Peter Proell

Vibrant, sustainable, humane, and resilient businesses matter to me.

My thinking and work are primarily inspired and strongly influenced by the schools of Mary Follet, Kurt Lewin, Douglas McGregor, Russell Ackoff, Niklas Luhmann, Niels Pfläging, and Silke Hermann. What they all have in common is the understanding of management as a discipline that I would describe in my words as integrative and collaborative management that is committed to humanity, value creation, and democratic understanding.

From 1995 to 2005, I ran an internet agency. After 2007, I came into contact with agile ways of working. This led to a departure from programming and project management in favor of education and consulting, as well as the introduction of agile frameworks. It bothered me a lot that one often comes up against the limits imposed by "conventional" management theory. That is why I have delved more deeply into the assumptions and theories underlying this conventional management, as well as into sociological foundations, behavioral research, and system theory. Understanding where and why the problem lies has been and continues to be my driving force. There must be a more meaningful, humane, and profitable way of running businesses than the one we usually follow.

It was quite amazing for me to discover that a solution had already been growing... for over 100 years already. Amazing because it has been ignored and forgotten. The exception is only a few very successful companies whose names we all know. Toyota in connection with W. Edwards Deming, Handelsbanken, dm-drogerie markt, SouthWest Airlines, Buurtzorg, Semco... just to name a few examples.

It was also quite amazing for me to discover that on a path that clearly aligns with research findings of the past 100-120 years to the present day, the questions of management and business leadership can be answered not only humanistically but also with a focus on value creation, and there are no limits to what we know as agile work. What I found particularly remarkable was the experience that agility naturally arises as a consequence based on such management theory. Humanism, value creation, stakeholder and shareholder interests, sustainability, corporate responsibility, and climate protection no longer conflict but form a meaningful whole.

So, I am grateful that in recent years, I have been able to accompany more companies in their transformation and share my knowledge in my MasterClasses. Perhaps we will work together soon?