TRANSFORMATION MAP: GerA 2020
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM
  • Locomotive
  • Dialogbild

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.

Jens Bünte
Director of Human Resources Germany & Austria ALSTOM Transport Deutschland GmbH

“Experiences from previous transformation programs have shown how important it is to involve the entire organization in the process of change. DIALOGBILD offers a perfect opportunity to take into account the worries, ideas and expectations of as many people as possible and to make them understandable for everyone. The initial skepticism of one or two is transformed into real enthusiasm after just a few days in the project. This was certainly not my last dialog picture.”

Individual scenes and their meaning

The change

This image shows that success can only be achieved if all persons and all stakeholders such as executives, management, employees, trade unions and worker’s councils move in one direction.

Meeting culture

In the meeting on the left there is neither a well-thought-out agenda nor participants who are really listening. In the desirable meeting on the right there is a clearly defined agenda, active meeting participants and a timetable of the meeting.

Common goal

In the negative image, employees and executives pursue their own goals. These goals can also have an opposite effect. The positive image shows how they work on common goals and towards a common objective.

Troubleshooting

In the negative image, a task force is working on damage limitation, while in the positive image the root of the problem is easily solved.

THE MILESTONES OF DIALOG PICTURE DEVELOPMENT

Dialogbild Workshop Skizze Alstom

In the first management workshop the visual framework was laid out for the later dialog picture.

 

Dialogbild Workshop Skizze Alstom

Together with the change agents of the transformation program, the basic framework of the management group was further developed and filled with scenes. Relatively quickly, the workshop group agreed that we should develop matching positive / negative scenes for this dialog picture. The participants subsequently communicated the dialog picture to their area as change multipliers.

THE INTERVIEW


Ralf Dingerdissen
Bogie Operations
Director Germany
ALSTOM Transport
Deutschland GmbH

 

"When we were in Hamburg at DIALOGBILD for the first time, and we saw the many different and great examples of other companies, we were totally amazed and convinced from the first moment that this was the tool for us. Our enthusiasm was infectious and the whole management team was on board very quickly. We are very proud of our dialog picture and it helps us daily in the implementation of our transformation process."

Why did you choose the DIALOGBILD method?
While looking for a benchmark of successful change strategies from various companies, we saw that a dialog picture is an efficient tool to support the entire change process.

What opportunities do you see in this method?
One of the great chances is the completely different way of communicating away from PowerPoint and face to face meetings. With the aid of the dialog picture, all positions, hierarchies and groups open an unmasked direct discussion. The scope for interpretation of the image, which the illustration enables, leads to discussions and conversations from the very beginning. Moreover complex topics can be understood easier and make the dialog between colleagues and employees simpler.

How did the dialog picture take shape?
We completed a 2-step process at the beginning of which the management team, under the direction of Didier Pfleger, Managing Director of Alstom Transport Deutschland GmbH, set the picture frame, the goals and the rough storyline in a one-day creative workshop. Based on these requirements, a group of so-called multipliers or change agents designed the final image in a second one-day workshop and worked out all the individual scenes. After the presentation of these results, all that was left was fine-tuning.

What was the reaction of the two workshop groups?
Despite initial skepticism, both groups quickly became passionate and enthusiastic. The discussion was lively and occasionally disputed, but a common solution was always found. The spirit of the transformation program was immediately apparent.

How was the cooperation with DIALOGBILD for you?
We came to know DIALOGBILD as a professional partner who has managed to lead us in the right direction. It was at all times "our" picture. In addition to the results we achieved, which filled us all with pride, we also had a lot of fun in the discussions with our project manager Dania Buchal and her sparring partner Mr. Anders.

How do you use the dialog picture?
Alstom Transport Deutschland GmbH is currently undergoing a change process. This includes many classic approaches to increase competitiveness, and the dialog picture is a perfect complement not only to the entire transformation program but also to the very often neglected "human" factor. The visual presentation of good and bad behavior results in dialogs between supervisors and employees, and it is possible to speak freely about expectations as well as needs.

What is the response to the finished dialog picture?
We have presented our dialog picture to the management team and the change agents, and the unanimous opinion is great! No one can wait to take the picture and cascade it. We are currently working on the appropriate communication strategy and at the next annual general meeting we are ready to start.

Have your expectations been met?
Short answer: Yes. However, it is still too early to draw a final resume because the cascading process has not yet begun.

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