{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Cofit Homepage","provider_url":"https:\/\/cofitconsult.com\/en\/","title":"Never change a winning team? - Cofit Homepage","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"EFXk3IRu51\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cofitconsult.com\/en\/never-change-a-winning-team\/\">Never change a winning team?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/cofitconsult.com\/en\/never-change-a-winning-team\/embed\/#?secret=EFXk3IRu51\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Never change a winning team?&#8221; &#8212; Cofit Homepage\" data-secret=\"EFXk3IRu51\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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Why stability and change are not a contradiction \u2013 but a leadership task The conflict between &#8220;Never change a winning team&#8221; and &#8220;What got us here won&#8217;t get us there&#8221; is one of the biggest dilemmas in business management. There are many examples in which change has worsened the situation, e.g. Lopez effect (quality problems due to excessive savings) at Opel with lasting damage to the brand reputation. Is \u201cNever change a winning team\u201d the solution? What if exactly this attitude endangers your company in the long term? How do you know if your \u201cwinning team\u201d is actually on the verge of losing touch? When is the right time for change and which change makes sense? 1. Never change a winning team! Stability is the foundation of every successful organization. Well-established teams work very efficiently and reliably. Processes run smoothly and are optimized. Stability is only beneficial as long as it meets current requirements. Especially in successful organizations, this also leads to high risks such as: Arrogance: Teams bask in their success, miss out on innovations, and underestimate their competitors. Blindness to external changes: Markets, technologies and customer needs continue to evolve \u2013 those who don&#8217;t keep up get left behind. A good example of this is Nokia: As the market leader in the mobile communications sector, they overlooked the impact of the smartphone on their business model. Always ask yourself the question:\u201cDoes my organization still fit or what changes are necessary to maintain or improve my position?\u201d 2. What brought us here won&#8217;t get us there! Change is not a passing fad, nor is it an self-serving purpose. It becomes necessary because a company&#8217;s environment is constantly changing. Many organizations fail not because they are bad, but because they cling for too long to a successful model that originated under different circumstances. Reasons for change: Changing customer requirements: What convinces today may already be standard tomorrow. Technological progress: Digitization and AI are changing business models and competition rules. Company growth: Structures that work with 50 employees often reach their limits with 500 employees. New competitors: New market entrants are often faster and more flexible than established companies. Regulatory changes: New laws, sustainability requirements, or geopolitical developments increase the pressure to adapt. The actual risk is therefore often not the change itself, but the assumption that the environment will not change. Example: Amazon has reinvented itself again and again &#8211; from an online bookstore to a technology and cloud company. The developments mentioned often make adjustments unavoidable. However, not every change automatically leads to better results. Many companies correctly recognize the need for change, but fail to implement it. The desire for improvement alone does not guarantee success. Change can involve significant risks and jeopardize existing strengths. Risks of change: Temporary drop in performance: Roles are unclear, processes do not run smoothly, decision-making processes need to be re-established. Uncertainty and loss of motivation: Employees lose their orientation, fear loss of power or job change, and &#8222;informal structures&#8220; are disrupted. Loss of know-how: Key people leave or withdraw, implicit knowledge is lost. Loss of focus in day-to-day business: Reorganization ties up management capacity, while operational issues suffer (customers, quality, cash flow and market position). Organizational design without strategy: Structure is changed, but strategy is unclear. Overcomplexity: A new structure is supposed to solve everything. The risk lies in too many levels, new interfaces, and more coordination instead of less. Processes become more complex and decisions take longer. High costs: High external and internal costs. Internal implementation costs, in particular, are often massively underestimated. Cultural shift: Established teams and processes are broken up. Trust is lost. Example: At Volkswagen Group, the pooling of software expertise led to more complexity instead of clarity. 3. The optimal timing \u2013 the real leadership task! The key question is not whether to change \u2013 but when and to what extent. Most companies change either too late or too drastically. Successful companies change early and strategically. The optimal timing is not a matter of intuition, but rather a comparison of strategy, organization, and initial operational signals. Successful companies: don&#8217;t wait for crises do not react hastily but adapt early and gradually The following should be noted: Change too soon: Unrest and inefficiency without a real need for action Change too late: the market has already shifted. One can only react instead of shaping the future. The right time for change is not when problems become obvious, but when the first early indicators become apparent: Operational signals Decisions take longer Alignment is increasing Too many (ad-hoc) meetings, too little output Unclear responsibilities regarding new topics Financial signals Revenue is growing, but profitability is stagnating\/decreasing. Rising overhead costs Declining operating cash flows Strategic signals New initiatives are not progressing. Time-to-market is slowing down. Competitors are acting faster and more efficiently Targets are systematically missed. Ask yourself the following key questions: Are we still in line with our long-term strategy? Does our organization still fit the company and\/or market environment? Do we have the right skills and structures for the future? Are we adapting faster or slower than our competitors? 4. How much change is right \u2013 evolution instead of revolution! The extent of the change is just as important as the timing. It is important to maintain the \u201csuccess DNA\u201d but ensure long-term success. Successful companies therefore avoid extremes. They: keep functioning structures stable adapt specifically where necessary. continuously develop their organization further Change happens in an integrated way \u2013 not in isolation. That means: no radical breaks unless absolutely necessary. no change for the sake of change but rather a logical consequence of the strategy Consequence: &#8222;Winning teams&#8220; need evolution, not revolution. Change is understood as development \u2013 \u200b\u200bnot as correction. Organizations remain flexible and adaptable. 5. Organizational development as part of the strategy process Organizational developments should always be part of an integrated strategy process and follow a clear logic (see also article on how to develop a successful strategy: https:\/\/cofitconsult.com\/strategieentwicklung-in-5-schritten-praxisbeispiel-fur-kmus\/):"}