15/03/2021 |

Change Management @ OTRS

We cling to habits when we see in change a risk of losing our
current status quo. Unfortunately, by doing so, we also miss
the opportunity to improve the status quo.

Fish out of water

According to the UN, an estimated 385,000 children are born every day. That’s 44 births since you started reading this article. It’s a situation that abruptly changes the lives of thousands of people. Anyone who has ever had a child knows that no matter how many books you have read and how well you have prepared for this event, it is all very different when you hold the little being in your arms. Every day is a new challenge, which you face with courage and with joy, as child and parents develop. We react to our children’s changes in a very natural way and find ways to satisfy their new needs.

Why do we find it so easy to respond to these changes? Probably because we associate them with something positive: The child is supposed to grow up and become strong.

In other areas of our lives, however, we find it more difficult to deal with change. Especially in the professional environment, changes are often associated with fears and prejudices: “Will I still be needed?”, “Will I still be accepted?”, “Will I keep my social status?”. We cling to habits when we see in change a risk of losing our current status quo. Unfortunately, by doing so, we also miss the opportunity to improve the status quo.

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
John F. Kennedy

Agility is a leadership discipline

For many companies, change is a serious risk; rarely is this because of the change itself, but rather because of the adherence to habits. Today, companies face a globalized, technologized and interconnected world that expresses itself through constant change. If the ever-changing environment is seen as a risk that threatens the well-being of the company, the “fear” component quickly gains the upper hand and leads to freezing up in the face of seemingly unsolvable challenges.

Unfortunately, we cannot change the world around us at will and must therefore learn to deal with it. Just as parents have to look for alternatives when the pacifier no longer calms the crying child at some point, companies also have to face up to change – with courage and the willingness to continuously take new paths when the familiar paths no longer lead to the desired goal.

In recent years, the term “agility” has become increasingly popular. It describes the ability of companies to react to changes in the environment. However, this ability itself represents a major change for most companies. Horst Wildemann describes agility in his book “Only the Agile Will Survive” as a leadership discipline that is about “…enabling groups of people in the company to recognize the need for a change of direction together, independently and at an early stage….What’s new about agility is that it focuses on the joint search for solutions and collective intelligence.” Agility therefore means leading in such a way that employees are empowered to think and act in an agile manner. The first step here should be to eliminate employees’ fears and model a culture of courage in which change can be seen as an opportunity.

No organization ever created an innovation. People innovate, not companies.
Seth Godin

Companies that see change as an opportunity are in a much better position to deliver continuous innovation, because the people in these companies have the courage to embrace change. OTRS AG’s newly formed Solution Management strategy and team support this kind of agility in two ways, fostering innovation for our customers and ourselves.

For our customers, working with OTRS means not only buying and using a solution, but also being able to experience a philosophy in their own company with regard to dealing with employees and customers. We have always wanted to be not only a software manufacturer, but also a contact partner, companion and solution provider throughout the entire customer journey, as well as afterwards. This means being able to respond to needs as quickly and individually as possible, thereby giving customers the freedom to succeed.

The OTRS Solution is a solution portfolio that allows our customers to select and combine exactly those products and services from a range of products and services that are necessary for more freedom in their own organizations and to supplement or adapt them as quickly as possible, if required.

For us at OTRS AG, Solution Management strengthens the ability to react to changes. We experience that the fulfillment of market expectations (especially at the required speed) cannot be achieved by existing or building up our own competencies alone, but also requires the combination with and integration of external know-how. Solution Management embodies our innovative potential and ensures long-term success through future-oriented thinking and acting. We are convinced that our existing and future customers will welcome this partnership approach and benefit from it in the long term. Likewise, through a more intensive dialog, we achieve a closer customer relationship and receive relevant information for the successful development of our software and our entire range of products and services, immediately and without delay. This is especially important because, in addition to knowledge, time has become one of the most important factors for sustained economic success.

The OTRS Solution is synonymous with the combination of internal and external products as well as in-house, purchased or partner services. In the spirit of agility, it not only makes us open to constant improvements, but also lets us consciously strive for them.