OhAlthough digitization has long entered daily life, two-thirds of companies are still struggling to cope. This is the result of a current study by Andersch Management Consulting, which surveyed nearly 3,000 decision makers from companies in 20 major industrialized countries (G 20). Exactly two-thirds of managers agree with the statement that “the company is working hard to achieve digitalization.”inside I It is 64%, “only” 61% in Germany-but still a surprising number.
Why does a company have Digitizing Fighting, of course, can only be answered in individual cases. According to his own statement, Christian Säuberlich, CEO of Andersch Consulting, has observed two reasons time and time again: “On the one hand, many companies are overwhelmed by the complexity of digitalization because it extends to all areas and stages of the value chain. Especially for medium-sized companies, their management structure and skills will soon reach their limits.” On the other hand, digitalization requires different types of leadership. “Agile management has been spread for many years, but in practice, it is still often managed in a traditional hierarchical manner, simply because in the past, it was usually the principle of success,” Säuberlich said. However, the company found it difficult to adapt.
Another thing that stands out in the survey: In the past 12 months, only 17% of the companies surveyed in Germany have invested in R&D-35% of companies worldwide say this, compared to 32% in the EU . “As before, innovation and change are not the top priorities of German companies,” restructuring expert Säuberlich regrets. “In this survey, German companies also reiterated their reputation for being more cautious and passive than innovation drivers.”
According to their own statements, German policymakers have relied more on layoffs (28%), restructuring companies (25%) and streamlining warehousing and supply (20%) in the past 12 months than on future investments.
Sustainability is not the primary goal
The short-term priorities are also quite traditional. When asked “What are your company’s goals for the next 12 months?” 48% of German managers answered: Increase profits. Therefore, more profit is the most frequently mentioned goal. Follow the following principles: increase sales (42%) and develop new markets (34%). Far behind the end of the list: sustainability. Only a quarter of managers want to get involved at full speed. In other words: 24% of people expect that the number of decision makers working for the well-being of the planet is exactly half of the well-being of the company’s treasury.
In the “2021 Resilience Barometer” (2021 Resilience Barometer), 2,869 decision makers from companies with annual turnover mostly between US$100 million and US$3 billion were asked about the current trends and risks of their own businesses. 73% of participants work for private companies and 27% work for companies listed on the stock exchange.
