Successful strategic transformation Exchange of experiences on processes, success factors and solutions at the NFF

More than 120 employers and employees came together at the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) at TU Braunschweig on 28 February to discuss ways of achieving successful transformation. Under the motto “Shaping transformation – together in change(ing)”, various organisations and initiatives from the Braunschweig-Wolfsburg region, including the Volkswagen Group Academy and the PSD Bank Braunschweig, provided insights into various transformation processes and solutions and presented their best practice solutions.

“The megatrends of demography, digitalisation, decarbonisation and globalisation require adapted technological, ecological and interdisciplinary skills such as intercultural communication, creativity and resilience, as well as mastering the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence,” said Johannes Pfeiffer, Head of the Employment Agency of Niedersachsen Bremen. In his welcome address, he called on employers to share their experiences of change and to learn from the experiences of others: “The future is challenging. Change is here to stay and we need to be fast and flexible to maintain our prosperity. Fearless openness to new things, a willingness to engage in lifelong learning and a ‘desire for the future’, combined with a joy of doing and a light-hearted approach, are the best ingredients for success”.

Best practices for modern corporate culture

Ralph Linde, Head of the Volkswagen Group Academy, Volkswagen AG, spoke about “Change through competence development” and summed up in his keynote speech: “I consider the exchange between different institutions, companies and organisations in our mobility region Wolfsburg-Braunschweig to be very important. Sharing knowledge about training and qualification programmes, discussing successful best practices and actively shaping solutions for change will help everyone – in small, medium-sized and large companies – to master these challenges. Only in this way can we maintain the economic and innovative strength of our region, secure jobs and, above all, offer people interesting opportunities for the further development of the transformation”. In a second keynote speech, Carsten Graf, CEO of PSD Bank Braunschweig, emphasised that transformation also requires courage. He reported on the successes and hurdles in implementing the four-day week as a new working time model in his organisation.

Interactive technical sessions highlight the challenges and opportunities of transformation

The ensuing panel discussion provided an opportunity to take a closer look at the approaches, solutions and experiences presented. In addition to the two speakers, Kerstin Kuechler-Kakoschke (Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Braunschweig-Goslar Employment Agency), Thomas Ahlswede-Brech (Authorised Representative of Allianz für die Region GmbH) and Professor Simone Kauffeld (Head of the Department of Work, Organisational and Social Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, TU Braunschweig) discussed further challenges and opportunities for companies and organisations resulting from the transformation of structures, processes and products.

“Today’s event gave different stakeholders such as SMEs, training providers and large corporations the opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the current transformation. This provided very valuable insights into different solutions and the numerous networks that have once again helped us to make progress in shaping the transformation together,” said Professor Simone Kauffeld, who also coordinates the (Re)Shape training network with her chair. “With innovative formats such as TechTalks, we not only promote the exchange of knowledge and the development of skills, but also offer companies practical solutions from research in this context with the ‘Qualification as a Change Maker’ programme and the GesA app for healthy working”.

In the afternoon, participants were able to deepen their dialogue in smaller groups in compact presentation and discussion sessions. Among other things, the participants took the opportunity to find out about the Volkswagen eMotionRoom and eMotionBox as well as the Federal Employment Agency’s new national portal for continuing vocational training “mein NOW”. With a TechTruck from project partner Continental Institute for Technology and Transformation (CITT), the (Re)Shape training network demonstrated why digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in working life. Various organisations and initiatives from the Braunschweig-Wolfsburg region presented their best-practice solutions at marketplaces. “Today, small and large companies had the opportunity to find out about new working models and training opportunities – and they made the most of it! I am very pleased to see how cooperation is being established here in order to learn from each other and walk the path of change together,” says Thomas Ahlswede-Brech, authorised signatory of the Alliance for the Region, which manages the ko:nect training network.

About the format

The event was organised by the two Braunschweig continuing education networks “ko:nect – Network for Continuing Education” and “(Re)Shape Automotive Industry: Upskilling and Reskilling” in cooperation with the the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) at TU Braunschweig, Allianz für die Region GmbH, the Federal Employment Agency (Regional Office Bremen-Niedersachsen) and the Group Academy of Volkswagen AG. The two continuing education networks ko:nect and (Re)Shape are funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as part of the federal programme “Development of Continuing Education Networks”.