Results of the customer survey

The results were surprising. Eight different customer segments with special characteristics were identified in the prioritized market segments. Each customer segment has specific expectations of the product and service portfolio, time-critical processes, price conditions, tolerance for deviations in the case of free services, relationship management as well as brand and image. After presenting the results, it quickly became clear what potential there was and how it could be used by the company.

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On April 23, 2015, the Robert Bosch Stiftung welcomed the seven-man delegation of our Chinese cooperation partner Shanghai Pudong Institute of Education Development (PIED) in Berlin. The PIED is responsible for the further training of over 16,000 teachers in the district Pudong, Shanghai. The meeting aimed at gaining insights into the German teacher training system presented by the Secretary-General of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, Mr. Udo Michallik. A further goal of the meeting was to learn more about the German School Award that has been created by the Robert Bosch Stiftung in 2006.

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Our cooperation with the PIED

Since April 2012, transformis® has been cooperating with the PIED in an innovative project pursuing the objective to develop a joint platform for an international exchange in the education sector. PIED, established in October 2004, is the first regional research and training institute for pedagogues in China (see “Cooperation with Shanghai Pudong Institute of Education Development (PIED)” and “First pilot project started: E-learning platform in China.”).

Since the opening of our rep. office in Shanghai on May 1, 2011, becoming the subsidiary “transformis® International Consulting” in 2013, we continuously strengthened our presence in the growth market of China. Our international team is involved in diverse projects especially focusing on the initial and continuous training of Chinese teachers.

Aiming at improving the quality of teaching, promoting the dissemination of new technological teaching methods and the implementation of international exchange projects, transformis® organized an educational trip for the Chinese delegation of the institute to Germany. A further purpose of the trip was to establish relevant contacts and to gain additional insights into the German school system.

Presentation on teacher training in Germany

Udo Michallik, the former State Secretary under the minister Henry Tesch in the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (2006 to 2011), has been the Secretary-General of the Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs since October 2011.

Mr. Michallik presented the training levels of the teacher education in Germany to the Chinese delegation. Background: The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs deals with “matters of education policy, higher education and research policy as well as cultural policy of interregional significance for the purpose of creating a common opinion and will and representing common interests”.

One of the primary responsibilities of the Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs is to ensure the highest possible degree of mobility, parity of living conditions, and to represent common interests of the Länder in the area of culture for learners, students, teachers and those involved in further education through consensus and cooperation throughout Germany.

This responsibility includes the following tasks: agree upon consistency and comparability of certificates and qualifications, ensure quality standards in schools, vocational training and university and promote the cooperation of institutes of education, science and culture.

The German School Academy

The German School Academy is a nationwide operating and independent institution for school development and further training for teachers headed by Mr. Rösch. The goal of the academy is to disseminate the models for outstanding school practice in schools based on the 10-year old German School Award. Bearing the motto “Give Wings to Learning”, the German School Award was introduced by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Heidehof Stiftung in 2006 in cooperation with the magazine Stern and the TV broadcaster ARD.

In order to transfer the effectiveness of their concepts and ideas to other schools, they need public attention and recognition. Therefore, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Heidehof Stiftung created the “The German School Award“ in 2006. The award honors educational performance that contributes to the overall development of German schools.

By awarding outstanding schools taking into consideration both, their approach and the results, the German School Award promotes successful practices and the willingness for innovation of schools in Germany. Further information: http://schulpreis.bosch-stiftung.de

transformis® activities in China

In spring 2013, we started our cooperation with the East China Normal University (ECNU). Together with the ECNU, transformis® founded the “ECNU-S&P Research Center for ICT-Enabled Systemic Changes and Innovations“ in Shanghai. Further information: transformis® supports Initiative of Chinese Government.

The establishment of the ECNU-S&P Research Center aimed at developing and validating appropriate concepts, models, methods and tools to effectively utilize modern information and communication technologies (ICT) within organizational change processes in the school sector. In particular, the research focuses on what change impulses can be generated with the ICT to initiate cultural changes in the education sector, but also in sectors like economy and health care. In the next step, PERFORMANCE SIMULATORS® as ICT for competence assessment and development will be produced to significantly increase the qualifications of teachers.

Learn more about our international activities

Intresting Links

• Appointment as a Guest Professor in Shanghai
• Lecture at ECNU: Systems and their Relevant Environments
• Cooperation with Shanghai Pudong Institute of Education Development (PIED)
• First pilot project started: E-learning platform in China

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Chinese Educational Experts in Hamburg

As part of this project, transformis® invited the Chinese PIED experts for school and teaching development to Hamburg on April 21, 2015. Together with the Leadership Foundation for Professional Education and Global Learning, a 1-day workshop was organized for the intercultural exchange between Asian and European pedagogues.

Changed Requirements for the School as Institution

The workshop focused on the changed requirements for the school as an institution and teaching in the information- and knowledge-based society. The change induced by both globalization and rapid technological development has become the norm. The availability of information is constantly increasing. At the same time, the half-life of knowledge declines. Young people and organizations are expected to keep the learnings up to date and to further develop skills. Competences to obtain and evaluate knowledge and to establish an interdisciplinary thinking become essential. A one-way knowledge transfer in teaching has to be expanded or even replaced by a resource-oriented education of interdisciplinary key competences for a life-long learning.

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The experts for school and teaching development are aware of this challenge and the necessity for change in educational systems, both in Europe and Asia. During the workshop, the question how to initiate and implement such changes in a systemically relevant way generated an intense debate. Targeted changes in teaching require an altered self-image of the school as an institution as well as an altered self-image of teachers.

Induce Changes with the PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR®

This lengthy process is supported by Prof. Dr. Wilfried Schley from the Leadership Foundation for Professional Education and Global Learning who has been accompanying the project in the German-speaking area as a systemic consultant and with empirical studies since years.

An innovative tool to sensitize teachers and schools for the necessary changes and inhibiting factors are the simulations of the PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR®, which have also been implemented within a pilot project at the PIED last year.

In the second half of the workshop, the participants discussed in groups and in activating settings about the simulations and their relevance and impact on the educational practice. Special emphasis was given to the cultural and socioeconomic differences between China and Europe, respectively Germany. Apart from the content-related discussion, Prof. Dr. Wilfried Schley demonstrated the importance of moderation for the methodical use of the simulations within innovative Blended Learning concepts.

For both parties, the intensive and successful workshop was a start for a long-term, media-supported communication between the educational experts of the institutes in Germany and China.

Learn More About our International Activities

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The students worked on the question:

Please describe an organization in the sense of the Newer System Theory and name its relevant environments as well as their mutual expectations.

It was delighting to see how dedicated the students were working on the task. During the discourse the teams worked out that it is important for an organization to identify its relevant environments and to substantiate their specific requirements and expectations. In this context it became clear which risks are associated with the selection and how organizational blindness can lead to masking out the relevant environments. Another important point was being discussed: An organization justifies its existence by providing benefits for the environment.

Organizations only have the right to exist, if they create and deliver solutions for their markets, customers, and other important stakeholders.

For observing relevant environments the demarcation between the inside and the outside plays an important role. Considering how and where the borders are demarcated the environments of the system change. The observer decides. On this account, it is important to observe the observer while he or she observes.

If organizations are not receptive to impulses from the outside, important developments cannot be perceived. Examples like Nokia, Kodak, and Agfa were made subject for discussion. During the discussion the question arose, whether the German automobile industry assimilated fundamental developments outside of their world of thought too late and will therefore lose its product leadership. The ability to obverse outside of one’s own radius of action as well as the capability to select in a way that something relevant will also be identified as such, were named as vital organizational competences.

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Because decision-making is the most important communicative event in a system it is of essence that an organization is structured in a way that relevant impulses from the outside can be fed into the communication process. It is for this reason that suitable communication platforms and routines are established to enable Foresighted Self-Renewal.

Highlight of the lecture was ultimately the presentation and reflection of the concept of Foresighted Self-Renewal which describes what organizations can do proactively to keep their competitive edge in the long-run. VARIATION, SELECTION, and RE-STABILIZATION were presented and described as essential elements of the concept. This was followed by a discussion with many good questions that showed the great interest of the students in the topic. For the Fall semester the Requirements and Challenges for International Organizations are on the agenda.

Do you want to learn more about the topic? Please fill out the following contact form to receive further information or schedule a free, personal online dialog to see our references and practical examples of our current projects.

For more information about ECNU click here.

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We thank Hanhan Jia

Ms. Jia, who will continue to provide us with advice and support on administrative issues, has over the last years earn special merits for her work at S&P. In her role as Office Manager, she oversaw the opening of our Shanghai office in 2011 and presided over its expansion in 2013. She has always shown great enthusiasm and has generated valuable benefits for both our customers and our company. With her intercultural experience, her communication skills in five languages and her determined but gentile appearance, Ms. Jia proved to be an extraordinary colleague and a respected business partner.

We thank Ms. Jia for her loyalty and commitment. For personal reasons, she has decided to scale back her career. We wish her and Mr. Zhang all the best, both personally and professionally. We also want to express our delighted to have found someone among our own colleagues to take on the challenging work in Shanghai.

Interesting articles

• Appointment as a Guest Professor in Shanghai
• Lecture During the Winter Semester 2014 at ECNU
• First lecture at ECNU in Shanghai
• First PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR® Workshop at ECNU
• First pilot project started: E-learning platform in China
• PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR®: Further pilot projects have begun

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The long-term program started in 2015 under the title “Technology Changes Teaching”. It focuses on five key-topics:

• How can digital media support students in individual self-learning processes?
• What relevance does the variety of modern information media have for school routines?
• How can information technologies be effectively applied in schools?
• How can information technologies and their application improve the learning experience of individual students?
• Which options concerning knowledge-checks and performance measurements do modern Learning Management Systems and E-Learning Tools offer?

transformis® is proud to support this demanding program with its purpose built PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR®. Since 2013 we run the “ECNU-S&P Research Center for ICT-Enabled Systemic Changes and Innovations“ in Shanghai, in cooperation with the East China Normal University (ECNU) – a first-rate pedagogic university in China. The goal of the ECNU-S&P Research Center is the development and validation of appropriate concepts, models and methods in order to effectively implement modern information- and communication technologies within the framework of organizational change processes in the Chinese educational system.

The first tool to be developed, PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR® „Technology changes Teaching”, is currently being produced and will be made available for Chinese teachers throughout the country across various learning management systems as part of the reform project of the Chinese ministry of education

Making-Of

In cooperation with educational experts from ECNU, we developed critical situations for the application of information technology in the classroom, simulated them in video-based scenes and transformed them into an E-learning tool. The Chinese teachers taking part in the project will have the opportunity to study and evaluate these simulations. Neurological studies support this approach. In contrast to theoretical material, the simulated critical situations directly confront the teachers with possible opportunities and problems concerning the application of information technology in the classroom. They experience the situation as if they were actually happening. We are confident that the teachers can show a learning curve throughout the program, thereby directly contributing to the effective application of information technology in classrooms and ultimately increase sustained learning performance for students.

The program is taken up by the state and will be applied nationwide. It will function as a powerful tool to fulfill the goal of a long-term qualitative increase in the Chinese educational system.

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Focus of the lecture was an introduction into Niklas Luhmann’s understanding of living systems, and the implementation of this model in organizations.

Content of Lecture: Organizations as Living Systems

There is a difference between understanding organizations as trivial machines, or as complex, meaningful – and therefore living – systems. The idea of identifying communication as the foundation of social systems, and recognizing decisions as the most important communicative events, has been received with great interest. Organizational blindness, the self-reference of living systems, complexity reduction, organizations as communication systems, and the main insights concerning organizational challenges have been taken up and discussed intensively.

Highlight of the lecture was an assessment of the question, how organizations can run into trouble without seeing the process leading up to it. Students were asked to think of organizations, which have been successful over long periods of time, before abruptly finding themselves in a crisis. This was followed by a very interesting analysis of the causes, which led to the respective problems, and a discussion as to why companies make such massive, existence threatening miscalculations.

The lecture took place in English and was translated simultaneously into Chinese by Yiqing Zhang, employee at transformis® International Consulting. Due to the demanding content, this was highly appreciated by the students.

With an eye on the upcoming spring lecture in 2015, the winter lecture ended with an enthusiastic round of applause.

Our Activities in China: Learn More

Do you want to learn more about our recent activities and projects in China? Contact us free of charge by simply filling out the form below.
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• ECNU: First lecture by Guest Prof. Robert A. Sedlák in Shanghai

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Twelve educational experts from all over China participated in the two day workshop on the 14th and 15th of August 2014 which was about the PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR® for Applied Technology during Lessons.

The event aimed to translate the theoretical base-structure provided by the ministry for education into work streams and identify typical school-day scenes, which can be used for the production of E-Learning-tools.

Due to the goal-oriented preparation of transformis® and the twelve teachers from the ECNU, the event was a success. The workshop stimulated lively discussions between professors, experts, and teachers, which lead to productive exchanges and new targets for the program PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR®.

Subsequently to the workshop, the twelve experts were able to produce a screenplay including all necessary identified school-day scenes, which will be modified and finalized by the production team during the next step in the beginning of October. We are proud of the outcome and look forward to the presentation of an excellent training program for Chinese teachers.

The PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR® for Applied Technology during Lessons is a project which was initiated in the end of 2013 by transformis® and the East China Normal University. Its goal is to provide Chinese teachers with an efficient online training program, embedded in a modern media-platform.

The program is based on the PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR® concept, which supports the traditional training methods in an innovative way by using visual scenes and examples from typical school-days. This way, an interesting and comprehensive learning experience is created in line with our blended learning understanding.

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Learn more about our consulting topics

• Mobile Learning: Mobile Learning creates new impulses for human resource development
• Blended Consulting: effectively design consulting processes
• Innovative Customer Segmentation: Identify and understand what you customers want
• Efficacy Monitoring: Measure strategy implementation

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