A company from the healthcare sector wants to test new forms of management

A health insurance company with 11,000 employees is experimenting with new forms of management. Management formats were needed in this company in order to track cultural changes. The Denkwerkstatt MutKoffer contains formats that can be applied individually.

The company underwent a two-year culture change program. The company had decided to involve the management level below the Management Board more in decision-making. Committees were formed in which managers from the head office and the 10 branches make important decisions on strategy, the market, digitalization and much more.

Company managers met with the Executive Board twice a year to reflect on and further develop the progress of this democratization of management.

Our toolbox contains Harrison Owen's 'Open Space' concept for large groups. It quickly became clear that this model was the right form for new top management workshops:

The Open Space Method, developed by Harrison Owen, is a dynamic and flexible moderation method that promotes self-organization and participatory decision-making in groups. It is particularly suitable for complex topics and heterogeneous groups of participants. The process begins with an introduction in which the central topic is presented. The participants then have the opportunity to propose their own discussion points and pin them on a pinboard, which creates the workshop agenda.

The core elements of implementation include:

1. Opening circleAll participants gather and the topic is introduced.
2. Theme marketParticipants propose topics and create the agenda from them.
3. Schedule and room planDiscussion rounds are organized in terms of time and space.
4. Self-organizationParticipants are free to choose which discussions they would like to take part in and switch flexibly between the rounds.
5. Law of two feetParticipants should stay where they can contribute or learn the most.
6. DocumentationResults are documented and made available to everyone at the end.

This method encourages creative exchange, taking responsibility for topics and leads to solutions for complex problems by creating space for self-directed, spontaneous and intensive discussions.

Three open-space sessions of 1.5 days each were held for the health insurance company over a period of two years as part of a cultural project. The participants were irritated at the beginning because there was no agenda, but quickly accepted the method.