We feel that prosperity in Europe is under serious threat by the increasingly sharp global competition. We are convinced our continent will have to undertake massive and fundamental efforts in order to prevail during the next decades. There is no insurance protecting us from losing much of what Europe has accomplished in the last centuries. It is a strong motivating factor in our work to be part of this endeavour.

We as Europeans have an immensely rich cultural heritage und foundation. We do not think it is necessary to dress, talk and act like twenty-something Silicon Valley natives in order to be creative, innovative and successful. We think we should be proud of and grateful for what our continent stands for and build on this foundation with self-confidence and generosity. We have much to give to the world.

We are deeply convinced that uncompromising integrity in all human interaction is the basis for establishing and maintaining mutual trust – and without this trust, nothing at all can flourish. This is a central principle in our work and everything else needs to be built on this foundation. You can depend on us to never lie to you, never betray confidentiality and never cheat you or anyone we work with.

Agile principles and practices, Design Thinking, Sociocracy, Sprints, Teal organisations, Lean Startups… we could go on nearly indefinitely. We are actively engaged in evaluating and applying these approaches where we deem them helpful and appropriate. At the same time, we keep a critical distance from all of them. We work with them, but we do not fall in love with them. We take from them what is useful but do not declare them a dogma. And we also know that very often the “miracle cure” of today will be the disappointment of tomorrow.

It was Paul Watzlawick who said that someone who only has a hammer, will regard every problem as a nail. Experts most often recommend what they are experts in, regardless of what the problem really is. As generalists we approach every new assignment with an impartial and open-minded view and, when choosing the right methods and instruments for the job at hand, we draw from a vast inventory of approaches, from the well-tried and proven paradigms of classical change management to the methods which come “brand-new and fresh out of the Valley”. And when we feel that something is required which we have not mastered ourselves, we find the right people in our large and growing network of masters in their respective discipline.

The central driving force of all human beings is the pursuit of deep and lasting joy. For us, contributing to the amount of joy in the people we get in touch with is the ultimate and most essential drive behind everything we do professionally – whether it is during the design of organisations or our contribution to the development of new products and services. If it does not contribute to the amount of joy in the world, it is worth neither your nor our while.

We demand all our contributions to be insightful (telling you something you did not already know), impactful (having a measurable result on the top or bottom line) and actionable (something that can be acted upon, not theoretical). Everything else would be a waste of time.

Productive change does not come from cowering in one’s comfort zone. Progress does not happen when we try to avoid risks at all costs. Working with us may require you to incur risks, because our interventions may be unconventional and unorthodox. If your main intention is to play it safe, you might be better served by hiring someone else. If you tell us that you want change to happen, we take you at your word. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

When we work with you, we regard ourselves as your “temporary friends”. We care for your goals and expectations not only on a strictly professional, but also on a personal level. We take your assignment very seriously and do our very best to make you feel good and safe with us. You do not have to pretend to always be in control or to have all the right answers – we see it as a wonderful compliment when you also show us your doubts, insecurities, anxieties and possibly even distress. That’s what we are here for.

While we strive to be strictly professional in our earnestness towards your assignment, this does not mean we always act as you would expect straight-faced “serious” consultants to act. We like to work with you as we really are – without masks or hiding behind an armour of exerted seriousness. Expect us to sometimes be shockingly spontaneous, unpredictable and even outright silly – without ever letting your mission out of our sight.

We do not believe more is better. We also do not believe it is our job as consultants to let you know how much we know about everything. Therefore, we will not bury you under massive stacks of paper, bore you to tears with long-winded analyses or try to sideline you with insider jargon that is supposed to make us sound like some kind of geniuses. Expect us to be concise, lean, to the point, and our language to be simple and understandable.