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Key-Learnings from Leadership Talk #3 with Prof. Wolfgang Güttel from TU Wien

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Güttel about current challenges for leaders, organizations and change

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Leadership Talk mit Prof. Wolfgang Güttel: Wie schaffe ich eine krisenfeste Organisation?

The Leadership Talk #3: "How do I create a crisis-proof organization?", om March 9, 2021 concludes our series of talks on this topic for the time being. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Güttel answered questions about organization and change in crises and we have summarized our key learnings for you here.

 

Key-Learnings of the Leadership Talk #3:
 

  • The high art in a crisis is the management of contradictions and paradoxes: Leaders are confronted with paradoxical requirements that they must not avoid. For example, they have to secure liquidity and innovate in the markets of the future, decide big issues authoritatively and delegate many issues, be optimistic and realisitic at the same time ...
    In crises, dealing with contradictions and uncertainties is the core challenge.
     
  • Build flexibility buffers: Organizations can build flexibility through clear structures as guardrails and small flexible units - in the form of fluid project teams - in between and adapt them evolutionarily to changing circumstances. Structure and target system as a framework enables high flexibility on lower levels in between.
     
  • Learn from crisis: Crises bring out the character of individuals and groups. From the analysis of strengths and weaknesses, an immense amount can be learned for the organization. Leaders must create the trusting space for this.
     
  • Crisis as an opportunity: By making the character of the organization visible in the crisis, change processes can be initiated. This is where the "Sense of Urgency" can be experienced directly. In addition, those companies that are prepared for the upturn more quickly than others can benefit, because after the crisis the cards are redistributed in many markets. But it is necessary to take the risk of already thinking about innovations and the future during the crisis.
     
  • Investing in leaders and teams: The best prevention is the qualification of leaders and the development of teams. Then they will be resilient even in times of extreme crisis.


Our leadership talk-series was dedicated to the current challenges for managers, who are particularly challenged in times of crisis. The three force fields of leadership were examined in three talks. The experts Leo Flammer, Mag. Dr. Klaus Niedl and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Güttel talked about what leaders need to consider in times of crisis at the individual level (1), team level (2) and organizational level (3).

You can learn how best to deal with the challenges of a crisis in our Leadership Retreat: With Leadership through the Crisis. There you will learn the methods for coping with crises and with wich in addition to crisis management, you can also focus on setting the course for the future.

The speakers are the experts from our Leadership Talk series Leo Flammer, Mag. Dr. Klaus Niedl and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Güttel.

More information about the Leadership Retreat can be found here >>

Leadership Retreat: How to manage situations of crisis with leadership competencies
Language: German
Duration: 3 training blocks of 3 days, each full day within 3 months
Format: part-time
Start: May 20, 2021
Application deadline: May 02, 2021