firm itself suffered from severe drawbacks within the last couple months,
according to recent reports in the local newspaper. The firm shut-down one of it’s
biggest branch offices in Augsburg, so many people were insecure about the
company's perspective and future goals. As a result, many of them quit and Umbrella
is now facing quality issues in many stores due to a lack of qualified personnel.
Revenues dropped by 10% in the last quarter and competitors suddenly gained
market share in niches where Umbrella once had a monopoly position. The town has
been losing great employers ever since the market crisis in 2008. Either they
shut-down completely or relocate in different countries, where production and labour
costs are lower. It never stopped since then, and now it may be Umbrella’s turn.
“How’s​ ​that​ ​even​ ​possible?”​ ​I​ ​speculate,​ ​while​ ​entering​ ​the​ ​main​ ​hall.

I find myself standing in front of the clerk’s desk on the twentieth floor. I don't even
remind having gotten on the elevator, but here I am now. “Mr. Kleber will soon be
ready for you, Sir.” a quiet but charming voice welcomes me. I nod my head and
have a seat on one of their fancy wing chairs in front of the manager's office. It was

6
Donna, Kleber’s executive secretary, a tall and red-haired lady in a conservative
blazer. Her desk is placed in the middle of the room while she is sitting in the office
chair, one hand constantly on the receiver, the other one busy with making notes in a
tiny​ ​black​ ​notebook.
While I’m relaxing there, I suddenly remember the notes I took yesterday evening
when this fundamental question of “How’s that even possible?” was buzzing around
my head, preventing me from finally getting some sleep. It was once again another
busy​ ​day​ ​at​ ​our​ ​consultant​ ​office​ ​in​ ​Berlin,​ ​but​ ​that’s​ ​a​ ​different​ ​kettle​ ​of​ ​fish.
I pull out the crumpled piece of paper from my billet pocket and go through the
handwritten paragraphs to prepare for the meeting. As the external and internal
environment of Umbrella changed rapidly over time especially in the beginning due
to the World War, Miles and Snow’s strategy, from Hayes (2014), reminded me on
how to analyze different decisions made by the firm. The strategies gave me a quick
insight​ ​on​ ​how​ ​Umbrella​ ​acted​ ​in​ ​certain​ ​situations:

Prospector​ ​strategy: 
When  Umbrella  initially  started,  it  was  one  newly  started  firm  among  hundreds. It quickly 
became  clear,  that  only  the  most  efficient  high-quality  companies  will  survive.  Once  this 
image  was  established  and  the  first  stores  were  opened,  there  was  little  need  for  new 
innovations  but  rather  an  ambition  to  keep  up  the  high  standards  based  on  the  premise: 
Never​ ​change​ ​a​ ​winning​ ​team! 
 
 
Defender​ ​strategy: 
Although  the  variety  of  products  increased  from  the  establishment  of  the  first store, when 
Kleber  Senior  was  still  in  charge  of  operations,  Umbrella  can  be  seen  defensive  in  many 
aspects: 
- They  carved  out  a  new  niche  within  the  electronic  industry  in  1955  by 
opening​ ​the​ ​first​ ​store​ ​for​ ​consumer​ ​electronics 
- They  focus  on  their  core  competence,  high  quality  products  for  affordable 
prices. 
- They  strive  for  market  stability  by  protecting  the  current  share  and 
strengthen​ ​their​ ​subsidiaries​ ​throughout​ ​Germany. 
 
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 Analyzer​ ​strategy: 
Especially  in  1950,  the  decision  making  process  of  Umbrella  was  characterized  by  this 
approach:  Kleber  systematically  analyzed  if  the  move  was  appropriate  for  the firm and the 
need​ ​for​ ​a​ ​repair​ ​service​ ​and​ ​later​ ​on​ ​for​ ​consumer​ ​electronics​ ​was​ ​recognized​ ​resulting​ ​in:  
- Further  investment  in  a  fleet  of  trucks  and  trained employees to handle the 
increasing​ ​demand​ ​for​ ​telephone​ ​wire​ ​repair​ ​work 
- Initiating  and  strengthening  the  retail  sector  with  the  construction  of  a 
national​ ​network​ ​of​ ​store 
Reactor​ ​strategy: 
The  first  and  most  obvious  reaction  of  Umbrella was clearly the foundation of the company 
after  World  War 2, where Kleber identified a need for a repair service at that time. Another 
indicator  for this approach is the fact that no major adjustments to the company were made 
until  problems  arose:  Only  after  profits  and  market  shares  plummeted  in  1950,  Klemens 
Kleber​ ​finally​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​introduce​ ​countermeasures​ ​by​ ​entering​ ​a​ ​new​ ​market​ ​niche. 

8
Chapter​ ​2​ ​-​ ​The​ ​management

2.1​ ​Changes​ ​implemented​ ​by​ ​Umbrella​ ​so​ ​far

By the time I entered the manager's office, it was around 08:00 and my stomach was
acting up already. Maybe I should not have skipped breakfast again. As soon as my
presence catched Mr. Kleber’s attention, he leaped out off his chair and was walking
towards me - determined but with quick steps. “Mr. Schaefer, I am really glad you
are here!” he started our conversation followed by a short hug to underpin his
statement. “The pleasure is all on mine! Please just call me George.” I respond,
while we were on our way to his office table. A massive one made from mahogany
wood, which I could only classify because my last client was a joinery in Stuttgart
mainly working with those kind of materials. However the tabletop was hardly visible
as it was full of notes and cardboard boxes filled with files. I continued to start the
meeting with the question I ask every client we begin to work with: “What’s the
situation, Mr. Kleber?” His initial enthusiasm quickly faded as soon as those words
left my lips and it seemed like he didn’t know how to reply on first glance. After a few
awkward seconds of silence, he responded with giving me some insight into the
firm’s current setting by jumping up from his chair again and starting to pace back
and forth in the office for the next one and a half hours, which were embellished with
monologs,​ ​facts​ ​and​ ​figures.
“The point is, I never intended to let things come so far in the first place. All I wanted
to achieve was constant growth to create new jobs and now we ended up actually
losing long-serving employees. Our plan was to shut down the branch office in
Augsburg so we have more resources to finally roll out our online service. The
concept to shift some of the static retail in our markets to the online sales was on my
table for years now but we pushed it from one quarter to the next again and again.
When we finally started to implement first measures, meaning to shift some stock to
warehouses so we can dispatch it from there and in addition to that expand our
switchboard in order to deal with increased troubleshooting caused by the online
store, we were already lagging behind the schedule our stakeholders set. Not a

9
single one of the 30 employees from the retail store would have lost their job as new
duties were already awaiting them either in the warehouse or the customer service
hotline. On top of that, our intention was to have equal pay for work of equal or less
value which means people would have ended up with less demanding tasks for the
same​ ​salary!
During his sheer endless speech I could not help but think to myself that he may be
starting to lose it. Not that I implicate him of drifting toward a breakdown or anything
but he definitely seems desperate over the current situation Umbrella is in. While
taking down notes of the hard facts and quickly turning over the page of my
notebook to not lose the thread, Mr. Kleber continues to itemize the measures which
were​ ​implemented​ ​to​ ​carry​ ​out​ ​the​ ​aforementioned​ ​change​ ​process.
“Of course we communicated our goals and milestones from the boards of managers
to all supervisors, which then continued to inform the affected workforce. We even
carried out surveys, earlier this year, so everyone could give his opinion on our plans
with the online stores - what a pity that only 5% of the staff used this opportunity!
Besides our main concern, the workforce, we also had to convince and satisfy the
stakeholders which of course tried to keep the costs low and avoid a shift of power
from current vendors to new sources as we planned to purchase materials at
different​ ​suppliers​ ​for​ ​the​ ​online​ ​stores.”
“But shouldn’t the stakeholders take some loss for the good of Umbrella?” I intervene
the conversation. ​The look that came over his ​face​, it was just a flash, spoke
volumes: He is an academic person I guess, he does not really understand the
business world. Mr. Kleber went on as if nothing happened explaining me how the
firm ensures that staff is motivated and fully utilised: “Although I really liked my Dad’s
idea, may he rest in peace, to motivate the workforce extrinsically by granting the
employee of the month one item of their choice from the store I find this practice
rather obsolete and outdated. That’s why we came up with an enhanced system
where also trainings and personal activities outside of the workplace were taken into
account to improve the employee's loyalty and motivation. Again, the staff did not
really grasp the idea of a shift from incentives to a new, more intrinsic approach, to
reward their work performance. People just seem to resist all kind of change, even
though we try to communicate every step way in advance! Of course, we sometimes

10
had to come to a decision or even make decisions over some supervisors head, but
isn’t that comprehensible when it comes to such radical changes like the
implementation of our online store? Such plans are vital to the organizational survival
and fulfillment of our mission and it should be in everyone’s interest that we succeed
on the long run! When Kleber was finally done, he threw himself into the seat, took a
deep breath and then asked me: “Let’s have some lunch before we continue?” “Hell
yes!” I think to myself while nodding in response. In the corridors leading to the
cafeteria there were plaques commemorating some of the greatest milestones of
Umbrella for example the construction and opening of their first store or the party for
their 70th anniversary 2 years ago. I tried to lighten the mood by talking about the
latest Star Wars movie, which I intended to watch later that day, but Mr. Kleber only
recommended me his favorite cinema. He seemed a little bit bored with those lines
of chit-chat and looked as if he would like to finish the conversation before we start
lunch - or maybe he just isn’t into Star Wars, I guess. After a delicious two course
meal comprising traditional Bavarian cuisine: roasts and dumplings followed by
apfelstrudel, we agreed to meet again at 2 pm, so I could summarize my thoughts
until then. I was guided to a generous meeting room, for my taste a bit overdone -
but​ ​I​ ​am​ ​not​ ​complaining,​ ​and​ ​start​ ​to​ ​sort​ ​out​ ​my​ ​thoughts:

-Intention​ ​of​ ​closing​ ​of​ ​one​ ​store​ ​was​ ​to​ ​expand​ ​the​ ​online​ ​retail​ ​service  
-Communication  between  board  of  managers  and  employees  was  achieved  through 
supervisors 
-supervisors​ ​might​ ​not​ ​believe​ ​in​ ​the​ ​employee's​ ​abilities​ ​to​ ​change/deal​ ​with​ ​new​ ​tasks 
-Economic  driven  strategy,  top-down  approach  was  present  throughout  all  change 
processes 
-Employees​ ​should​ ​be​ ​integrated​ ​more 
-Dictatorial​ ​transformation​ ​was​ ​used​ ​as​ ​changes​ ​were​ ​radical 
-Charismatic​ ​approach​ ​might​ ​be​ ​better 
-Surveys  were carried out but the bounce-rate was quite high so no meaningful conclusions 
could​ ​be​ ​drawn 
-Was​ ​everyone​ ​aware​ ​that​ ​surveys​ ​were​ ​held​ ​and​ ​what​ ​was​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​them? 
-Stakeholders​ ​wield​ ​their​ ​power 
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 -Stakeholders​ ​interests​ ​should​ ​be​ ​satisfied​ ​but​ ​Umbrellas​ ​interests​ ​should​ ​be​ ​preferred 
-Shift​ ​from​ ​incentives​ ​to​ ​a​ ​new​ ​way​ ​to​ ​motivate​ ​people​ ​(more​ ​intrinsic​ ​than​ ​extrinsic) 
-clear  vision  and  goals,  process  of personal transition: if and to which degree the 
employee​ ​is​ ​on​ ​board 
-Reason​ ​for​ ​employees​ ​resistance​ ​to​ ​change

When I confronted Mr. Kleber with my notes, he was really interested in my

approach listening to my two hour presentation without a single objection. Once I
was done, we agreed to meet again in three weeks. In the meantime I would make a
tour​ ​around​ ​Germany​ ​and​ ​visit​ ​some​ ​of​ ​Umbrellas​ ​stores​.

12
Chapter​ ​3​ ​-​ ​The​ ​employees

3.1​ ​Analysis​ ​of​ ​the​ ​now-situation

After a long and exhausting car ride on the German autobahn I finally arrived at my
spacious 4 – room apartment in Berlin. As soon as I opened the door I got welcomed
by Archie, my two year old male Golden Retriever, accompanied by a warming and
charming “Hey, babe!” from my fiancée Amelie. She was wearing her wavy blond
hair over her shoulders and her pleasant face radiated, as soon as she heard me
coming. After I stepped into the apartment and locked the door behind me, I
perceived the smell of Pizza and I knew that there would be some slices of my
favorite pizza waiting for me. “She’s the best!” popped into my mind immediately.
And after a pet on Archie’s head and intimate kiss I made my way to the kitchen,
where​ ​I​ ​found​ ​what​ ​I​ ​was​ ​hoping​ ​for.
Even though I was fatigued and felt the need for sleep I sat down at my work desk
and pulled out my notes again, in order to reflect upon all the information I got from
my meeting with Mr. Kleber. For at least an hour I set in my office chair, spinning,
trying to catch a clear thought. But whether it was my tired condition, the food or the
fact that I was still reminiscing about the latest Star Wars movie, which I can only
recommend by the way, I wasn’t able to think straight, so I decided to postpone that
to the following day. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of raindrops
pattering against the big bedroom window. “Good night, Berlin” I mumbled as my
thoughts​ ​about​ ​Umbrella​ ​Corp.​ ​slowly​ ​faded​ ​away.
The next morning I got wakened by Archie around 9 am. The weather did not get any
better in comparison to Bavaria and I sighed out loud, while looking out of the
window. After I talked myself into taking a run with Archie and a quick shower, I got
into my office at around ten o’clock. ‘Good to be my own boss’ – I thought and
smiled, while I greeted my subordinates on this Friday morning. It isn’t the biggest
office by any means, but the space is convenient for my secretary, two subordinates,
the intern and me. I really like the modern and innovative style and the location was
in prime position in central Berlin. When I set down into my office chair I started

13
planning my two trips to the Umbrella Corp. branch offices. My first stop would be
here in Berlin, actually only a 20 minute car ride away from my office. I opened the
browser on my MacBook and searched for contacting numbers of that retail store, in
order to set up an appointment for next week. I quickly found, what I was searching
for and typed the number into my phone. A welcoming male voice answered me
soon after, who turned out to be the store manager, who introduced himself as Mr.
Alex Meier. After I explained the cause of my call to him and that I would like to talk
to him about the changes the organization had done, he was willing to meet me as
soon as possible. We set up a meeting for the upcoming Monday at 2.45 pm. He
really seemed to be eager about telling me his perspective and thoughts about the
change and current situation in his retail store, I thought. Mr. Meier was a very
forthcoming person and I was really satisfied, that I was going to hear an interesting
new perspective on how the change was communicated to the individual store
managers, who seemingly did not have any influence in the decision making
process, and what the reason for that was. “It was a pleasure talking to you Mr.
Meier and I am looking forward meeting you on Monday! Goodbye and have a nice
weekend!”​ ​I​ ​said​ ​ending​ ​the​ ​phone​ ​conversation​ ​with​ ​him.
After that I thought about something, Mr. Kleber told me during our meeting
yesterday. ‘… The stores with the biggest loss regarding the profit margin are
Stuttgart and Berlin.’ I said out loud. Those should be the destinations I am heading
to, I thought and it would only be the most obvious step for me to take, because
those two stores seemed to have suffered the most from the change process. With
the long lasting success and Mr. Klebers words in mind, I would find out exactly why
that was the case. The rest of my Friday morning I spend with calling the remaining
field office, setting up an appointment there as well, in addition to having a skype
conference with a globally operating car manufacturer. But this time I was actually
going to talk to the workforce directly. I mean they were the ones affected by the
change so I should listen to what they would have to say, right? After everything was
settled, I called back Mr. Kleber right before lunch time. Shortly after Donna’s familiar
voice redirected me to Mr. Kleber, I told him about my plans. “So once I have
finished my trips over the next two and a half weeks I will be able to explain you
exactly what went wrong during your change process”, I explained and I could

14
picture his nodding face with that exciting smile I witnessed yesterday. “Therefore I
would like to set up a meeting for the calendar week 49”, I continued. He told me,
that he would double-check the dates with his secretary Donna and would call me
back​ ​the​ ​following​ ​week.
Right after my phone call with Mr. Kleber ended, one of my colleagues knocked on
the glass door of my office, asking me if I would like to have sushi for lunch as well,
to which I immediately agreed. I love sushi, especially the one from the Japanese
restaurant​ ​across​ ​the​ ​street.
The sushi was tasting great, and I praised the Japanese cuisine once again. When I
got back into my office I dedicated myself to the other clients I had to serve, and so
the time went by and my working day ended. But I couldn’t get Umbrella Corp. out of
my head. How could such a successful company act and communicate change so
poorly? Thinking about that question all weekend long I could not wait talking to the
supervisory​ ​manager​ ​of​ ​Berlin’s​ ​branch​ ​office.
Subsequently, on Monday after lunch I got into my car, heading towards Umbrella
Corp. in Berlin - Charlottenburg. It has been a sunny day so far, one of the few we
have here during late autumn I have to admit. It was already freezing outside, even
more so I savored the heated seats of my black Audi A8. Once I parked my car on
the appendant car park, I hurried into the store immediately. Indoors, I asked my way
to the supervisory office. I was sent to an inconspicuous wooden door, which was
only decorated with a golden sign stating ‘Alex Meier, branch manager’. “This has to
be it”, I told myself and knocked against the door three times. I clearly heard
movement on the other side and soon after the door in front of me swung open. “I’m
glad to meet you Mr. Schaefer.”, the man said with a friendly surprisingly dark voice.
He was an athletic man, mid-forties I assumed. Short black hair, with sporadic grey
ones here and there. “The pleasure is mine” I replied and returned his firm
handshake. He led me to one of those fancy wing chairs, and implied to take a seat.
“Same interior designer for every office?” came to my mind, after I had a look around
his office, which was bathed in sunlight and I couldn’t help myself smiling about it.
Mr. Meier took place on the other side of the mahogany desk and crossed his legs.
We started the conversation with a bit of chit-chat about my arrival and the fact that

15
the sun was showing the first time in months. I’m exaggerating of course, but it really
felt​ ​like​ ​weeks​ ​of​ ​just​ ​cloudy​ ​and​ ​cold​ ​weather.
Other than that, we came to the point rather quickly. I took out my notebook and a
ball pen and asked the manager the same opening question as Mr. Kleber. “What is
your current situation?” I glimpsed a short expression of anger but I didn’t show any
sign of reaction to that and calmly waited for his response. He took his fair share of
time until he finally started to talk after a long sigh. “Let me be completely direct and
honest with you, Mr. Schaefer, it’s a mere disaster!” he started to explain
passionately. “My employees’ efficiency and productivity are lower than ever, and in
addition to that, my best working and most experienced workers are leaving because
they started doubting their job security after the closing of the branch office in
Augsburg.” Mr. Meier’s hand gestures increased in intensity when he started talking
about the communication issue between the branch managers and the board of
managers in the headquarters. “They just decide whatever they think would be best,
without even considering asking us!” I was pretty surprised when I heard that
statement, since Mr. Kleber was so enthusiastic about the surveys and the low
percentage of engagement from the side of the employees. I had to interrupt him in
his monologue and asked him. “What is about the surveys the top management is
handing out?” Mr. Meier laughed and answered, “Those inquiries are a joke, if you
ask me”. He took a deep breath as if he would mentally prepare himself to talk about
that. “You see, we have a company’s newsletter, monthly. Nobody reads it anyways.
But at the end of that, there is one sentence regarding an inquiry about and a link,
redirecting you to a five minute survey about employees’ happiness and what they
would like to change. To my knowledge, nobody ever used that, and I wouldn’t
blame them. I mean, what would it change anyways?” he stared at me as if he would
wait for me answering his question. “In the end, they just do what is best for the
greater good, right?” he continued after the short pause. “But now I end up with a
bunch of unqualified workers, who don’t even try to adapt to the new situation, and I
have to deal with that. There isn’t a real guideline or goal, we just work to survive
right now.” I carefully noted every last bit of information I got from his now furious
speech he was giving me and nodded every once in awhile to express my attention
paying. After he seemed to be done I went on questioning him about his

16
interpersonal relationship to his workforce. “I only tell them what’s necessary, and
again I can only work with the few instructions I’m receiving from the top
management.” He went on a little while longer complaining about the current working
conditions, so I got a good first impression on what exactly went wrong during that
change process. I stood up. “Thank you for your time Mr. Meier”, I said friendly and
after the handshake and some few nice farewell wishes I set back into my Audi,
turned on the engine to activate my heated seats and took out my notebook to
shortly​ ​reflect​ ​on​ ​the​ ​past​ ​meeting.

-​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Lackluster​ ​communication​ ​between:​ ​Top​ ​management​ ​–​ ​branch​ ​management 

  ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Branch​ ​management​ ​–​ ​employees 
→  Organizational  silence:  implicit  beliefs  that  the  management  knows  best,  fear  of  negative  feedback  –  resulting  in 
centralization​ ​of​ ​decision​ ​making​ ​and​ ​negative​ ​reaction​ ​regarding​ ​change​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014) 
-  ‘Just  tell  em’  -  approach:  managers  don’t  have  any  more  information  regarding  the  change  than  the  employees, 
employees  don’t  have  the  necessary  information  regarding  the  change,  they  do  not  just  accept  change  willingly,  bad 
feedback​ ​&​ ​improvement​ ​opportunities,​ ​no​ ​clear​ ​communication​ ​strategy​ ​(Adamson​ ​et​ ​al.,​ ​2006) 
-  Low  trust in the top management’s decision making ability – no alignment to the mission and therefore no sense giving 
possible 
→​ ​Communication​ ​of​ ​a​ ​clear​ ​goal​ ​and​ ​vision​ ​was​ ​not​ ​successful​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014) 
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Need​ ​of​ ​leadership​ ​training​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​motivate​ ​and​ ​inspire​ ​workforce​ ​(Gill,​ ​2011) 
-  Improvement  of  feedback  methods  and  integration  of  the  workforce  and  branch  offices  into  the  decision  making 
process​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014) 
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​Top-down​ ​dictatorial​ ​transformation​ ​process​ ​overstrains​ ​managers​ ​as​ ​well​ ​–​ ​need​ ​of​ ​workshops​ ​(Brown​ ​at​ ​al.,​ ​2006) 
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​Supervisor​ ​doesn’t​ ​believe​ ​in​ ​the​ ​workforce’s​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​deal​ ​with​ ​change​ ​–​ ​they​ ​are​ ​resistant​ ​to​ ​change​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014) 
 
I was baffled after the meeting with Mr. Meier. The picture of the change process he
painted was clearly a different one than Mr. Kleber’s. Trust and communication
seemed to be the biggest issue throughout every step of this change process. It
seemed like Kleber and his team spent countless hours on carefully preparing each
single step of the organizational change process but then forgot to involve everybody
affected by it. With those thoughts in mind, I drove home. I went to bed early this
evening, still reminiscing about that meeting. How could a change process be carried

17
out so poorly? Was is due to the drastic nature of the change? All those thoughts
buzzed​ ​through​ ​my​ ​mind.
The next stop for me would be Stuttgart. There I would talk to long-time worker, to
learn more about the employee’s point of view on the change. What would they say?
Was it really that bad? With the knowledge I received from Mr. Meier in mind, I got
on an early train on the following Thursday. Five hours later I arrived in Stuttgart
central station and got into a taxi, driving me to the local branch office. The traffic
was surprisingly heavy around 1pm, which probably was due to the cold and cloudy
weather in southern Germany. After another 20 minutes I reached my destination. I
paid and tipped off the taxi driver, who brightened up my mood with a good
electronic music taste and some interesting stories about the transformation of the
city since the World War II ended. Lunch break just started and my appointment was
already waiting for me in front of the store. “You must be Mr. Schaefer” he shouted,
while he was waving. He immediately caught my attention and after a short mutual
presentation, we went off to a nearby café together. His name was Rudolf Wagner,
56 years old, working for the company for the past 15 years as a specialized shop
assistant. That was all I knew about his profile so far. In the café we both ordered a
piece of cake and a double espresso, which he persisted to pay. “For your extra
effort coming to Stuttgart and listening to my opinion” he claimed. I agreed and we
got into the discussion quickly, since we only had an hour to talk to each other. “I
want to take this opportunity to speak for me and all my fellow colleagues here, who
believe this is a one-time chance to actually change something” he began. I pulled
out my notebook, as always, and was ready to go. “Ok then, let’s get started Mr.
Wagner, shall we?” He nodded patiently, waiting for me starting to ask some
questions. “What are your thoughts on the change Umbrella Corp. is going through,
Mr. Wagner?” I started off with. “In our store, we still have to try to compensate the
dismissal of several long-time workers. They went to local competitors like Media
Markt for example.” He made a short pause, since the waitress brought us our order.
After taking a sip of his espresso, he continued to tell his story. “We all fear for our
jobs, Mr. Schaefer. They closed the branch in Augsburg, without giving us specific
reasoning. On top of that, they even withdrew the incentives for the employee of the
month. I mean, that can only mean, that the company is having money issues,

18
right?” He stared at me with a questioning look, in which I think I even recognized a
little bit of desperation. But I wasn’t able to charge himself with all his doubts, yet. I
hurriedly scrawled my thoughts into my notebook, before coming to my next
question. “Were you aware of the possibility to actively influence the decision making
process via a company internal survey?” He looked at me like he never had heard of
anything like that before. “We do not have such possibilities, Mr. Schaefer, sadly I
may add. I think that the top-down approach is really hurting us as a whole, since I
believe that we as the actual workforce could add a lot of valuable input to the top
management, to help out each other.” That statement confirmed my assumption. It
also explained the high bounce-rate Mr. Kleber was complaining about. The
communication strategy really had to be disastrous throughout the whole process.
“Moreover we now have these re-training measures every once in awhile. They aim
to train us in online customer service, but a lot of us normal employees do not see
why we should do that. Furthermore our branch manager is expecting us to be able
to fully comprehend our new possible working area by the end of one month. Since I
myself do not feel confident about having the ability to adapt that quickly, I doubt that
my fellow workers do. The manager told us that those would be for personal
fulfillment and self-realization.” I patiently nodded and occasionally took a piece of
my strawberry cheese cake. I wrote down everything of importance for me after the
lunch break was over he finished the conversation. “I hope that my provided
information was helpful and is actually helping you solving our issue.” Such a nice
man, always formal and friendly, I thought. “I will do my best, in order to make the
change as convenient and understandable as I can, Mr. Wagner. Thanks a lot for
spending your break with me, I really appreciate it” I explained with an honest,
straight look. We shook hands, and soon after he hurried back to the store. On my
way back to the main railway station, my cellphone rang. “Good afternoon, Mr.
Schaefer, I hope I am not disturbing right now” Mr. Klebers answered once I picked
up my phone. “Hello Mr. Kleber, what a wonderful timing” I replied. He just wanted to
confirm​ ​the​ ​appointment​ ​to​ ​the​ ​fourth​ ​of​ ​December,​ ​to​ ​which​ ​I​ ​firmly​ ​agreed.
Back on the train, I took out my black notebook and went through my notes once
more.

19
-  Fear  of  losing  job  –  Directionality  needed:  Decision  making  is  often  top-down  process,  effective  change 
communication  needs upward communication providing managers with the information they require in order to clarify 
the​ ​need​ ​for​ ​change,​ ​and​ ​develop​ ​and​ ​implement​ ​a​ ​change​ ​program 
→​ ​Two-way​ ​conversation 
-  Communication  strategy:  Withholding  and  upholding  information  is  spreading  rumors,  which  are  negative  for  the 
motivation​ ​and​ ​lead​ ​to​ ​dismissals 
-  More need of focus on interpersonal justice: executives treating employees with dignity and caring for the ones affected 
by​ ​the​ ​change​ ​-​ ​charismatic​ ​leadership​ ​approach 
-  Motivation  of  workforce  and  the  acceptance  of  the  new  intrinsic  motivation  and  reward  system  will  be  ensured  an 
equitable  level  of  remuneration,  being  treated  fairly  and  with  dignity,  having  some  level  of  security  of  employment, 
having  some  level  of  autonomy,  integration  into  the  decision  making  process, and ultimately having an opportunity to 
learn​ ​and​ ​develop​ ​and​ ​perceiving​ ​it​ ​as​ ​such​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​some​ ​cuts​ ​made​ ​by​ ​the​ ​management​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014) 
 
With all those thoughts in mind, I finally felt being able to put together that different
puzzle pieces to get a whole picture, in order to prepare a first suggestion of how the
change process should have been undertaken for the upcoming meeting with Mr.
Kleber.

20
Chapter​ ​4​ ​-​ ​The​ ​Planning
Today is the 4​th of December, on my schedule is the feedback meeting with Mr.
Kleber at 13 o’clock. The traffic jam evokes some nervous feelings, anyways I’m late
and I do not like people who cannot handle their time management. I don’t want to
be that sort of guy, but I’m sure I’ll be on time. Nevertheless, my stomach rumbles
and hurts a little bit, never skip the breakfast again, I tell myself. At the office, Mr.
Kleber is not in such a good mood as I hoped. “How are you? Should we postpone
the meeting? I can see you have to struggle with some other things!”, I asked. “No
no, I’m fine I had just some bad confrontation with one of my store managers, but it
doesn’t matter. Hopefully, you can tell me some good news and show some results
of your analysis.” Kleber responded. After a 3-hour conversation, I conveyed all my
thoughts about the situation and what will be the next steps. We arranged a meeting
in 4 weeks where I would present my plans for the change. On the way home, I
constantly thought about the planning phase. What should it look like? How could it
be? I imagined a lot of work is waiting, but now I should be focused on the traffic,
tomorrow​ ​is​ ​early​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​start​ ​with​ ​the​ ​procedure.

The next morning, I woke up completely disturbed. The night was rough and I had
some weird mind conflicts regarding Umbrella Corp.. Too many ambiguities came
over me. In order to get some clarity, I decided to gather more information from the
other Umbrella shops via phone surveys. Randomly I picked 30 numbers out of the
employee list and called them incognito to prevent exerting pressure on the
respondent. I presented myself as a marketing student who writes his master thesis
about customer behaviors depending on the company’s atmosphere and started a
survey to collect data about sales persons in medium- and big-sized companies. Not
really ingenious but it worked. Questions like how they are feeling about their jobs
and the organizational culture of the company, the relationship to their superiors and
the links between the employees gave me enough details to go on. Against my
assumptions the results were different, not every store had this negative attitude like
Stuttgart and Berlin. It seems like the lower the profit of the store, the lower the spirit

21
of their staff, and that makes sense since I’m a consultant this pattern shows up
again​ ​and​ ​again.
After structuring all the information, I have an approximate idea of what went wrong
and what we should change up to get back on track. The attitude regarding the
closed branch in Augsburg was quite different from shop to shop. Some employees
got more anxious, others remain calm. I asked myself how this could be? The key
point may be the communication. All the store managers had the same information,
but maybe the way of disclosing the content was not the same. As Mr. Kleber told
me, all the branch executives are well trained and were doing a good job. They know
what to do and they apparently knew the reason for the store shutdown and how to
communicate that information to the staff. But often, if just some small bricks are
missing the whole wall can collapse. This reminds me of a story about my uncle
Josef.

Unfortunately, Josef had an accident with his car. He drove too fast and due to the
snowy weather, he lost control of the car and slipped off the street. After several
rollovers, he crashed into the streambed upside down. It took approximately 10
minutes before somebody found him and pulled him out of the wreck. Sadly, 10
minutes with the head under water, 10 minutes without air supply for his brain. As
Josef woke up after lying 3 weeks in a coma, he was completely different. Now he is
no longer able to talk or to eat alone, he can’t go on the toilet without help or do
anything on his own at all. His level of knowledge is equal to a 2-year-old child now.
But the worst things are Josef’s epileptic seizures. This man is tall and strong, so
those attacks are hard to repel. My grandmother who handled the full-time care for
my uncle tried everything to help him feel better, to reassure him and reducing these
powerful seizures. She talked to every doctor, brought him to therapies and even
went to so-called “faith healers”. But nothing worked successfully, the only effective
method was a sedative injection. My grandma did not like this way and used the shot
only​ ​in​ ​emergencies.
One day my sister and her children visited granny. During fika and a cozy tittle-tattle,
my niece and nephew played with some Duplo bricks. My uncle came out of his
room and sat on the table, took two of the Duplo bricks, put them together and

22
removed them, put them together and removed them again, rotated the bricks, put
them together and removed them. He did that during the whole coffee party and it
looked like it was fun for him. After an hour, it was time to put the toys away, but in
the moment when granny tried to take the bricks out of Josef’s hands, he got
nervous and sad. Therefore, he kept the Duplo and then they realized that the bricks
calmed​ ​him​ ​down​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​now​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​best​ ​therapies​ ​for​ ​him.
Every time I see my uncle now, he has these 2 stones in his hands playing with
them. It looks a little bit odd to see a nearly 50 years old man toying with Duplo, but it
is working for over 10 years now and nothing else matters. So sometimes small
bricks​ ​can​ ​change​ ​the​ ​world​ ​for​ ​some​ ​reason.

But now I’m pondering, what are those tiny bricks that can make the change work for
Umbrella Corp.? In my mind, there is this article written by Marshak (1994) which I
coincidentally got in my hands days ago. It is about the different forms of change
models compared to the organization development (OD) model depending on the
organizational culture. Also, the Lewin’s model (Unfreeze, Movement, Refreeze)
which the Umbrella company used in earlier days was mentioned in the article. It
feels like, as if the organization lost their path after time. The organization
development model (OD) is a working method if you introduce it in the right way.
Maybe something went wrong, but in my opinion, OD alone is not the best solution in
this case. According to the analyzes and my longstanding experiences, I’m quite
sure that a combined economic/OD strategy will fit this company best. Beer (2001)
mentioned, different strategies can be performed well in different ways: To use the
manager driven success-oriented way cooperating with the capability and the skills
of​ ​all​ ​the​ ​employees,​ ​can​ ​cause​ ​much​ ​more​ ​benefits.
To apply such a strategy to the Umbrella Corp. I need to work out a plan. Thankfully I
got this book from Hayes (2014) that always supports my projects. According to the
book, three main requirements are necessary in order to be successful with the
economic/OD​ ​strategy.

23
4.1​ ​Choosing​ ​the​ ​right​ ​strategy

4.1.1. The development of a compelling and balanced business and

organization​ ​development​ ​direction:
How is Mr. Kleber able to reach all his workers deliver the right information and
provide an inspirational vision. At first, we have to draw up a list of all the important
factors dependent for the successful change. It should also contain regarding who
should get which information. I guess there are some facts only important for the top
management. Of course, more information for all the employees will increase trust
and affiliation, but I know, too much often results in confusion. Once the list is done,
some meetings should be scheduled. The first one should include all members of the
top management to collate all data and giving them some instructions about further
strategy. For the next meeting, all supervisors must be invited. Mr. Kleber has to
make sure that all of them obtain the same information regarding the change and the
vision to introduce following actions. Furthermore, all supervisors should receive
identical pieces of information of what to tell their employees. Reasons for rumors
have to be completely wiped out. If the staff should have questions that cannot be
replied by the direct superior, they need to be forwarded to the top management.
Thenceforth, a general meeting maybe in connection with a company celebration
can be held. The effort is high, but it simply is the most effective way to reach all
workers directly and it additionally builds some kind of motivation when employees
notice that their managers are also just ordinary people. On this big gathering, Mr.
Kleber has the chance to tell everybody why and which change is needed. He has to
focus on getting the support of all members and showing them the future and an
inspiring vision and lastly, how to achieve all the results with the current capabilities
of the staff. Mr. Kleber should talk with a motivation coach to prepare himself. At the
end of the general meeting flyers containing all the main information about the
change​ ​have​ ​to​ ​be​ ​distributed​ ​amongst​ ​all​ ​attendants.

24
 4.1.2. The management of key stakeholders in order to buy time to
develop​ ​organizational​ ​capability:
Easy money is not always the best one. What does this mean? In organizations
shareholders often try to squeeze out the lemon instead of reinvesting the generated
returns. In most of the cases that’s not sustainable and the long-term success fails to
appear. In the beginning the shareholders of the Umbrella Corp. exerted pressure on
the change and ultimately it ended now up in a mess. So, we should convince them
to give the sole right of decision to Mr. Kleber and reducing their power of influence
in the change process. The whole project will be handled simpler if only one can
make resolutions. Obviously, the change needs a lot of time and it takes probably
years to get positive revenues, but it will not be very difficult to convince the investors
to go the long-lasting way after what happened in the last years. If this works, the
CEO can take decisions without any consents of the partners, but it is always better
to have your colleagues and investors on your side. I guess with some forecasting
charts from the financial departments it will not be a big deal to persuade the
shareholders.
Thus, how can we create more capability? We want to use our resources, that
means, our exempted personnel from the closed store has an incredible experience
regarding the goods but they must be trained in IT courses to learn how to work with
the computer program and of course with the internet. But before we start with the
reeducation, all the staff has to be asked if there are some volunteers from the other
stores, so we can maybe change the personnel if some of the exempted ones are
not​ ​satisfied​ ​so​ ​far.​ ​The​ ​training​ ​plan​ ​will​ ​be​ ​discussed​ ​in​ ​a​ ​later​ ​chapter.

4.1.3. The adoption of a sociotechnical approach that involves the

development​ ​of​ ​down​ ​the​ ​line​ ​managers:
This means, more focus should be spent on our supervisors and their employees.
We must use their abilities, because all of them have an extensive basic knowledge
of different kind of technologies. If we deploy the staff in the right way, they can get

25
our biggest asset. Selling service not only works in person it is also online possible
for example, in a live-chat or on the phone and if the employees can create the
platform in collaboration with the marketing department they will get very familiar with
it. Supervisors can help and coordinate the processes and act as supporters. All of
them should be integrated into the development of the online store, they know the
customers, they have experience in selling and they have good ideas, we must use
them. But it is important not to overstrain them or put too much pressure on the
workers, less compulsion generates more inventiveness and disputes or rivalries
have​ ​to​ ​be​ ​prevented.

To figure out if this model would work I had a short phone call with Mr. Kleber, he
responded my question positive and mentioned his complete trust in my work. Some
motivating words are always welcome, so I was encouraged to go on in planning.
After fixing the strategy it is now time to structure the change plan. Hayes (2014) my
good companion through each change process contains a straight 8 task expiration
which​ ​I​ ​will​ ​adapt​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Umbrella​ ​Corp..

4.2.​ ​Eight-task​ ​planning​ ​of​ ​change

4.2.1.​ ​Appoint​ ​a​ ​transition​ ​manager

Who could cope with this job? The transition manager has to be assertive, powerful
and authoritarian. He should be able to build a good connection between the change
development team and the existing leadership. One of the main abilities is to raise
the​ ​motivation​ ​of​ ​every​ ​member​ ​instead​ ​of​ ​resistance.
After studying the personnel files, I had only 2 appropriate workers in my mind. The
first is the head of the R&D department who fits very well but is fully loaded with
work, it would be difficult to free him for this job. My second choice, which I prefer, is
the store leader of the closed branch office in Augsburg. The employee records say
he has a bachelor graduation in business administration, a big commitment and he is
striving for promotions constantly. It may be a big job for him but he will thrive with

26
the challenge. Additionally, his store staff can build a team to support the whole
change​ ​process.​ ​But​ ​this​ ​will​ ​be​ ​decided​ ​by​ ​Mr.​ ​Kleber.

4.2.2.​ ​Identify​ ​what​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be​ ​done

To simplify this task, I’ll use the Awakishi diagram that Hayes (2014, p.302) in his
book​ ​illustrated.

​​
Duties:
· People must be reeducated in IT and adapted in the right positions. (Change
manager,​ ​employees​ ​for​ ​online​ ​service…)
· The new IT office is already built in the headquarter in Munich, the closed
store​ ​is​ ​now​ ​empty​ ​and​ ​the​ ​rental​ ​contract​ ​is​ ​already​ ​canceled
· Information should reach every member, who will get which information will be
decided​ ​by​ ​the​ ​CEO
· External Companies for the reeducation and to set up a website are already
existing.​ ​Maybe​ ​the​ ​training​ ​plan​ ​must​ ​be​ ​revised
· The shareholders must be convinced about the new approach and
disempowered​ ​in​ ​decision​ ​making
· The new strategy will be changed in a mixture of economic driven and the
organizational​ ​development​ ​approach

27
4.2.3.​ ​Develop​ ​an​ ​implementation​ ​plan
The main target is to introduce a working online shop including the internal softwares
which are needed. At first, a meeting with the top management team plus the new
change manager and the shareholders must be convened to distribute all
information. Simultaneously the IT department and the external company should
set-up a basic software for the online shop. The next step will be to reorganize the
plan for the training to start teaching the staff as soon as possible. At the same time,
the general meeting with all members should be held. In the days after the meeting,
volunteers should be located and the classification of the reeducation participants
must be listed. Crash courses will start immediately and will last about 8 weeks.
During the courses, the software can be updated and prosper to an appealing online
store. If everything works without any snags, the internet shop will work in less than
3​ ​months.

4.2.4.​ ​Use​ ​multiple​ ​and​ ​consistent​ ​leverage​ ​points​ ​for​ ​change

In the Umbrella case this task doesn’t fit very well, but I have some thoughts about.
Due to our current situation of lacking trustworthiness and affiliation, something has
to be done. If the whole change process does not raise the mood, team building for
each store should be applied and possibilities for promotion can be put in promise. It
is​ ​some​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​motivation​ ​and​ ​the​ ​inner​ ​connection​ ​of​ ​the​ ​staff​ ​will​ ​be​ ​reinforced.

4.2.5.​ ​Schedule​ ​activities

I​ ​always​ ​use​ ​a​ ​simple​ ​table​ ​to​ ​schedule​ ​the​ ​activities.​ ​It​ ​shows​ ​a​ ​good​ ​easy​ ​overview.

Task Duration Start​ ​date Completed​ ​by

1 Presentation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Plan 1​ ​Day First​ ​of​ ​all 6.1. Day​ ​1

2 Introduce​ ​Basic​ ​Software 15​ ​Days immediately 6.1. Day​ ​15

3 Review​ ​the​ ​training​ ​plan 5​ ​Days immediately 7.1. Day​ ​5

28
 4 General​ ​Meeting 1​ ​Day After​ ​task​ ​1 13.1. Day​ ​7

5 Locate​ ​Volunteers 3​ ​Days After​ ​task​ ​4 14.1. Day​ ​11

6 Group​ ​Participants 1​ ​Day After​ ​task​ ​5 17.1. Day​ ​12

7 Start​ ​Courses 56​ ​Days After​ ​task​ ​6 20.1. Day​ ​72

8 Transition period to 14​ ​Days After​ ​task​ ​7 17.3. Day​ ​86

standardization

4.2.6.​ ​Provide​ ​resources​ ​for​ ​the​ ​transition

The main needed resources for the change are fully equipped IT offices and the
training. Mr. Kleber showed me the work stations, they are well designed, nothing is
missing, the room concepts are very attractive, sad that it is empty now. So, the tools
are​ ​available,​ ​let​ ​me​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​training.
According​ ​to​ ​my​ ​book​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014),​ ​an​ ​effective​ ​training​ ​contains​ ​three​ ​main​ ​steps:
-Training​ ​needs​ ​analysis
The change will affect the task demands. Basically, the tasks for workers will
be reconfigured. They should deal with new software, another environment, and
customers that are not in front of them. In the beginning, most of the staff will
resist but we may convince them with some attractive offers. We show what
they can learn and what the future looks like, it is possible to use home office
after everything is working and they should see the new charming office. If
someone really resists, we may find another position for him or in the worst
case​ ​he​ ​should​ ​leave,​ ​but​ ​this​ ​is​ ​Mr.​ ​Kleber’s​ ​decision.
-The​ ​design​ ​and​ ​delivery​ ​of​ ​training
How the training will be designed depends mainly on the ordered company for
education. They only had the specification of a maximum duration of 8 weeks
which they confirmed. For more detailed planning, the IT department will
support​ ​the​ ​trainers.
-The​ ​evaluation​ ​of​ ​training​ ​effectiveness

29
 At first, the trainees must evaluate the training after every week via a
questionnaire. Then at the end of the courses, every trainee has to complete a
test about their learned IT skills. After the course, the IT office must ensure that
all employees use their abilities in the right way. The real effectiveness of the
training​ ​will​ ​be​ ​apparent​ ​in​ ​the​ ​sales​ ​figures​ ​of​ ​the​ ​online​ ​shop.

4.2.7.​ ​Reward​ ​transition​ ​behaviors

The transition manager must be completely focused on the process. His job should
not be interrupted by any other tasks, he will be rewarded for the innovative
engagement​ ​in​ ​the​ ​change.
A new reward system for innovative ideas will increase the employee's motivation to
think about the company’s development. The amount of honor depends on the value
of the submitted improvement suggestion. Such models are very common and
popular​ ​and​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​establish.

4.2.8.​ ​Develop​ ​feedback​ ​mechanisms

During the whole change process, Mr. Kleber needs to get feedback from all
departments. The easy way is to set regularly occurring meetings every Wednesday
for only 30 minutes. Participants should be Mr. Kleber, the change manager, IT
manager, R&D manager, one trainee and a trainer. The content is all about the
change like developments, the state of affairs, issues, crises, any concerns and so
on.
The CEO should spend a little time to interview the supervisors, maybe one every
week. It shows interest and he knows what is going on in the different stores, they
should not feel lost in the whole change process. And the staff survey in the
company newspaper must be pushed by the supervisors. It delivers a lot of
information about the whole organization and shows where the lever has to be
attached​ ​to​ ​avoid​ ​problems​ ​and​ ​gain​ ​Umbrella’s​ ​power​ ​on​ ​the​ ​market.

The​ ​Meeting
Four weeks are gone since our last meeting and today I will present my change plan.
I had some special phone calls with Mr. Kleber about my draft and thankfully he was

30
totally agreeable. His well feedbacks always motivate me a lot, I can imagine he is a
good boss, but now I’m standing in front of the office and I’m very nervous and
sweaty. On the other side of the door, the audience waits. All managers and
shareholders of the company are attendant. I know if I fail the whole work was for
nothing. I’m not comfortable with this decisive presentations, but now there is no
stepping​ ​back.​ ​I​ ​take​ ​a​ ​deep​ ​breath​ ​and​ ​enter​ ​the​ ​room.
After four hours of presentation, negotiation, complaints, and approval it is done.
Some​ ​minor​ ​details​ ​should​ ​be​ ​discussed​ ​but​ ​all​ ​in​ ​all,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​a​ ​successful​ ​gathering.

31
Chapter​ ​5​ ​-​ ​The​ ​implementation​ ​process
Before I send Mr. Kleber the new plan schedule, I integrated the mentioned feedback
from the meeting with the board into the plan. These changes did not include the
main milestones and single steps but have timeline changes. The goal is also to set
a new meeting with the board after the first period of standardization after the 01.04
to make sure if there is any need to make changes in the plan or adapt something to
it.

Task Duration Start​ ​date Completed​ ​by

1 Publishing the new change 1​ ​Day immediately 10.1 Day​ ​1

manager

2 Presenting the new schedule 1​ ​Days immediately 12.1. Day​ ​2

for​ ​the​ ​reeducation

3 Implementing the basic 5​ ​Days immediately 20.1. Day​ ​10

software of the e-commerce
company

4 General Meeting with all 1​ ​Day After​ ​task​ ​3 21.1. Day​ ​11
supervisors

5 Locate Volunteers - 3​ ​Days After​ ​task​ ​4 05.2. Day​ ​25

communicate changes through
new​ ​channel

7 Start​ ​Courses 56​ ​Days After​ ​task​ ​6 25.2. Day​ ​55

8 Transition period to 14​ ​Days After​ ​task​ ​7 01.4. Day​ ​86

standardization

9 Company Event: “Beyond the 1​ ​Day After​ ​task​ ​8 01.5. Day​ ​106
change”

After sending him the updated schedule plan via E-mail I received an answer from
Mr.​ ​Kleber:

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Dear​ ​Mr.​ ​Schaefer,
I looked through the updated schedule and I it looks good. I am very satisfied with the work
you are doing in the Umbrella Corp. until now. This is also the reason why I would like to
spread our contract. When I hired you, your work should only include the set-up for the new
plan but as I saw how good you fitted in the company and how well you realized the main
vision of Umbrella Corp. I would like to have you in the Headquarter in Munich at least one
day a week for the next three months until the implementation is successfully finished. For
me, it is important to have someone external who is monitoring the process and can review
to me if anything does not work like it should. Also, your new task will be to teach the new
change manager Mr. Huber, the former store manager from Augsburg, in his new tasks and
main topics. Mr. Huber is already informed and is overall happy for this new possibility in the
company. The decision I made was truly based on your advice. I guess it is a new
opportunity to have a responsible person who leads through the change who already knows
most of the employees and who knows also the work in the store. This will guarantee that we
won't​ ​wave​ ​the​ ​perspective​ ​of​ ​our​ ​employees​ ​there.
It would be great if you could start at the 10.01 to support the introduction of the main tasks
in the meeting with Mr. Huber. If you want to, you can also participate in the workshop for the
supervisors​ ​which​ ​are​ ​on​ ​Wednesday​ ​the​ ​9th,​ ​starting​ ​at​ ​9:30​ ​am​ ​in​ ​the​ ​meeting​ ​room​ ​1004.
Furthermore, I decided in correlation with the IT department, to set up a new online platform
for question & answers. So if employees will have any fear, questions or something similar,
they can ask it in the forum. Answers will be given by the top-management also
communicated through the forum. In two weeks, I also set up a meeting for all store
supervisors to discuss, how future information will be communicated to the employees and
also about the upcoming change of the channel from newsletter to an online platform, There
also new information will be communicated. I hope you can soon give me information about
the set schedule with the e-commerce teachers, that I can communicate this with the
employees.
I​ ​am​ ​looking​ ​forward​ ​to​ ​keeping​ ​working​ ​together​ ​with​ ​you.

Kind​ ​regards,
Mr.​ ​Kleber

These are really good news, instead of giving this project back to the main persons I
stay a little longer in the company to follow and support during the whole integration

33
and implementation process at least for three months. My first official working day in
the company as external support starts next week. So I still have enough time to
prepare all the information I wanted to process for Mr. Kleber. Let's have a look at
my​ ​notices​ ​what​ ​is​ ​on​ ​the​ ​“to​ ​do”​ ​agenda​ ​for​ ​me.

-  Prepare  presentation  for  Mr.  Kleber  about  the  new  e-commerce  strategy  which  includes  renewing the website and the 
online​ ​shop​ ​to​ ​make​ ​it​ ​more​ ​attractive​ ​and​ ​easier​ ​for​ ​customers​ ​and​ ​employees 
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​Contact​ ​the​ ​e-commerce​ ​company​ ​to​ ​set​ ​up​ ​a​ ​schedule​ ​for​ ​an​ ​in-house​ ​teacher​ ​for​ ​8​ ​weeks​ ​who​ ​teaches​ ​the​ ​employees  
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​Summarize​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​for​ ​the​ ​new​ ​change​ ​manager​ ​Mr.​ ​Huber  
-  Meeting  next  week  with  supervisors  and  Kleber  to  communicate  new  communication  measurements  and  new  company 
strategy​ ​(economic/OD​ ​Strategy)  
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​First​ ​drafts​ ​for​ ​the​ ​company​ ​event​ ​for​ ​all​ ​employees​ ​after​ ​the​ ​01.04​ ​after​ ​a​ ​successful​ ​implementation  
-​ ​ ​ ​ ​Working​ ​out​ ​a​ ​measuring​ ​model​ ​for​ ​the​ ​change​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​it​ ​on​ ​track 

As I already know so far from the last meeting with Mr. Kleber, he will present the
possibilities for the employees from the Augsburg store next week. The store
included 30 employees at the beginning, after the decision of closing it, already ten
people quit their job and searched for a new employer. The most explanatory reason
was for sure the fear of losing their job anyway. The 20 people which were left, are
now in the headquarter in Munich (which is just 30 minutes away from the old store
in Augsburg) working already in the departments. Including IT, warehouse and
customer service. But for sure not everybody was happy with that decision and some
employees are just not made for being in an office or being overstrained with the
new services and the IT- processes. Especially the older generation of employees.
So Mr. Kleber will tell them that they have the possibility to work in another Umbrella
store or if they want to go through the second change and get the reeducation which
makes them ready for the new processes. It will also be communicated through the
store managers of each store that there is also a possibility for the employees in the

34
store to apply to one of the “new” jobs in the headquarter in Munich if the free places
get not filled with internal employees, Umbrella will hire new employees. It will also
be communicated, that there will be one responsible person per store which has to
go through the reeducation but still works in the store. The reason for this is that the
new online store also includes the possibility for the customer to order something
through the online shop but pick it up at the closest location. For this, one of the
store employees has to know how the systems are working to see the orders,
communicate them and keep everything in correlation to the online store under
control. But as already Julia Balogun (2006) mentioned in her article, the managers
can initiate and influence the direction of the change, but they can not direct the
change.​ ​That​ ​is​ ​why​ ​it​ ​is​ ​even​ ​more​ ​important​ ​to​ ​motivate​ ​the​ ​employees​ ​constantly.

This is also a point which will be changed the next implementing weeks. Mr. Kleber
agreed with implementing a new incentive system again, for all employees. And also
to let them be a part of new changes and developing processes and such. For this,
he decided to communicate that every employee has the possibility to send the
operations department ideas for improvement if there is something. These ideas
have to be well prepared and not just a thought. On the company christmas event
and the yearly summer-event of umbrella Corp. the best three proposals over the
half year will be awarded with a gift certificate worth 500€, 1000€ and 3000€. This
should motivate the employees to think outside of the box, keep them interested in
changes​ ​and​ ​new​ ​ideas​ ​and​ ​take​ ​actively​ ​part​ ​on​ ​company​ ​decisions.

Finally I am laying in my bed, after a really productive day behind my desk and many
thoughts about the next weeks with the Umbrella Corp.. I am really convinced that
the change and the future vision could work out this time and make the company
competitive enough for the upcoming online-market. We will see how the main
included​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​company​ ​will​ ​react​ ​to​ ​the​ ​new​ ​ideas​ ​and​ ​plans​ ​next​ ​week.

35
5.1​ ​The​ ​supervisor​ ​meeting
It is 5:30 on Wednesday the 9th of January. I get ready in my apartment in Berlin to
be punctual to catch my flight to Munich at 7:30. Today will be an important day for
Mr. Kleber because all the store managers come together in the Headquarter of
Umbrella to get the new information about the changes. This meeting is not just a
come-together to discuss things in person, but also a combined workshop for
communication strategies. Because sometimes it is not just necessary to find the
right communication channel, but also to know how to communicate. In this case,
how​ ​the​ ​supervisors​ ​should​ ​communicate​ ​new​ ​information​ ​to​ ​their​ ​employees.
Arrived in the Munich business district at Umbrella, I step into the elevator to get to
the meeting room for that day. On my way there I already mentioned a familiar face,
walking not far away from me. “Mr. Meier, what a pleasure to see you again!” It was
the store manager from Berlin with whom I had a few weeks before a talk about the
store situations. “Ah, Hello Mr. Schäfer, nice to meet you again. As I can see, you
are still consulting the company for the change process?” I nodded and smiled. “Yes,
exactly, I will be here until the main implementation is done in a few months and
support Mr. Kleber and the new change manager to keep everything on track. I will
also be a part of the supervisor meeting today.” While we were talking, we were still
walking and soon reached our goal, the meeting room. “Oh, that sounds good. What
I can say from my perspective, you are doing a good job here. It was really
necessary to hire a consultant who can see the situation from an outside point of
view.” After an ongoing small talk about obvious facts about the company and the
current situation, we reached the room. All the tables were moved away and it was a
huge circle made out of chairs in the middle of the room. Looked like it is going to be
a​ ​really​ ​interactive​ ​day.
At 5 pm the meeting/ workshop day was finally done. It was really productive but in
the same way really exhausting. During the day, Mr. Kleber did not just explain the
store managers all the new changes and communication channels but also booked
an external workshop leader for this day. He stimulates some discussions of old
problems and feelings from the store managers and also played some interactive

36
games to teach how to communicate in an open way. Because sometimes it is not
the information which is the problem but the disclosing of the content. He also taught
a common understanding of charismatic leadership to all the participants. Overall
this​ ​was​ ​a​ ​successful​ ​and​ ​necessary​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​steps​ ​of​ ​the​ ​change.
Arrived at my hotel in Munich I prepare the last information for the meeting with Mr.
Kleber and Mr. Huber tomorrow. It is almost midnight and I feel really exhausted
from​ ​the​ ​day.​ ​So​ ​I​ ​decided​ ​just​ ​to​ ​go​ ​to​ ​bed​ ​to​ ​be​ ​rested​ ​for​ ​tomorrow.

5.2​ ​Introduce​ ​the​ ​new​ ​change​ ​manager

At the moment I am sitting in the main hall of the Umbrella Corp, enjoying the coffee
I got from the receptionist and go through my notices for the meeting I have in a few
minutes. Today we will introduce Mr. Huber into his new tasks, talk with him about
the future work he has to do and how we measure if things work out successfully or
not.

Main​ ​tasks​ ​for​ ​change​ ​manager​ ​(Hayes,​ ​2014) 

- measure​ ​and​ ​monitoring​ ​day​ ​to​ ​day​ ​business  
- measure​ ​and​ ​monitor​ ​the​ ​stages​ ​of​ ​the​ ​change​ ​process​ ​in​ ​a​ ​weekly​ ​dashboard  
- weekly​ ​meeting​ ​and​ ​update​ ​Mr.​ ​Kleber 
- weekly​ ​visit​ ​to​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​store​ ​managers  
- weekly​ ​participation​ ​in​ ​meeting​ ​with​ ​top​ ​management  
- be​ ​the​ ​contact​ ​person​ ​for​ ​store​ ​managers​ ​and​ ​employees​ ​in​ ​the​ ​stores​ ​and​ ​new​ ​department 

In the meeting, we explained all the mentioned bullets to Mr. Huber, he was really
calm and I would really feel how excited he was with his new position. Mr. Kleber
also explained him how important it is to measure and review the change. In
combination to that he has to progress reports which will be presented in the
top-management meeting to summarize the state of the progress to see if everything

37
is still on track and on which topics we have to work on more intensively. For each
aspects of the change he has to identify milestones. These main milestones are
already existing but probably he has to add some more to that. The key milestones
he defined will be visualized in a dashboard and simplified through progress
symbols.​ ​For​ ​example​ ​a​ ​filled​ ​circle​ ​which​ ​shows​ ​the​ ​progress.
This measurement method was my idea, luckily I mentioned it in my favorite book
from Hayes (2014, p. 459). We also advised him to keep focused on the employee's
progress in the change process. Especially for the ones working in the ecommerce
department then. He has to review if the progress of the new software and the
external​ ​teacher​ ​is​ ​working​ ​or​ ​if​ ​there​ ​is​ ​still​ ​a​ ​lack​ ​of​ ​understanding.
After the meeting which took about four hours we were done. We went out of the
room and Mr. Kleber took me to his side. “That was a successful meeting, I am really
convinced that Mr. Huber is the right person for this job. Everything is on track now
and we will figure out the next weeks if we still need to change something in our
plan. I already gave the task to the event-management team to set up a company
event in 3 months to have a come together with the whole company and talk about
the change progress until that point. Until then, the main questions and fears of the
employees should get reduced by the store managers and the new platform which
will launch soon.” I listened carefully and after a short conversation about the
meeting my time for this week was over here in Munich. Mr. Kleber informed me that
he​ ​will​ ​stay​ ​in​ ​contact​ ​with​ ​me​ ​till​ ​we​ ​see​ ​us​ ​again​ ​in​ ​one​ ​week.

5.3​ ​Employee​ ​event​ ​“Beyond​ ​the​ ​change”

The weeks in the Umbrella Corporation went by, my weekly job was filled with
participating on several meetings with the top management, with Mr. Kleber, Mr.
Huber and having some calls with the store managers and meetings with a few
employees of the re-education program. It seemed like the plan is still on track,
maybe with a short delay in some points but nothing that would destroy the change
process this time. The online shop looked quite good, the employees were happy

38
about the pace of the re-education program and the selected employees from the
store already had an introductory workshop to the new system which was also
implemented for the stores. Also, the feedback through the internal platform was
mostly positive and the new way of communication in correlation to the new channel
seemed​ ​like​ ​it​ ​is​ ​working.
At the moment I feel sad and happy at the same time. Happy, because I can clearly
see how the company finds their new energy towards the changes and also the
motivation of the employees. Also when you compare the current shares to the ones
during the crisis, you can slowly see an increase again. It makes me proud that in
some ways I am one of the responsible people for this, but actually, this was just my
job. On the other hand, I am also sad to leave this place soon. Last months I got
really used to visit Munich and work with the people here. Also, Mr. Kleber became
more loosed to me and we had some really nice and personal conversations during
some lunch breaks. The last official time when I will be here is the employee event
this Friday, where the top-management will inform all the employees about their new
strategies, the changes in the stores which will become slowly more and also to
answer​ ​questions​ ​and​ ​take​ ​the​ ​fear​ ​of​ ​the​ ​employees.

The last two days went by really fast, I was at home in Berlin and had a bit spare
time to walk through the town. It is so nice here, especially in this time of the year,
when all the snow is gone and slowly the first sunrays wake up the flowers after their
winter sleep. But now I am in my usual way to Berlin-Tegel again, to catch my last
flight to the headquarter of Umbrella Corp. in Munich. Because it is the first of April
and today is the big company event where I was also invited. A bit like the last “thank
you” for my work there. After a short one hour flight, I arrived at 5 pm at Munich
airport, still enough time to get a quick coffee at Starbucks before taking the next taxi
I found which should drive me to the address I got. The event takes place in the
cinema in town. Therefore they reserved a whole cinema auditorium to have a whole
presentation which every employee of the company can attend. Arrived there, I
thanked the taxi driver and gave him a good tip. I entered the hall and already saw
some signs which led me to the right auditorium for the Umbrella Corp. In front of it, I
saw some familiar faces, also Mr. Klebers´. He went to me and welcomed me to the

39
event, he also thanked me for coming and told me to feel free to get a glass of wine
or a good Bavarian beer. It is shortly before 6 pm and everyone enters the
auditorium and take a seat to be right on time for the beginning of the presentation
and the speech from Mr. Kleber. Right at 6 pm, the lights went down and a spot
lightened up directly to Mr. Kleber, who was standing in front of the cinema screen.
He welcomed every employee to the event “beyond the change” and thanked a few
people for their effort in the still ongoing change process the last weeks, also me. His
speech was quite motivating with including some hints for the future. To
communicate the right emotions and the new mission and vision the company wants
to communicate to their employees and customers, the management prepared a
video. The lights turned off in the auditorium and everyone was staring at the screen.
It started with goosebumps giving music and some footage of all the different
departments of the company. The stores, their employees, their customers, the
building, IT offices, warehouse, management, old footage from events and so on. It
was breathtaking in combination with the music. At the climax of the instrumental
background of the movie, the future vision of the company started. They showed the
re-education, current meetings with the store manager and top-management and
happy employees. During the scenes were some quotes communicated by a familiar
voice. It was Mr. Kleber's voice who talked in between the scenes in the movie.
Sentences like “the company is our family, we make the customer happy and to stay
competitive in our market, this is the company which we all created together, we
need to be willing for change and look into a joint future...”. It was really inspiring,
even​ ​for​ ​me​ ​who​ ​does​ ​not​ ​even​ ​work​ ​in​ ​the​ ​company.
After a few minutes, the movie was over and the employees applauded. After that,
there were some more short speeches of managers, some numbers and small
presentations were shown and at the end questions from the employees got
answered. The whole presentation part of the event took about 1.5 hours and at the
end, everyone was a bit overload of all the impressions of the last hours. But this
part of the evening was done now, everyone went out of the auditorium and took
some of the food and the drinks which were already placed for us in the hall. After a
bit Smalltalk with other employees, I went to Mr. Kleber and thanked him for his
invitation. I wished him luck for the future and told him that he can contact me if my

40
help will ever be needed again. After a kind and personal farewell, I left the building
and​ ​went​ ​back​ ​to​ ​the​ ​airport.
It was already 11 pm when I caught my flight back home. Woked up by one of the
stewardess I realized that we landed. Damn, I fell asleep in the plain. Hopefully, I can
still sleep later. It was about 1 am when I walked in my apartment, put my keys on
the commode and took my suit off. Back in my comfy clothes, sitting on my couch I
did not feel like sleeping. Especially after my nap in the plain. So, I decided to turn on
a movie to get my head off from the work, the day, the last weeks and months and
the whole Umbrella Corporation. While watching one of my favorite movies, my eyes
became heavier and heavier and the last thing I heard before falling finally asleep
was​ ​Luke​ ​saying:​ ​“May​ ​the​ ​force​ ​be​ ​with​ ​you​ ​my​ ​padawan.”

41
Chapter​ ​6​ ​-​ ​References

Adamson, G., Pine, J., Van Steenhoven, T. & Kroupa, J. (2006) "How storytelling
can​ ​drive​ ​strategic​ ​change",​ ​Strategy​ ​&​ ​Leadership,​ ​Vol.​ ​34​ ​Issue:​ ​1,​ ​pp.​ ​36-41

Balogun, J. (2006) “Managing Change: Steering a Course between Intended

Strategies​ ​and​ ​Unanticipated​ ​Outcomes”,​ ​Long​ ​Range​ ​Planning​ ​39,​ ​p.​ ​29-49

Beer, M. (2001) How to develop an organization capable of sustained high

performance: embrace the drive for results-capability development paradox,
Organizational​ ​Dynamics,​ ​29(4):​ ​p.​ ​233-47

Brown, D.R. & Harvey, D. (2006) “An experiential approach to Organizational

development”,​ ​(7th​ ​ed.).​ ​,Upper​ ​Saddle​ ​River,​ ​NJ:​ ​Prentice​ ​Hall.

Gill, R. (2011) “Theory and practice of leadership”, (2nd ed.). p. 81ff. ,SAGE
publications​ ​ltd,​ ​London

Hayes, J. (2014) “The theory and practice of change management”, (4th ed.).
,Palgrave​ ​Macmillan,

Marshak, R. (1993) “Lewin Meets Confucius: A Review of the OD Model of Change.

The​ ​Journal​ ​of​ ​Applied​ ​Behavioral​ ​Science,​ ​29(4),​ ​pp.​ ​393-415

42