Transformation - Dialogbild

In a world that is spinning ever faster, transformation is no longer just a buzzword, but the survival strategy of the 21st century. Whether it’s technological leaps, changing customer needs or global crises – companies are under constant pressure to adapt. But how does genuine corporate transformation differ from conventional optimisation processes? And how do you navigate safely through the stormy seas of change?

This guide offers you a comprehensive roadmap to understanding and successfully managing these complex processes. From digital transformation to psychologically grounded change management – we explore every facet so that your company not only keeps pace, but actively shapes the future.

1. What does transformation mean in a business context?

Definition of transformation

By transformation, we mean a fundamental, far-reaching change to an organisation’s identity, strategy and business model. It is not about making existing processes slightly more efficient (optimisation), but about taking the business to a whole new level. It is the transition from a caterpillar to a butterfly – an irreversible metamorphosis.
Bedeutung für Unternehmen heute

Warum ist die Transformation im Unternehmen heute so kritisch? Die Antwort liegt in der „VUKA-Welt“ (Volatilität, Unsicherheit, Komplexität, Ambiguität). Märkte sind heute so volatil, dass starre Geschäftsmodelle innerhalb kürzester Zeit obsolet werden können. Wer heute keine klaren Transformation Strategien verfolgt, riskiert, den Anschluss an innovative Wettbewerber zu verlieren.

The difference between transformation and change management

It is important to clearly distinguish between these terms:

Change management: Usually refers to specific projects or adjustments within existing structures (e.g. the introduction of new software). It is a toolkit for guiding people through specific changes.
Transformation: This is the ‘overall picture’. It encompasses the vision, the target state and the overall reorientation. Change management is a crucial component in supporting cultural change during the transformation.

2. Types of transformation

Transformation is not a monolithic entity. Depending on the objectives, different priorities can be set.

Digital transformation
Digital transformation is arguably the best-known form. This is not just about the use of computers, but about the fundamental redesign of value chains through technology.
Cultural transformation
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – this quote from Peter Drucker hits the nail on the head. A cultural transformation changes the values, norms and ways of thinking within the workforce. Without a new mindset (e.g. a culture of learning from mistakes, agility), technical transformation processes usually fail as well.
Structural transformation
This involves rebuilding the backbone of the organisation. Hierarchies are flattened, silos are broken down, and new organisational models (such as holacracy or network structures) replace rigid departmental structures.

3. Strategies for a successful transformation

Success in a transformation is no accident, but the result of precise planning.
Developing a transformation strategy
A good strategy starts with the ‘why’. Define your target vision (North Star).
Status quo analysis: Where do we really stand today?
Goal definition: Where do we need to be in 5 years?
Roadmap: Which milestones will take us there?
Stakeholder engagement

Transformation often fails due to resistance from those who are supposed to implement it. Use effective change management to identify resistance at an early stage. Communication must be two-way: listen, rather than just making announcements.

Measuring the success of transformation

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Use key performance indicators (KPIs) that go beyond purely financial metrics:

Employee engagement during the change process
Adoption rate of new technologies
Agility index (speed of decision-making)

4. Challenges during the transformation

No path is without stumbling blocks. If you know the hurdles, you can tackle them proactively.
Resistance to change
People love routine. A transformation within the company threatens this sense of security.

Solution: Create psychological safety. Explain the benefits of the change for the individual (“What’s in it for me?”).

Lack of resources

If senior management cannot agree on the direction the company is heading in, the workforce loses its bearings. A vague vision is worse than no vision at all.

Challenge Strategic countermeasure
Silo mentality Form cross-functional teams
Fear of job loss Upskilling programmes
Slow processes Introduction of agile methods (Scrum/Kanban)

5. The role of management in transformation

Managers are both the architects and the project managers of change.

Leadership as the key to success

During a corporate transformation, the role of the manager shifts from that of a ‘controller’ to that of an ‘enabler’ and ‘coach’. Leaders must lead by example (role modelling). If you demand agility but make decisions hierarchically yourself, the process loses credibility.

Leadership skills for transformation

Empathy: To address employees’ fears.
Tolerance of ambiguity: The ability to cope with uncertainty.
Storytelling: The ability to package transformation strategies into a motivating narrative.

6. Technological aspects of digital transformation

Technology is the enabler that makes the impossible possible.

Key technologies and trends

Digital transformation is currently driven primarily by the following areas:
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Automation of cognitive tasks.
Cloud computing: Flexible scaling of infrastructure.
Big Data & Analytics: Data-driven decisions rather than gut feelings.

Implementation of new technologies

Avoid ‘Shiny Object Syndrome’. Only implement technology if it solves a specific problem or creates added value. Integration into existing systems (legacy systems) is often the biggest technical hurdle.

Impact on business models

Technology enables you to evolve from a product seller to a solutions provider. Consider ‘as-a-service’ models. Digital transformation is only complete once it has positively transformed the core of your value creation.

7. The eye adapts too: Why visual support is key

A corporate transformation is complex, abstract and often daunting. This is where visual elements come into play. They serve as a ‘cognitive map’ that provides guidance where walls of text fail.

Why the brain needs images for change

Our brain processes visual information around 60,000 times faster than text. At a time when digital transformation and new transformation strategies are bombarding the workforce, a central image helps to channel the flood of information.

Reducing complexity: A dialog picture breaks down complex transformation processes into their essential elements.

Evoking emotion: Numbers and data do not move people. A well-designed visual, on the other hand, evokes emotion and fosters a sense of identification with the new vision.

The dialog picture as an anchor point for communication

Imagine you had to explain your entire corporate reorientation on a single page. Impossible? Not with a dialog picture. It acts as:

Shared Language: All departments—from IT to Sales—view the same visual and develop a unified understanding.
Interaction Tool: Managers use the visual in workshops to initiate dialogue with their teams (“Where do you see yourselves in this picture?”).
Constant Presence: Whether displayed prominently in cafeterias or shared digitally on the intranet, it serves as a daily reminder of the journey’s ultimate goal.
Visual Storytelling Methods
In addition to the classic dialog picture, there are other visual transformation strategies:
Roadmaps: Visualize the timeline. When will we reach each “island of success”?
Personas: Who will our customers be after the digital transformation? Give them a face.
Before-and-After Scenarios: Contrast the old world with the new to make the benefits of the change—the “Target Operating Model”—tangible.

Conclusion: Your Path to the Future

Transformation is not a destination to be reached once and then checked off a list. It is an enduring capability that your company must master. With the right transformation strategies, human-centric change management, and the courage for radical renewal, you will not only overcome the challenges of the modern economy but emerge from them as a winner.

Visual Support for Your Transformation

To bring an entire organization along on the journey, text alone is often insufficient. We recommend:

Dialog Pictures: Visualize your entire strategy on a "roadmap" so that every employee can see their place within the larger picture.
Interactive Graphics: Utilize dashboards to measure your progress and success.
Explainer Videos: Make complex technological changes easy to grasp in just 90 seconds.

Start your transformation journey today and contact us for a personalized consultation. Together, we will make your transformation visible—and successful!

Logo von Alstom

TRANSFORMATION MAP „GERA 2020“

ALSTOM Transport Deutschland GmbH is faced with major challenges, the change strategy has to not only be communicated, but above all be lived. Jens Bünte (Personnel Manager for Germany & Austria) turned to DIALOGBILD with this goal. The situation of the company became clear relatively quickly and so we developed a communication strategy, which is not only visually appealing, but also captivating. Since the success of a strategy depends decisively on the acceptance and participation of the employees, we agreed on two creative workshops in order to elaborate the concept. The first workshop took place with around 15 executives and resulted in a landscape where a hub was chosen as the central point of the dialog picture.

It was important to highlight the past of the company, to specify the path of the "GerA 2020" transformation program and to use a part of the picture to show the future. These preliminary considerations were unanimously accepted by the second workshop group and further elaborated. With 20 change agents from different fields, the picture was then discussed and implemented together with all participants and scenes were placed in the landscape. At the end of the second workshop, the dialog picture was absolutely complete and the story was largely written. Decisions were made for positive and negative presentations, which should appeal to all employees and encourage them to think. With only one goal: to lead the transformation program to success together.

FUTURE CONCEPT FOR THE VERTRIEBSSPARKASSE 2020

The Kreissparkasse Herzogtum Lauenburg can proudly look back at their story of success: They are the number one in their region! Still, they do not rest on their laurels, because they know that they are still facing huge challenges.

In order to handle those challenges the Kreissparkasse breaks fresh grounds:
Increasing profits through further developing their marketing policy and also improving efficiency by consequently optimizing their processes as well as structures referring to the model of the Deutschen Sparkassen- und Giroverband.

All employees are required to actively shape and participate in this change process. Therefore the strategy path has been communicated with the help of the dialog picture right from the start. In order to have all 650 employees on board, the Kreissparkasse organized a roadshow with the first dialog picture and used an interactive version of the picture to introduce the strategy path. Afterwards the employees were informed biannual about the state of the change process, for which DIALOGBILD created slides showing a magnifying glass zooming in on individual scenes.

Logo von TÜV Rheinland

OUR WAY. OUR FUTURE.

THE FUTURE PICTURE FOR TÜV RHEINLAND

The TÜV Rheinland Group is a leading provider of technical services worldwide. Founded in 1872 and headquartered in Cologne, the Group employs 20,000 people, 8,000 of them are based in Germany. It generates annual revenues of € 1.88 billion. The Group′s mission and guiding principle is to achieve sustained development of safety and quality in order to meet the challenges arising from the interaction between man, technology and the environment.

TÜV Rheinland started a comprehensive change program which addressed a new strategy, projects to improve internal processes and changes of the company culture and leadership culture.

In order to ensure that everyone has the same understanding of the future basic principles, strategy and values of the company, TÜV Rheinland decided to create a dialog picture. The objective was to stimulate the exchange of the most important topics, which TÜV Rheinland will be dealing with in the upcoming years. The creation of the dialog picture was a very complex project which was accompanied by the team of DIALOGBILD over several months.
...

OUR CULTOUR CHANGE

AOK Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland - The health insurance company is the largest health insurance company in the two federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, with over 1. 2 million insured persons and 85,000 supervised employers as well as around 3,500 employees. The health insurance fund maintains business relationships with more than 100 hospitals, 10,000 doctors, psychotherapists and dentists, around 1,300 pharmacies and many hundreds of other contract partners. It offers high-quality care for the population and tailor-made concepts in the regions. For this, modern, future-oriented structures are also essential in the corporate culture.

In the framework of the"Together on CulTOUR" programme, develops a vision of the future and principles for leadership and cooperation. The existing brand mission statement of the AOK-community was adapted.

The aim of the dialog picture is to communicate the developed products, to permanently anchor them and thus to create a successive "KulTOURwandel" which will prepare the AOK Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland for the future challenges of the health and nursing insurance market.

With the help of the dialog picture, the complex contents have been depicted and brought into an overall context. This ensures a common understanding of the new. A further advantage is that all employees deal with the topics not only on the rational, but also on the emotional level, and the dialog picture provides space for constructive discussions and a valuable exchange of experiences or opinions.

EFFICIENCY & GROWTH

The Kreissparkasse Herzogtum Lauenburg considers it important to take responsibility for the common good. As a strong partner, it acts on behalf of its customers, the economy and the region. The Kreissparkasse provides its customers with a comprehensive advisory service based on the Sparkassen financial concept, which is tailored to individual customer needs. Through its advisory services, the Kreissparkasse aims to enable customers to make their own financial decisions and supports them in choosing the right products to suit their personal life plans. Based on its guiding principle of thrift, the Kreissparkasse is also committed to resource-efficient and sustainable business practices. The stability of its economic structure, climate protection, the adaptation of social systems to demographic challenges and the review of lifestyles in view of dwindling resources are important areas of activity for Kreissparkasse Herzogtum Lauenburg.

LET'S GET PHYGITAL.

Conneqtive, Currenta's digitalization division, which was renamed in 2023, has a long tradition as an IT infrastructure service provider for industry in the Chempark. Building on this expertise, the range of services has been greatly expanded and restructured in recent years to provide comprehensive support for customers in all aspects of digital transformation. The aim is to make industrial companies more efficient, safer and more sustainable through accelerated digitalization - in other words, to help them achieve more with less. To this end, real-time IT infrastructure and industrial IoT solutions are combined on a modular basis and offered as holistic managed services. This allows customers to forgo large IT investments and still benefit promptly from added value through intelligent connectivity, the Internet of Things, automation, data-based decisions, digital twins and artificial intelligence. ...

Sparkasse Oberhessen Strategie 2030 Visionsbild Leitbild Unser Weg ins erfolgreiche Morgen Dialogbild Agentur für Visualisierung von Prozessen, Veränderungen und Visionen.

STRATEGY 2030

OUR PATH TO A SUCCESSFUL TOMORROW

For 189 years, Sparkasse Oberhessen has stood by the people of Oberhessen as a partner and companion in financial matters, as well as a provider of impetus and support. With around 250,000 customers, Sparkasse Oberhessen is today the No. 1 financial partner in the Wetterau district and the Vogelsberg district. It is the economic driving force and reliable partner for the local economy as well as the principal bank for the municipalities and thus also a guarantor for regional development.

In the 189 years of its existence, the Sparkasse has always moved with the times. It continues to do so today, and in an increasingly digitalized world is developing into an everywhere financial services provider very close to its customers: with intuitive online banking, a multiple award-winning savings bank app, media and digital advisory and service offerings by phone, chat and e-mail, as well as personal advice on site. True to the motto "We can't stop change, but we can shape it," it looks to the future with confidence. ...

Logo von Volksbank Mittelhessen

STRATEGY 2023

INSPIRING PEOPLE: PERSONAL – DIGITAL – CLOSE

Volksbank Mittelhessen eG is one of the biggest registered co-operatives in Germany. It is the market leader in the region, a major economic factor as well as an attractive and reliable employer. Due to regulations, policies and digitalization the banking industry faces enormous pressure to change. As being the third biggest Volksbank, Volksbank Mittelhessen meets these challenges and demonstrates its willingness to change. Strategy 2023 combines the banks own strengths with future chances and opens the path into the future. ...

TRANSFORMATION PLANT HANOVER

Process optimization, strategy, cultural work and good communication are key to the VW Nutzfahrzeuge plant management Hanover in leading the way to a successful future. In the past, strategy and transformation processes were often accompanied by powerpoint "battles".There were numerous charts that tried to make it as comprehensible as possible what goals the company wanted to achieve and how it planed to get there.

Now the company wants to go other ways and has developed a vision for the future together with Goldpark and DIALOGBILD. On the one hand, the picture emerged in an intensive process, on the other hand, the discussion about the things that are important to the board in the picture led to a common understanding and also made it possible for different perspectives to be discussed and brought together.

This helps the Hannover plant to communicate its way into the the future with a common voice.

Thanks to the close cooperation between Goldpark and DIALOGBILD, the dialog picture was used for all events, informations and formats that relate to the transformation as well as to reflect the developments in the transformation process.

Logo von Kärcher

E2E Supply Chain Excellence

Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG is a family-owned company headquartered in Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg. The world market leader for cleaning technology employs more than 13,500 people worldwide. The company is particularly renowned for its high-pressure cleaners.

In order to remain the world market leader in the future and to be able to supply customers optimally, Kärcher is constantly working on the optimization of its own supply chain management. The current strategy-relevant “End-to-End Supply Chain Excellence” project involves changes in processes, roles and responsibilities that will affect around 6,000 employees worldwide. In order to guarantee a uniform understanding of all project participants, Kärcher developed the dialog picture of the “E2E Supply Chain Excellence” change project, which was developed by DIALOGBILD accordingly.

The picture visualizes the process of the project as a path, starting from the current Kärcher reality. The viewer is informed about the new supply chain process to be implemented, in which he follows a bridge that leads to the future of Kärcher.

The organisational changes enshrined in it are related and linked by a DNA strand that symbolizes the flow of all relevant data. The business management parameters: requirements, stocks, production volume and location are effectively aligned with one another in the projected target state and are available to the customer efficiently as a Kärcher product "all time, in full". The bridge is supported by a stable Master Data Management foundation and other strategically oriented Kärcher projects. Challenges, fears and concerns are successfully overcome.

A special feature of the development of this dialog picture was that the in-house Kärcher illustration style was adopted. For this purpose, the illustrations were adapted to Kärcher's corporate identity guidelines, from style to colour to line thickness.

ALONG WITH YOU

We are the ones with heart...

... a guiding principle that drives LIVISTO and its more than 500 employees in the development and manufacture of high-quality products for the health of farm and companion animals.

Thus, they work every day to create added value for veterinarians and pet owners and, moreover, to assist them with high-quality and efficient solutions.

LIVISTO is now successful in more than 100 countries, but success must be carefully planned and communicated. A picture is worth a thousand words.

In order to communicate the strategy and initiate the transformation process of the company, the dialog picture is thus an ideal medium in which many stakeholders could participate.

A company with heart, and now everyone can see that.

FIT FOR FUTURE

Leukoplast is a brand of Essity, a globally leading hygiene and healthcare company committed to improving the quality of life through high-quality hygiene and healthcare solutions. Essity sells its products and solutions in around 150 countries and employs around 46,000 people worldwide. Due to the new alignment of the First Aid Dressing portfolio, the company is facing many changes that have to be implemented in a short time and communicated to all employees.

Essity has therefore opted for a dialog film. The film brings the new brand strategy to the point in 3 minutes understandable and entertaining. For the development, a joint briefing with the customer took place, during which the contents were collected and structured. On this basis DIALOGBILD created the storyboard and after final tuning the film. The dialog film was presented for the first time at a management event and subsequently published on the Intranet.

Sparkasse Rosenheim-Bad Aibling Strategiebild Visionsbild Leitbild Kundenzentrierte Vertriebssparkasse Dialogbild Agentur für Visualisierung von Prozessen, Veränderungen und Visionen.

STRATEGY MAP: CUSTOMER-CENTERED SALES SAVINGS BANK

Sparkasse Rosenheim-Bad Aibling in the south of Bavaria, near Lake Chiemsee, employs around 730 people and is a strong partner at the side of regional businesses and households.

In the course of its orientation as a "customer-centered sales savings bank", Sparkasse Rosenheim-Bad Aibling has given itself a new target image. The aim is to ensure sustainable success in sales, which has changed increasingly over the years. To this end, all institute perspectives are to be designed in a customer-centric manner and thus aligned with the needs and preferences of customers. As a result of this target, the sales structure is being fundamentally redesigned, resulting in significant changes in tasks, responsibilities and organizational positioning for almost all employees. ...

PROJEKT NEXUS

INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW CORE BANKING SYSTEM

The Investment Bank of the State of Brandenburg (ILB) is the central development institution of the State of Brandenburg, on whose behalf it promotes and finances public and private investment projects in the areas of business, infrastructure, housing and employment.

For the launch of the S/4H project, a dialog picture was chosen to attract the attention and interest of the workforce despite the dry IT topic and to accompany the upcoming change processes. ...

A DIALOG PICTURE FOR AIRBUS AND THEIR NEW MODULAR CONCEPT

The Airbus plant in Hamburg-Finkenwerder is the largest Airbus site in Germany. Among other things, this is where the final assembly of the well-known A320 family takes place. As part of an internal restructuring, sequential line production is being converted to a mixed production organization, with the first half of production taking place in a synchronized area and the second half at a modular station. This means that various activities per aircraft that currently take place at several stations will be carried out at a single station.

The new modular concept is to be made visually understandable to production employees with the aid of a dialog picture, and the advantages and opportunities for all those involved are to be highlighted.

During a comprehensive tour of the factory, the DIALOGBLD team had everything shown to them in detail and took photos so that the individual machines and production steps could be depicted as authentically as possible in the final dialog picture.

The finished dialog picture will be displayed prominently in the production halls for everyone to see and will be used for internal workshops. ...

In this section, we answer the most pressing questions we are frequently asked in the context of change processes and strategic reorientation.

1. What is the biggest mistake made during a corporate transformation?

The most common mistake is inadequate or belated communication. Managers often develop excellent transformation strategies behind closed doors but forget to bring the workforce on board early on. If the vision is not communicated clearly and in a visually tangible manner, rumors and resistance arise that can paralyze the entire process.

2. How long does a digital transformation take on average?

There is no fixed end date, as transformation is best understood as a continuous process of adaptability. Major structural and cultural changes typically take three to five years to become firmly embedded in the company's DNA. However, initial measurable successes should be visible within just 6 to 12 months.

3. Why Is Traditional Change Management Often Insufficient?

While change management facilitates specific, isolated changes (such as a software update), transformation targets the entire business model. Traditional methods reach their limits when the very identity of the company is at stake. In such situations, a strong visionary leadership—along with innovative communication tools like dialog pictures—is additionally required to clarify the broader context.

4. What role does corporate culture play in change?

Culture is the immune system of your company. If a corporate transformation runs counter to existing values, it will be rejected. A successful transformation must therefore always include a cultural component—moving away from silo mentality and toward agility, transparency, and a positive culture of learning from mistakes.

5. How exactly do visual tools like dialog pictures help?

Images overcome language barriers and hierarchical levels. A dialog picture distills the complexity of digital transformation into an understandable narrative. It serves as an anchor point for workshops and meetings, fosters a shared vision in the minds of employees, and makes abstract strategies literally "tangible."

6. How do I measure the success of my transformation strategies?

In addition to hard financial metrics (ROI, revenue share from new products), you should measure soft factors:

Employee satisfaction: What is the mood like during the transition?
Adoption rate: How quickly are new tools and processes actually being utilized?
Time-to-market: Are innovations being implemented faster than before the transformation?

The Ultimate Guide to Corporate Transformation