Transformation in Germany: change is widely felt
38.5 per cent of employees in Germany say that their work has changed in the last twelve months. Among the managerial employees surveyed, more than half (52.9 per cent) have noticed a change in their own role in the past year. This is shown by the representative IU study.
Question: Have there been any changes to your role within your company in the last twelve months (e.g. working methods, tasks, tools)?
Reasons for the change – new roles and digital tools
What factors are changing our working world today? Respondents who have noticed a change in their work most frequently attribute this to new tasks or changes in their roles, as well as to advancing digitalisation and automation. Artificial intelligence ranks 5th among the drivers of change.
It is interesting to compare the answers of employees with and without managerial roles: among the managers surveyed (40.4 per cent), AI is more likely to be behind a noticeable change in their own work than it is for employees in non-managerial positions (27.9 per cent).
Question: How has your role within your company changed in the last twelve months?
Only respondents who noticed a change in their role
Germany’s work environment has been undergoing a far-reaching transformation for years. AI is accelerating this development enormously, but it should be seen as part of a broader transformation that ranges from digitalisation to new forms of organisation and changing skills requirements. Therefore, the key question is not whether work is changing, but whether companies will succeed in embedding this change not only in terms of technology, but above all in everyday working methods. For AI is changing not only what work is done, but also how it is done – and that is precisely where we will see whether companies can actively shape this change or are overwhelmed by it.”
Prof. Dr Philipp Diebold
Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences and managing director of a consultancy firm
Employee participation? Not really
A key success factor in change management is employee involvement (see Summary). However, as many employees see it, this is not succeeding to a sufficient extent at the moment: fewer than half agree with the statement that changes within their company are developed jointly with employees. The agreement rate of 58.9 per cent among the managers surveyed is significantly higher than among non-managers (43.9 per cent).
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “Changes in my company are developed jointly with employees.”
Excerpt from the statements surveyed
Participation is one of the key factors in the success of change processes within companies. However, our study also shows that many employees do not yet consider their companies to be sufficiently prepared in this area. As a result, fewer than half of the employees feel that changes are developed jointly with them. This is particularly critical when it comes to the adoption of AI. For sustainable transformation does not come about from the top down, but through the active involvement of those who will later be using the new technologies in their day-to-day work.”
Prof. Dr Anne Gfrerer
Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences, entrepreneur and supervisory board member
Focus
What will the working world look like in the future?
Looking ahead: despite the transformation, many employees have an idea of what their job might look like in five years’ time. Although most employees expect their working environment to continue to change, very few expect their own job to disappear. Almost 3 out of 4 are confident as to their professional future.
Many people have a vision of tomorrow
67.7 per cent of employees can envisage what their job will be like in five years’ time. As many as 14.8 per cent even have a clear picture of their future career.
Question: Can you imagine what your role within your company will be like in five years’ time?
Expectations for the future? More tasks and more AI
What exactly does the change in today’s working world in Germany look like? Most respondents expect the scope of their work to expand and for artificial intelligence to be used more widely over the next five years. Fewer than 2 in 10 do not expect any change in their work.
Question: In your opinion, how do you think your role will change over the next five years?
Top 10 answers
Excerpt from the statements surveyed; only the answers “Completely agree” and “Tend to agree” on a scale of 1 to 4
The results demonstrate that many employees expect changes in their work, but nevertheless remain largely confident about their future careers. This shifts the focus of change management. Today, it is less about allaying fears of change and more about providing orientation and empowering employees, through appropriate working methods, to play an active role in shaping that change. Companies that recognise this willingness on the part of their employees and equip them with the right working methods will gain a decisive competitive advantage.”
Prof. Dr Philipp Diebold
Professor of Business Informatics at the IU International University of Applied Sciences and managing director of a consultancy firm
