Entrepreneurship Summit 2022: Keynote speech by Dr Joana Breidenbach

Image ©: Marlena Waldthausen, found on www.vdu.de

Summary

In her keynote speech ‘The future of work: how do we want to work?’, Dr Joana Breidenbach provides deep insight into the work of the betterplace lab and shows how work must fundamentally change in the wake of digitalisation, social change and increasing complexity. She describes why traditional hierarchical organisational models are no longer adequate for today's challenges and how the betterplace lab has been experimenting with radical self-organisation since 2014 – including the abolition of the traditional boss role.

A key learning point from the keynote is that external structural changes alone are not enough: New Work only works when accompanied by internal work. Inner clarity, self-reflection, relationship skills and the conscious handling of uncertainty are highlighted as key competencies for organisations and entrepreneurs of the future. The keynote thus combines organisational development, psychology and entrepreneurship into a holistic understanding of work.

Key insights for founders

1. Structural change requires internal change:
New forms of organisation fail if only processes and structures are changed, but not the attitude, mindset and internal maturity of those involved.

2. Hierarchies are too slow for complexity:
Rigid hierarchies cannot keep up with dynamic, complex environments. Decisions should be made where competence and information lie.

3. Self-organisation requires security – from within:
When external securities disappear, people must develop inner orientation, clarity and stability in order to remain capable of acting.

4. New Work is not a method, but a view of humanity:
Table football and home offices are no substitute for genuine power sharing, trust and a culture of relationships.

5. Consistency beats perfection:
The ‘best’ form of organisation is useless if it does not suit the people, the phase and the resilience of a team – especially in the early stages of a start-up.

About the speaker

Dr Joana Breidenbach is a social entrepreneur, author and one of the leading voices on digitalisation, social change and new forms of work. She is co-founder of betterplace.org, Germany's largest donation platform, and of betterplace lab, a think-and-do tank at the interface of digitalisation and the common good. For many years, she has been researching social and digital innovations worldwide and supporting organisations in their transformation processes towards greater self-organisation and humanity. In her work, she combines entrepreneurial thinking with psychological depth and social responsibility. Joana Breidenbach is co-author of the book ‘New Work needs Inner Work’ and is currently working on further publications on the development of organisational potential.