Interview: “value creation through appreciation”

The labour market in Germany is in a noticeable change. The “Generation Y” in the choice of profession with their focus on the salary or the Profit. Flexible working times and, especially, the appreciation of their work is in the job search are important components.

The rediscovery of humanity in the workplace is one of the most important success factors of the future, says Prof. Dr. Andreas Otterbach, author of the UVK-book Leading through appreciation. In this Interview, he speaks about this often underestimated factor of success.

UVK: Mr Otterbach, why the winner is the factor of appreciation, more and more importance?

Interview: „Wertschöpfung durch Wertschätzung“

Prof. Dr. Andreas Otterbach, author of the book “Leading through appreciation”

Andreas Otterbach: This has various reasons. You take the demographic development. The Baby boomers are in ten to fifteen years in the quiet, we have in Germany a dramatic change in the labour market. The proportion of people in the total population that are of working age, will be dropped by then significantly. A high shortage of labour in most industries. But even today, we have a shortage of engineers or computer scientists. Who can find out where he works, is more likely to go where he feels comfortable and valued. This trend is also accompanied by a General change of values, currently the Generation Y full.

UVK: What advantages can companies by appreciative leadership to win?

Andreas Otterbach: Appreciative leadership can, in fact, as a factor of production see. It creates Motivation, which in turn leads to better performance. The Slogan “value creation through appreciation”. However, a corporate culture of mutual appreciation also brings external effects. Who feel work well and motivated, this will count even more and potential labour force curious. Especially in times of dwindling potential in the labour market, this Form of Employer Branding is a crucial factor in order to ensure appropriate talent.

UVK: Often rate a leader, on the one hand and the employees on the other hand, the management style of different – and sometimes even controversial. What are the possibilities to measure the degree of appreciation of a leader, as objectively as possible?

Andreas Otterbach: A soft criterion such as the degree of the lived and practiced appreciation of a leader is, by nature, heavy lens, such as the temperature with a Thermometer to measure. The staff appreciation is also dependent on the extent to which you at all or desired is needed. However, there are some criteria by which appreciation is shown. You are asked to put employees on the expression of such different criteria in the case of your, a certain Tendency can be to say. Of many employees to a higher development, for example, or leeway for Decision-making in their tasks as very respectful felt. Others feel it as pleasant, if you are in the morning welcomed by your supervisor or on a regular basis is the possibility with him / her replace it.

UVK: did you, during your research activity on the topic of appreciation very a lot of conversations with managers and employees. There are also situations in which appreciation can negatively affect?

Andreas Otterbach: This is an interesting question because it also deals with what the individual leadership power of appreciation can understand. For some it is praise and recognition, for Others it is a “fruitful” working environment with a lot of free space. On the subject of praise and recognition as a possible expression of appreciation of in fact caution is called for. Who durchlobt with the watering can every day to the public once or “employee of the month” exclaims, quickly put in the nettles, because the individual employees in his individuality. Under certain circumstances, this even leads to a Performance.

UVK: In her new book, “Leading through appreciation”, especially the “Hidden Champions” in the focus. We can say that this company life is a special culture of leadership?

Andreas Otterbach: “Hidden Champions”, i.e. smaller, not necessarily very well-known world market leader, have made their way to the turnover peak of their respective industry already made. Some of them are already for decades, the world market leader as the company Kärcher, trump, or Sennheiser, to name a few better-known names. In spite of their different orientation, some of the common features in the culture of leadership can be identified. Medium-sized and even small entrepreneurs to these features, you can enhance your own efficiency with a high probability. Of these characteristics, my current book is “Leading through appreciation”.

UVK: What’s your SUCCESS model, you are in the book in detail?

Andreas Otterbach: the SUCCESS of the initial letters of the characteristics with which I appreciative guide describe. They lived and they belong to the inner attitude of the managers, the economic success remains, as the example of the studied Hidden Champions showed not to be. The “E” stands for the basis to be able to appreciation. Behind it is the self-esteem.

Thank You Very Much.

More to this exciting and current topic you can read in the new release Leading through appreciation of Andreas Otterbach and Corinna Little.