Exactly one hundred years ago, a group of committed teachers joined forces with interested circles in Zurich to found a private day grammar school for young people and adults as the Juventus Teachers' Cooperative. Just two years after its founding, the Juventus schools were the first in Switzerland to offer an evening high school. Thus, for the first time, the Matura could also be obtained by adults on a part-time basis. Early on, the Juventus Schools took on a pioneering role in the educational landscape and paved the way for second-chance education for young people and adults. Today, this is an important part of the Swiss educational landscape.

Digitization as an opportunity

Juventus Schools is also setting new standards in terms of digitization in education: Since August 2017, classes have been held at the new education campus on Europaallee, right next to the tracks of Zurich's main train station. Therefore, not only the 100th birthday of the foundation is celebrated, but also the opening of the new school building. The "JuveCampus" has state-of-the-art equipment with the highest Minergie label and connects students around the clock from anywhere in the world directly to the electronic teaching materials, exercise modules and learning platform.

Politmatinée - Political Awareness and Engagement

"Of course, we demand a pronounced degree of personal responsibility from our learners," explains Matthias Rüegg, Director of Juventus Schools. In general education classes, the students have been working intensively with dedicated teachers on issues of democracy and political participation. In the second Politmatinée, they had the unique opportunity to put Swiss politicians on the spot with the claim, "Are politics letting our young people down?" For just under two hours, the politicians faced critical questions. In the arena were Paul Rechsteiner (SP), Claudio Zanetti (SVP), Hans-Peter Portmann (FDP), Barbara Schmid-Federer (CVP), Sibel Arslan (GPS), Markus Bischoff (AL) and Heinz Pantli as the original liberal voice of the New Helvetic Society. "Political debate is important to us because it strengthens the democratic coexistence of the generations," as Matthias Rüegg clarifies. "Young people should learn that they are a part of our political landscape, in which they should become active themselves after the training period." Indeed, the school on Europaallee accompanies around 2,000 learners each year in their education and training. Since its foundation, Juventus Schools has already trained tens of thousands of learners, and that is indeed a good reason to celebrate.

More information

Falling debtor risks and no fear of Brexit: this is how positively Swiss SMEs view the near future. Swiss companies are also well ahead of the rest of Europe in terms of risk mitigation: more than half of all Swiss companies surveyed (55 percent) say they use some form of credit assessment - compared with only one in four companies in the rest of Europe that resort to this hedging tool. These are - in brief - the key findings of Intrum's European Payment Report, which describes the impact of late payments on the development and growth of European companies.

Financial shortages, carelessness and intent - as reasons for late payment.

The Swiss companies surveyed still see financial difficulties as the main reason for late payment by their customers (81%, -4%), but carelessness or general administrative challenges have again increased as a risk factor since last year: by 4 to 74%. Companies also continue to see deliberate delay as one of the main reasons for unpunctual payment (68%, +/-0%). When it comes to payment, Swiss companies have tended to catch up with the European average - after an upswing in the previous year. Last year, Switzerland had paid even faster than the EU average with comparatively long average payment periods. However, both values have now risen again compared with the previous year - in other words, Swiss companies are granting longer payment periods and are actually also being paid more slowly again.

Liquidity, losses and high interest costs - as risks after late payment

One in three companies is facing liquidity bottlenecks due to late payment of receivables, and a quarter of the companies surveyed in Switzerland say they will have to accept a drop in sales. And while the fear of higher interest costs has almost doubled, one in five companies continues to fear weaker growth as well.

Swiss SMEs are more optimistic about the coming year

One in five SMEs in this country expects their customers to pay with better payment behavior in the next twelve months than at the time of the survey. This is an optimistic view shared by only one in ten companies in our neighboring European countries - half as many as in Switzerland. 7 out of 10 of the Swiss companies surveyed have already accepted payment terms that were longer than they would have liked. The public sector in particular seems to have increasingly asked for longer payment periods over the past year (27%, +8%) and, according to the study, received them (29%, +9%). "Late payment and non-payment lead to a negative spiral - sales losses, liquidity bottlenecks and thus growth blockades can be the result. Especially for SMEs - the backbone of our economy - which are hit hardest. This is where Intrum comes in and supports the willingness of consumers to pay SMEs," says Thomas Hutter, Managing Director Intrum AG. Companies still try to protect themselves from these increasing risks of late payments and defaults mainly through credit checks and debt collection measures.

And the European GDPR?

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) represents the most important change in data protection regulations in the past 20 years and aims to harmonize data protection laws in Europe. In Switzerland, the responsible committee of the National Council has split the total revision of Swiss data protection rules in two. Against this background, it is understandable that only 8% of the companies surveyed in this country see any impact at all on payment processes. Companies in this country also see both the impact on their business as very low - both the rather positive impact (4%) and the rather negative impact (6%).

The Weakening EU and Brexit - Impact on Swiss SMEs

Most Swiss companies are relaxed about the challenges in the EU. However, almost one in eight companies (13%) still sees a weakening EU as an opportunity rather than a threat - and is thus right at the front of the pack in a European comparison (5%), directly behind the UK (25%).

Source: Intrum AG

As a part-time employee, do I have to arrange my own occupational benefits?

As a part-time employee, it is important to always keep an eye on your overall pension provision in general. Because depending on how much you work and where, large gaps can arise.
This is especially true for occupational pension plans. Because if someone has several jobs, then a distinction is made between main and sideline employment. And the sideline does not have to be insured in the pension fund. This is a disadvantage for the employee.

What is my main job, what is my secondary job?

The difference between main and secondary employment is not always clear. A higher workload does not automatically mean that this is the main occupation. The decision here is made by the AHV based on various factors. One thing is clear: Secondary employment is not subject to BVG, which means that income from secondary employment does not have to be insured in the pension fund.

Those who are employed by several employers on a small scale must be careful. It is possible that the individual salary is below the BVG entry threshold of around CHF 21,000 and is not insured. This person then has no occupational pension at all.

Why does it make a difference for my occupational pension plan whether I work part-time or full-time?

The main issue here is the so-called coordination deduction in accordance with the BVG compulsory scheme. This is a fixed amount that the pension fund deducts from your salary, what remains is insured. This amount remains the same whether you work 40% or 100%. If you have two or more part-time jobs and therefore two or more pension funds, the coordination deduction is subtracted from your salary each time. This means that you have a smaller insured salary overall, and you and your employer pay fewer contributions. For many part-time employees, this means that they suffer large losses in their pensions.

How can I respond to these disadvantages in the 2nd pillar if I work part-time?

There are options, but you have to take them yourself:

1. Ask your employer to adjust the coordination deduction at the pension fund to your degree of employment.
   In principle, many pension funds offer the option of adjusting the coordination deduction to the degree of employment - also the pension fund pro. The adjustment must apply in each case to all part-time employees in the same line of business (e.g., all in the office or all in production). Some employers do not make the adjustment automatically because they have to pay fewer contributions that way: If the insured wage is lower, this also costs the employer less in contributions. Others, however, take their social responsibility seriously when they are made aware of it. There are also employees who explicitly do not want the coordination deduction to be adjusted because they depend on having a few francs more on their salary account at the end of the month.
2. If you have several part-time jobs: Try to insure your salary cumulatively with a single pension fund.
   Ask your pension fund whether it is possible for you to have your entire salary insured. This will prevent a double or triple coordination deduction on your insured salary.
3. Insure your salary yourself with the Stiftung Auffangeinrichtung.
   Many people are not aware of this possibility: If you have a second job and your earnings are not insured with any pension fund (e.g. because they are also below the entry threshold), you can apply to the Foundation reception facility be insured. Your employer must also contribute at least 50% to the cost of contributions.

Do you have any further questions about your occupational pension plan? Our pension specialists gladly advise you.

In many people's minds, an old myth persists, namely that selling is something that (a) we have no talent for, (b) is somewhat disreputable, or (c) we don't need. Some also believe all of these at the same time. I had discussed the topic of (a) talent in the last impulse for success refuted (as one of the five most obstructive beliefs for success). The point (c) usually testifies to arrogance and point (b) often to a lack of self-confidence.

I'll give you the key reason here why the ability to sell is so critical to your success: Only those who have to sell learn to convince. Because you can only sell something (ethically correct) if you offer added value to others, objectively and subjectively.

Convince - the most difficult thing in life

I can tell you this from my own experience: after almost 20 years as an "employee" in large companies, as the owner of my own company I had to learn to convince customers of the value of my services. And I tell you: this is the most difficult thing in professional life! Not because there is no clear benefit, but because potential customers do not see it if it is not explained to them in an emotionally convincing way.

Imagine that EVERYONE in your company would have to sell something starting tomorrow. Everyone would have to have an online store where he or she offers his or her services. In doing so, they would then have to explain why someone else should "buy" their idea, plan or work.

Three tips to learn to sell

Let's get "real"! Here are three concrete ideas to get your team producing real value for others (instead of just processing tasks):

1. Knowledge. Train every member of your organization to understand that a service only makes sense if there are recipients for it. These alone judge the benefit and "price" of the service. A great many processes and projects would be discontinued immediately if this principle were applied consistently.
2. Lead. As a manager, you make it a habit to ask your people about the value of their work to internal and external customers. What price would they pay for it? This question is unusual for most people, but it encourages them to think about the added value of their own work.
3. Learning. Set up learning platforms with the best books, audio courses, and video trainings on selling and persuading. This will incidentally boost your team's self-confidence (an extremely important issue for most companies).

These are just three of many ideas on how to make your team and your company more "salesy" in a positive sense, namely to focus on persuasiveness and customer value. And I'll let you in on another secret: When you start to see selling in this light, it becomes really fun, especially for those who supposedly have no "talent" for selling.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

Switzerland RepTrak, produced by the Reputation Institute, is the largest reputation survey conducted in Switzerland. In over 5,500 interviews over the past few months, Swiss people were asked about their attitudes towards selected SMI companies. The overall assessment is based on the general public's "emotional bond" with the company, which can be expressed in terms of "extent of trust," "admiration," "appreciation" and a "generally good feeling.

Reputation increased overall

In 2018, almost all of the companies surveyed (97%) suffered a decline in their reputation scores. For Switzerland, on the other hand, Reputation Institute notes an upward trend over the last five years. Apparently, respondents continue to place their trust in companies in Switzerland, even in a world that is becoming increasingly difficult to predict.

According to this year's survey, new recipes are needed to build and strengthen reputation. Mere brand awareness is no longer enough; quality and depth in customer relationships are needed. Companiesmen must create engagement with their target groups and a broad understanding of their role in society - and communicate this as far as possible via all available channels.

The 2018 Reputation Ranking of SMI Companies

The first-place companies, Geberit and Swatch Group, have a RepTrak Pulse of over 70 points, which is considered "strong." The third place on the podium goes to Richemont, with 69.7 points. The ranking in detail:

1. Geberit (76.2)
2. Swatch Group (75.6)
3. Richemont (69.7)
4. Swiss Re (69.0)
5. Swisscom (66.5)
6. Givaudan (65.7)
7. Roche (65.3)
8. ABB (64.5)
9. Sika (64.3)
10. SGS (64.3)
11. Swiss Life (63.2)
12. Zurich Insurance (60.9)
13. Nestlé (60.6)
14. Julius Baer (56.1)
15. Adecco (55.5)
16. Lonza (55.2)
17. Novartis (54.6)
18. Credit Suisse (52.2)
19. LafargeHolcim (50.2)
20. UBS (48.9)

Technology sector makes biggest leap forward

Across all industries, "Technology" shows the best score in 2018, 10.3 points above the Swiss average. Compared to last year, the techsector also made the biggest leap forward (2017: rank 7). The sector is apparently positioning itself successfully as an innovation driver for digitization and is consolidating its communication activities more and more effectively. The Consumer and Food & Beverage sectors follow in second and third place.

It is striking that there are sectors in which the difference between the companies is very large or very small. For example, both industry and retail show a gap of over 31 points between the highest and lowest scores. This is an indicator of how much upward potential the companies at the bottom of the rankings have. - but also how much the leaders can lose. In the pharmaceuticals and services sectors, on the other hand, the companies are closer together - a clear indication of having to think "out of the box" to stand out from the competition.

The depth and quality of relationships is crucial

However, the most relevant difference for communication is found in the comparison of customers versus non-customers. Existing customers give significantly better ratings than non-customers (75.2 points vs. 61.6 points). This leads to the conclusion that the depth and quality of the relationship, the so-called familiarity with the company, has the greatest relevance for reputation. The better the respective stakeholders know a company, the better they perform in terms of reputation scores. - up to 19 points better. In terms of content, therefore, companies must communicate more and better around the question "Who am I?" than around the product ("What do I sell?"). It also shows that there is no correlation between awareness and reputation alone. It is true that a high level of familiarity leads to a more robust reputation and thus smaller reputational risks. However, the key insight is that companies need to work on familiarity with their target groups and intensify engagement with their stakeholders if they want to gain reputation.

CEO and management have ever greater influence on reputation

Companies need to make sure they are getting the right content out there. According to the Reputation Institute, the strongest content reputation drivers in Switzerland across all industries and regions are "Products/Services" with 21% (the products meet genuine customer needs, are of high quality and are available at a reasonable price), "Governance" with 17% (the company acts ethically, fairly and transparently) and "Citizenship" with 16.4% (the company makes a positive impact on society). Thus, "Citizenship" overtook "Governance" within the top 3. Leadership" appears for the first time as the fourth most influential driver (12.8%), a trend that can be observed globally: CEOs and management have an ever greater influence on reputation as a whole. The number 4 from the previous year, "Workplace", is now in last place with 10.7%.

Multi-channel strategy leads to domino effect

In addition to content, the channel strategy and the corresponding budget allocation have a major influence on reputation. A multi-channel strategy, i.e., the use of all channels - Paid, Earned, Owned and Direct - can account for up to 20.8 points in the reputation measurement. Companies that reach their stakeholders via all four channels are therefore rated 20.8 points better on average.

In today's multi-channel world, it is also crucial to take advantage of the domino effect of the multi-channel strategy. The use of channels must be coordinated and strategically planned. For Switzerland, it can be seen that the owned channels (owned media) have the greatest impact. The paid media channels with the greatest reach should therefore be used to direct stakeholders to the company's own channels. These, in turn, should emphasize the most relevant core messages so that these are picked up by the paid channels.

Source and information

IT vulnerability management is one of the most important topics in IT security. Reports of damaging attacks on companies are increasing dramatically. No industry is spared, supposedly well-protected companies are hit just as hard as small businesses, and the waves of attacks do not seem to be abating.

What is a cyberattack and how does it work?

A cyberattack is a targeted electronic attack, exclusively in virtual cyberspace, which takes place via a network connection. As a rule, an attack is directed against individual computers or entire IT systems. The attackers' goal is usually to make money. How big the company is does not matter.

There are several types of cyberattacks. Recently, there has been an increase in the use of ransomware. These malicious codes enter systems via contaminated links or security holes. Once the malware has entered, it encrypts all existing files and the cybercriminals can extort a ransom, hence the name.

How can you minimize the risk of a successful attack?

"In recent years, we increasingly noticed that small businesses were not aware of the threat of cybercrime. They often thought they were too small to be attacked anyway, until there was a rude awakening," says Pascal Mittner, CEO of First Security Technology. This company offers a comprehensive vulnerability solution for medium and larger enterprises. Through its optimized FS Cyber Control solution, the Swiss company aims to meet the needs of small businesses with 10 to 50 employees, which usually have a smaller budget and knowledge for IT security.

With FS Cyber Control, the IT infrastructure is protected from unauthorized access by identifying and collecting IT vulnerabilities. The audit of the internal IT network and external access from the Internet is carried out regularly, comprehensively and fully automatically. The resulting reports are easy to understand for all recipients, regardless of business level and IT knowledge, so that the right measures can be taken quickly to minimize risks.

More info: www.first-security.com.

The transformation from an employer market to a candidate market, new platforms, the way new employees are recruited and retained, or the prevailing shortage of skilled workers are all challenging Swiss companies and their HR departments. This also includes new technologies such as artificial intelligence, chatbots or augmented reality. In order to survive in this fast-moving environment, organizations must constantly realign themselves and at the same time integrate innovation, creativity and the courage to do the unusual into everyday HR.

Recognize forward-looking HR projects

Against this backdrop, HR experts from Deloitte Switzerland, SAP Switzerland, NZZ and the University of St. Gallen, are launching an award for innovative HR projects and initiatives in Switzerland. Its primary goal: to identify and spotlight individuals and teams who are pioneering new and creative HR projects, and to promote exchange among HR professionals. The means to this end: the inHR Awards ("innovative HR"), which will be presented once a year in the future for outstanding HR achievements. "With the inHR award, we want to give a face to the working world of tomorrow and, above all, a platform to the creative and innovative people who are doing pioneering work in the HR sector. Because there are many of them! But this requires a new definition of what it means to shape the future of work. Some, but not all, companies are already addressing the challenges and opportunities that the working world of tomorrow holds. It is important to recognize these forward-looking initiatives in this context," says Matthias Thalmann, Partner in Human Capital Consulting, Deloitte Switzerland. And Enrico Palumbo, HR Director and Member of the Executive Board, SAP (Switzerland) AG, adds: "The current developments are exciting and challenging: digitization is not only changing business models and processes, but is also having an impact on how we understand leadership and what employees expect from talent management. Those who make a difference here with fresh ideas and new approaches deserve to be in the spotlight."

Three categories

The inHR awards are presented in three categories:

• Talent, Diversity & Inclusion honors ideas, measures and projects for future-oriented talent management,
• New work distinguishes practices, processes, and programs that reshape work, the work environment, and collaboration,
• HR (R)Evolution distinguishes approaches and initiatives that expand and redefine the role and self-image of human resources.

Prof. Dr. Antoinette Weibel, Director at the Research Institute for Work and Working Environments, University of St. Gallen expresses the following about the motives of the new award: "We want to honor the everyday HR heroes. HR teams that have the courage to push open the door to the future of work. Whether they are driving inclusion, supporting agile working or cutting the old braids of an industrialized HR programmatic. Above all, we are looking for HR teams that boldly rethink HR management, because we are convinced that Resourceful Humans need the right framework to flourish."

Expert knowledge from consulting, technology, research and communication

A jury judges the projects entered according to four criteria. In addition to the degree of innovation of a submitted project, its benefits for the organization and its relevance for wider circles are assessed on the one hand, and its concrete implementation and accompanying accompanying measures on the other. The description and presentation of the entered project form the fourth criterion. The jury consists of the circle of initiators. Thus, expert knowledge from consulting, technology, research and communication is represented in the jury. Petra Feigl-Fässler, Head of HR and Member of the Executive Board, NZZ Media Group: "We need confident HR teams that use innovative and effective approaches to help shape the working environment in their companies in such a way that employees and organizations face change positively, meet requirements and can develop their full potential. The inHR award will recognize these teams while providing a platform for other HR teams to learn and develop ideas."

Application deadline until July 31, 2018 - Award ceremony in October

HR projects from companies and organizations based in Switzerland are eligible for the competition. The application period runs from now until July 31, 2018. Application forms and further information about the inHR award are available at www.inhraward.ch. The inHR awards ceremony will take place on October 25, 2018 in Zurich. In addition to the award ceremony, the event will focus on networking among guests and learning from each other. The prizes awaiting the winning teams are also in this spirit. In addition to a joint impulse day for exchanges with topic experts, each winning team will receive a customized design thinking workshop to discuss organization-specific challenges and issues.

Source: Deloitte

Employees play a central role in IT security: they must not click on links indiscriminately, they must come up with strong passwords and memorize them, they must recognize phishing e-mails, they must not log on to dubious WLAN hotspots, and if they allow their smartphone with company data to be stolen, they may endanger the existence of their company. In short, corporate end users are a risk factor, and it would be best if only trained security experts were allowed to do the job.

Employees overburdened when it comes to IT security

"An employee simply wants to do his work as quickly and conveniently as possible. Whether that is then always security-compliant remains to be seen," explains Günter Junk, CEO of Virtual Solution AG in Munich, an internationally active security specialist. The company develops and sells the SecurePIM application and the SERA framework for iOS and Android devices. "But it's not the employee who should worry about that, it's the company." In fact, employees are now hopelessly overwhelmed with their role in IT security, even more so with the proliferation of mobile systems that often operate in insecure environments. At the same time, users are faced with cyber criminals who have almost limitless resources, great know-how and now years of experience.

Needs of the end user come up short

"When responsibility for IT security is shifted to the employee, the balance is no longer right," Junk continued. "Instead, companies need to provide their employees with tools that they can work with comfortably while still being secure and privacy-compliant. However, we are still a long way from that." Employees need tools for their work that they can't do anything wrong with under normal circumstances. Otherwise, Junk believes, they should not be blamed if something goes wrong. Companies usually focus on functionality and cost when making IT decisions, while the needs of their end users fall short. Even supposedly secure
Solutions ultimately do not bring security if their usability is so poor that when users want to do their jobs effectively, they try to bypass them and write down passwords on pieces of paper, for example.

User-friendly solutions instead of user bashing

"Security experts in particular like to rant about the 'human risk' and paint the shortcomings of users in all colors," Junk says. "This user bashing is very convenient and saves thinking about solutions that finally take the responsibility away from the employee effectively. Security and usability must be united. Working with secure tools must also be fun and convenient, otherwise security will ultimately fall by the wayside as well," concludes Günter Junk.

More information: www.virtual-solution.com

The fact that the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) will come into force on May 25, 2018 and that preparations must be made in companies has been on everyone's lips for weeks. The most important points of the GDPR as well as the upcoming changes regarding data protection, which the regulation brings with it, should have been understood and registered by now. On the central concept of user consent, Ekaterina Tyurina from Tradelab in the following interview and recalls in which respects the EU GDPR has an impact on digital marketing and adtech.

What length of time do you recommend ad tech players conserve personal data collected on behalf of advertisers?

Ekaterina Tyurina: The law does not prescribe a period of time, but nevertheless enforces that the storage of personal data must be limited to a strict minimum, with respect to the data processing intentions defined by the company. In short, in fact, each company itself must take the responsibility to define and justify the period of data processing. I am in favor of an automatic data erasure routine. In our company, Tradelab, we limit data preservation to six months.

Are you afraid that many users do not want to disclose their personal data and thus do not give consent to data processing?

It's our job to be transparent and, accordingly, honest with users. We must give them the opportunity to choose the data they share. Ever heard of the term "sensitive data"? That's personal data that needs to be protected even more than others. This includes religious and political views, sexual orientation, or health. These characteristics can lead to social discrimination. The GDPR introduces such differentiation between sensitive data and personal data, which could be an opportunity to protect users' privacy without degrading the user experience. So, personally, I'm not afraid of opt-outs. I'm much more confident that a balance will be struck between users and advertisers.

Digital advertising without cookies or data processing: Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible. However, the quality of advertising and the level of personalization are much lower. An alternative that does not collect user IDs is the "DoubleClick for Publishers" initiative. In this case, however, the user is shown advertising that no longer has much to do with his personal interest. Conclusion: Without cookies, the user experience is damaged.

Is the GDPR useful or harmful for the digital world?

I definitely feel it is important. The digital area is regulated EU-wide, especially with regard to data protection, and you no longer have to think back and forth between different national regulations. The rules of the game for the digital sphere are now uniform and clear, and everyone has to make the best of it.

Do you have one last tip before the General Data Protection Regulation comes into force?

The most important thing as a digital advertising player is to be transparent with the user. Privacy must be respected, but I believe that many Internet users will give their consent to the processing of personal data if you are honest and explain to them what the data will be used for. It is also important to let them know that their consent can be revoked at any time. If you act transparently at this point, it may well lead to digital advertising acceptance on the part of the user.

In the face of digitization, more and more SMEs are throwing a lot of money at it: kick-off events with great speeches and presentations but no real content, innovation days with all the hoopla, visits to Silicon Valley ... The range of ideas on how SMEs want to successfully tackle digitization is wide. In the end, however, the same thing almost always happens: no one really makes any decisions for all the events and pleasant talk without a goal. Responsibility for digitizing the company continues to move from department to department, from executive to executive, like a misdirected package without a return slip. Or everyone is responsible for it and, as a consequence, no one is.

That's because SMEs often focus their well-intentioned digitization efforts on their executives, whose work, however, is traditionally designed for effectiveness. And in the end, the company is surprised when the digital plan goes awry.

I'm not saying that you as an SME should completely abandon the idea of digitization - absolutely not, you can't go that far. The only question is: Where do you really need to start?

With a new start

In my opinion, the great opportunity of digitization is not to make your management more effective. What digitization can do, on the other hand, is increase efficiency in your company. From this perspective, you can also see that management is the wrong place to start. Because efficient work is the domain of management.

Your managers are the ones who install processes, develop key figures, manage and control processes. Management is the Definition of planning, organizing and controlling a system. Always with the noble goal of efficiency. And yes, you can very well digitize this work.

Because managers work at system and maintain it. In a digital future, this activity can certainly be performed more quickly by a program or software - without lengthy meetings and with real transparency about figures, targets and so on, simply at the push of a button. That's why I think: Yes, you can digitize your managers - but not your executives.

The human being in leadership

Of course, numbers and processes also form the basis of managers' work, but they do not reflect the purpose of good management work. Managers work at system. That's why leadership in the digital age means more than ever taking a serious interest in people and working with them in a goal-oriented way.

At the threshold of digital transformation, executives have the task of creating the space for the new development. Only people can meet this challenge. No computer or robot can reliably assess which strengths your employees bring to the table, where they can optimally contribute them, or where further development is still necessary. No software can convince your team to implement changes or expand their skills.

That's why I don't want digital leadership for SMEs, and I certainly don't want CDOs and the like. Instead, I want highly human managers who lead their people through change in a goal-oriented manner. And then we can dispense with the managers and "digitalize" them away.

About the author: Antje Bach is the owner of the management consultancy lead to Performance AG.
"Welcome, dear problem!" - Antje Bach goes through life with this conviction. The author and coach likes to put her finger in the wound - hard, but equally honest and empathetic. She is convinced that every private or professional development begins with an obstacle. So it's all the nicer that people don't have to change. They are allowed to complement each other.

www.antjebach.de

Experts get company succession off to a flying startThe second stop on this unique tour will be in Zurich on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The succession bus will stop at the Kunsthaus, Heimplatz 1, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For one day, entrepreneurs and potential buyers will have the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information about business succession. The initiator of the "Succession Bus" is Carla Kaufmann, owner of Companymarket AG and succession expert.

How does a succession work? What do I have to prepare? What is the value of my company? How do I find a successor for my company? Am I a suitable successor? The 12 experts on the succession bus in Zurich are available to answer these and other "burning" questions for SME owners. This will take place in personal 1:1 conversations as well as at an information booth and at the concluding aperitif.

Short presentations and panel discussions with representatives from regional companies and politics provide current supplementary impulses.

Program successor bus Zurich 

Location: Kunsthaus Zurich, Heimplatz 1

10.00 - 16.00: free one-on-one meetings with succession experts for entrepreneurs (sellers and buyers)

2:00 p.m.: Greeting from Cantonal Government Councillor Carmen Walker Späh

14.15 h: Panel: Company succession in the family. 5 questions from succession expert Richard Jauch (KMU Diamant AG) to: Natalie Spross Döbeli (CEO Spross Holding AG) and Franziska Müller Tiberini (Owner Family business.ch AG)

from 15.00: Table fair: Experts are available to talk and answer questions:

• Financing: How do I value my company? What is the relationship between business valuation and real estate? ...
• Family business: How do I avoid conflicts in the family during succession? - What does a "fair" distribution in the family mean? ...
• Selling a company:Is every company for sale? - How does a sales process work? - Do I need help? - Who can accompany me? ...
• Buying a company:How to "mutate" from a manager to a successor? - How to professionally search for companies to buy? ...

17.00: Speeches: Company succession - the deindustrialization of Switzerland due to unresolved successions

• Reto Rüttimann - Head of SME Corporate Succession, Zürcher Kantonalbank
• Hans-Ulrich Bigler - President of the Swiss Trade Association and National Councillor

5:30 p.m: Panel: Company succession in practice - wishful thinking and reality with Reto Rüttimann, Hans-Ulrich Bigler, Yves Süess (Partner Businesstransaction AG), Hans-Peter Ruepp (Owner Ruepp & Partner AG), Dr. Jean-Luc Cornaz (Owner Citecs AG)

from 18.30: Apéro

More information and tour dates: www.nachfolgebus.ch

Peter Merz, you are currently training to become a transformation coach at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). Why?

Peter Merz: Everyone is talking about digitization. But how do companies manage the digital transformation? A group of Swiss Microsoft partners has tackled this question. Together with the FHNW, the initiators developed a methodology that enables SMEs to develop their own digital strategy. The participating IT solution partners therefore launched the cooperation "dig:it now" (www.digitnow.ch).

What exactly is this cooperation about?

With a simple methodology, we give our existing and potential customers the confidence to start the necessary digitization of their processes. On a personal level, I would like to contribute my many years of experience in management positions in companies. In addition, I started my professional career in consulting.

What do you mean specifically by supporting digitization processes?

In fact, the first step is to look at an organization as holistically as possible. The procedure supports the definition of focal points so that we can proceed in a targeted manner. As soon as these goals have been defined, implementation begins. IT plays an important role in this, although it is only ever a means to an end.

What are the primary topics covered?

The methodology provides for the creation of a digital roadmap for companies in three phases. At the first one-day workshop, we therefore pursue two goals:

• First, raising awareness and inspiring a company's cadre to open up to digital opportunities.
• Secondly, a maturity and motivation analysis of the company. This analysis includes the entire organization: marketing, sales, production, finance, IT and other areas.

From this, we derive focus areas. These are then explored in greater depth in a second workshop, which lasts two to five days. In this workshop, we develop the plan of action for the digital transformation.

• Thirdly, it is about the actual transformation, i.e. the concrete implementation of the roadmap.

What benefits does the training bring to your customers?

Digitalization means a change in processes. As an IT service provider in the areas of SAP/ERP and product development (PDM/PLM), we have always worked together with our customers to optimize processes. By training as a Transformation Coach, I hope that we will be able to identify new focus topics in a scientifically sound manner that will create added value for customers.

Will you now conduct workshops for customers and advise them?

That is the intention. We are holding four free impulse workshops in Oftringen this year, open to customers and other interested parties: on June 6, August 22, September 26 and November 14. During two hours, participants will learn what the driving forces of change are, which methods are applied and how they enable barriers to be overcome. Registration is done through the website www.gia.ch/events.

What further steps is GIA planning in connection with digital transformation and "dig:it now"?

We make our contribution to the expansion of the "dig:it now" network. In particular, this includes recognizing our own opportunities. As already mentioned, digitization projects encompass far more than just IT. GIA will by no means cover everything. However, a wide range of competencies are available in the network. We will use these in a targeted manner and offer our customers the best possible service.

More information: www.digitnow.ch, www.gia.ch