Interview
"Transformation with Attitude" − Gabriele Dreilich and Frank Hörhold on effective Organisational Development
What do organisations need to deal with dynamics and complexity? Gabriele Dreilich and Frank Hörhold, lecturers on the "Systemic Organisational Transformation" training course, talk about the pressure to change, new leadership roles − and why there are no longer any easy answers. In the podcast interview, they give an insight into their perspectives and what participants in the training programme can expect.
Frank Hörhold:
Gabriele, what are you currently observing in the world of work when it comes to change?
Gabriele Dreilich:
In my consulting projects, I see many organisations that are in the middle of transformation processes − or urgently need to start one. External requirements are changing rapidly and profoundly. Many organisations are looking for simple answers to complex questions. But that no longer works. Today, transformation is a continuous practice − not a project with a clear beginning and end.
Frank Hörhold:
Why are you experiencing so many transformations right now?
Gabriele Dreilich:
Because many business models are no longer sustainable in their current form. Markets are changing dynamically, business logics are breaking away. Organisations have to reinvent themselves − structurally, procedurally and culturally. And it is no longer enough to restructure once. Permanent development is needed. This is unfamiliar to many, because change used to seem more predictable.
Frank Hörhold:
I often observe that complexity is met with overly simple answers. These are convenient, but rarely sustainable. At the same time, management personnel are also changing − the generation that grew up with top-down decisions is retreating. Younger generations bring different attitudes with them. They demand a say and a sense of purpose − and this is fundamentally changing organisations.
Gabriele Dreilich:
Absolutely. And this is precisely where the challenge lies: organisations today have to create stable framework conditions while remaining flexible. This is not just about structures, but also about attitudes. We can't support transformation without thinking about behaviour and culture.
Frank Hörhold:
This is exactly what we address in our new training programme. We are not interested in blueprints or recipes. We provide tools and models − but not patent solutions. We want to empower people to develop suitable answers in their practice. To this end, we create learning spaces in which people can safely experiment and reflect.
Gabriele Dreilich:
And we don't just work with case studies, but with the concrete reality of the participants. Their organisations, their challenges, their dynamics − all of this is incorporated. It's about applying models individually and thinking ahead.
Frank Hörhold:
This also includes simulations in which we make the emotional aspects of change tangible. How does uncertainty feel? What kind of resistance arises? Only those who experience this can support others well. And we give participants the tools to do just that.
Gabriele Dreilich:
The group itself becomes the learning organisation. We experience together what triggers transformation − in ourselves and in each other. And at the end, we have a tried-and-tested toolbox that everyone can use to further develop their own organisation.
Frank Hörhold:
And we never forget the "why": What attitude, what goals and what values are behind change? Real transformation can only succeed if people can connect with the purpose.
Gabriele Dreilich:
I'm looking forward to the start in autumn − and of course to working with you, Frank.
Frank Hörhold:
Me too. It's about time.
To the whole interview:
