Developing logistics: combining diagnosis, leadership structure and capability building

Sounding boards gave employees a direct line to the consultants. Feedback was condensed, anonymised and reviewed with logistics management. In this project, the sessions took place every six weeks. Hypotheses and next steps were developed from the observations, and lessons from practice fed into the ongoing work.

Workshop sessions with operational managers were used to test the observations and work out a solution. The leadership structure that was adopted marked the outcome of the diagnostic phase. Its implementation was then commissioned as a separate change process with professional support.

New group leaders were selected against a requirements profile for the role. The documented process combined reflection on leadership principles, an interview, a practical work sample and a personality assessment with feedback. An assessment panel with equal voting rights evaluated the candidates.

The managers developed shared leadership principles and a leadership handbook. In the sounding boards, employees gave a pulse check on how far these principles were already being practised. Training, practical tools and reflection supported the step-by-step rollout of the new structure.

Leadership workshops combined concrete business issues with developing the leadership team. Method sessions beforehand and individual coaching supported the work. Results were implemented through the line, and experience fed into the next workshop. In the handover phase, the consultants supervised the formats before internal functions took them over.

What feedback, selection criteria and learning formats does your leadership structure need to work in everyday practice? The project shows how diagnosis, appointments, collaboration and internal continuation can be planned together.

• A documented organisational diagnosis and an approved new leadership structure.
• In the rollout described in part 2, twelve of 13 positions were filled internally.
• Leadership principles developed together and a leadership handbook informed by pulse-check feedback.
• According to part 3, internal functions continued the leadership development after the handover.

The three reports cover different phases. The figure “twelve of 13” refers to positions filled during the rollout. Statements on motivation, productivity and collaboration come from the project documentation and do not amount to an independent impact assessment.