Echo Medien GmbH is a driving force for the South Hesse region. It creates a platform for information and dialogue and thus makes an important contribution to society. Nobody knows where the media landscape will develop in the coming years. However, Echo Medien GmbH has a clear picture of where it will develop as a regional media company. The change to a process organization is an important milestone in this respect.
Where is our potential for optimization and how can process management help us to reorganize our company? Echo Medien GmbH approached BPM&O with this question. Nobody could have expected that Echo Medien GmbH would win an award such as the eden Award for the most process-orientated medium-sized company in the German-speaking world after just 18 months of intensive and successful work.
Structure follows process
What initially began as a pure process optimization project quickly developed into a process management initiative. This was mainly because not only the operational aspects but also strategic issues were analyzed and discussed as part of the optimization potential analysis. Without exception, every manager in the company was involved in the project and there was an urgent desire for change, so the remit was reformulated.
The organization was redefined based on the process map developed together with the management. ‘Structure follows process’ was the maxim. The new management roles of ‘process owner’ and ‘process manager’ were defined and the role holders were prepared for their new tasks as part of a management development program. The identified potential for improvement was prioritized and implemented through individual measures and projects. The process model was systematically completed in the process.
Our added value for Echo Medien GmbH
The key success factors in this project were the clear top-down mandate from the publisher and the management, the consistent application of process management methods, in particular the process management glasses, and the BPM&O model.
As part of the newly developed process model, interdisciplinary teams developed real target processes, which were implemented with suitable measures. The project was accompanied by a variety of organizational development measures, particularly about communication, participation of those affected, and the development of managers to lead in a process-oriented organization. This change was organized by an internal project manager who acquired the know-how at our BPM&O Academy.