HR Report 2010/2011 - Deutsche Telekom AG

Abbreviations and key HR terms.

The Great Experience 11 Employees join in for a new Telekom. The new corporate culture at Telekom includes the cross-generation reverse mentoring program. For example, young colleagues who are Internet and social media savvy train Group executives in the function, rationalities and business advan- tages of Web 2.0. One thing is certain, they can be sure of support from René Obermann, seen here with Susann Terheggen. The Telekom CEO is convinced that Web 2.0 is crucial for the Group’s future. René Obermann also sees social networks playing an important role within the company. The object is for them to help drive the company’s transformation to Enterprise 2.0 with lean hierarchies and globally networked, high- speed communication channels. To this end, Obermann is setting up a MyWiki for his Board department here (MyWiki: see “Telekom in dialog,” pages 16/17). Normally, anyone with a three-year-old child is simply too tired for new ideas. This is not the case for Liane Breuer and Carsten Griebert, whose idea engines never seem to falter. In the past ten years, the couple has submitted 229 suggestions to Telekom’s ideas management. In reward for showing such initiative, they have been awarded 40 cash prizes and almost as many rewards in kind. They both work at the Business Custom- ers Contact Center in Berlin and simply keep their eyes open for (almost) anything that is not running smoothly: “Problems can often be resolved without a great deal of effort,” Carsten Griebert states. “They often involve blank forms, which are relatively easy to improve.” The call-back form, for example: thanks to Breuer/Griebert, anyone who visits Telekom’s Internet site can now leave a call-back request. Usually, their ideas come spontaneously. Liane Breuer comments: “Of course we don’t spend our evenings sitting around the kitchen table, brood- ing over new ideas.” Their sources lie elsewhere. Sometimes a customer makes a suggestion during a conversation; sometimes Breuer and Griebert are simply tired of getting annoyed at specific internal processes. “Then we discuss the matter briefly and submit a suggestion,” Liane Breuer says. They still haven’t had the best idea of all: “We would love to come up with a plan for automating our household.” Over 900patents submitted in 2010. Over 10,000suggestions for improvement. Savings of some EUR 136 millionachieved. Learning back to front: Reverse mentoring for Enterprise 2.0. genial@telekom: Modern ideas management on the advance.