Agile & digital transformation:
change consulting for a media company

To redevelop the current business model and position it for the market of the future. Consulting case of a media company in the context of Neuwaldegg’s change management consulting.

A media company’s top manage­ment reco­g­nises: the age struc­ture of our readers is alar­ming, every day we are losing custo­mers and the expec­ta­tions of our future readers are chan­ging towards digital requi­re­ments. The current busi­ness model and the way in which the publi­shing house operates are not sustainable. This trend in the media industry is confirmed inter­na­tio­nally and it is only a matter of time before the finan­cial aspect also becomes really critical. After the first work­shop toge­ther it is clear: they now want to act from one strength, the time frame is tight at two years and it will also be a matter of tack­ling the organisation’s basic structures.

Learning organisational structure

The goals of agile trans­for­ma­tion are prima­rily new digital products, tech­no­logy-based work and decision-making processes and an agile lear­ning orga­ni­sa­tional culture. The chall­enge here is to estab­lish a new busi­ness model in the current day-to-day busi­ness and at the same time not lose sight of the exis­ting model – after all, it still secures the bulk of the revenue. To create “both” of these, the follo­wing points are defined in the control architecture:

Start with top management

It all starts with top manage­ment: the basic approach is decided, and the chal­lenges are also hotly debated. It quickly becomes clear: a common purpose and stra­tegy gives the orga­ni­sa­tion orien­ta­tion and focus. The trans­for­ma­tion map provides guidance on what is to be done and the new work (“how”) is prac­tised in the “what”. Top manage­ment itself needs support in order to be a role model during this process and also to be the first to expe­ri­ment with the challenges.

Purpose orientation with 4‑week sprints

A process archi­tec­ture is deve­loped with a core team (members of the orga­ni­sa­tion and consul­tants) that includes six diffe­rent streams: reader market, content, busi­ness clients, tech­no­logy, leader­ship perfor­mance and purpose. Follo­wing an ener­gi­sing “purpose & case for action” process, ten percent of the orga­ni­sa­tion members are involved in the streams. Cross-func­tion­a­lity, purpose orien­ta­tion and agile working are core prin­ci­ples within these streams.
The streams’ diffe­rent requi­re­ments are worked through, the results are evaluated and approved in review work­shops in 4‑week sprints. Within these sprints, team members synchro­nise them­selves in the form of stand-ups and team time, supported by DNA coaches (DNA=The New Work) and a digital exch­ange plat­form. In their role as spon­sors, board members and mana­ging direc­tors have the task of repre­sen­ting their own streams to the outside world and estab­li­shing important links with stake­hol­ders. This results in the smooth and fast process of working, adjus­ting and adap­ting by lear­ning a lot from each other.

Trust is key in the agile process

The core team deals with general matters: proces­sing and inte­gra­ting deve­lo­p­ments and obser­va­tions using the systemic cycle. Commu­ni­ca­ting the process’ progress in the form of messages, videos, work­shops and much more. Overall control of the agile trans­for­ma­tion process.

The key in this project is to estab­lish trust in the agile process, which does not chart an exact path but relies on “build-measure-learn”. An inten­sive process with the mana­gers, which works precisely with these uncer­tain­ties, helps here. The focus on a common purpose, hard facts and concrete initia­tives in the sense of change help build the new. The agile process helps to inte­grate unplanned events quickly – without slip­ping back into old patterns.

Barbara Buzanich-Pöltl

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