The skills shortage in SMEs is entering what may be its most dangerous phase for business growth. That sounds paradoxical. After all, only 21% of German companies currently report that a lack of skilled workers is holding back their business. In 2022, that figure was more than twice as high (KfW Research, June 2026). But the [...]
Many companies have invested in AI. However, the expected leap in productivity often fails to appear. The reason rarely lies with the technology itself. As BCG shows in a recent analysis of agentic AI, the bottleneck has shifted from technology to organizational capabilities. This is exactly where strategic workforce planning comes in. It no longer [...]
Companies in transition are facing several structural shifts at the same time. Trade and investment flows are changing, Europe is building new industrial capacity, and energy security and security of supply are becoming increasingly strategic issues. Artificial intelligence is moving beyond the software domain into manufacturing, logistics and infrastructure. At the same time, cost pressures, [...]
In the previous article “Strategy Execution: From Plan to Impact”, I showed that strategy needs different levels of steering. We distinguish between Small, Medium, and Large. Large means a fixed structure. It connects goals, KPIs, projects, and decisions. As a result, execution stays on track. But what happens when even that is not enough? Then [...]
Strategy rarely loses impact in the boardroom. It loses impact on the way into daily business. A lot happens between a decision and a result. Priorities change. Decisions are delayed. KPIs show activity but not impact. At the same time, daily operations push strategic topics aside. In our article on the Execution Gap, we explored [...]
Many companies see ESRS 2026 as a major relief. At first glance, that view makes sense. Companies may report fewer data points. They also gain more time, while the thresholds increase. However, this view is too narrow. The main question has changed. It is no longer about how much a company reports. Instead, it is about [...]
Why AI Agents Fail Not Because of Ideas, but Because of Data Quality, Governance, and Execution AI has become part of everyday business in many organisations. It supports research, writing, analysis, and communication. AI agents go a step further: they can assess information, prepare tasks, and support defined workflows. The potential is significant. However, real [...]
Many companies still treat apprenticeship recruitment as a routine HR process: […]
Many companies do not have a strategy problem. They have an execution problem. At first, this distinction may sound semantic. However, it is not. […]
AI Readiness: Why AI Agents only deliver results when backed by reliable data Data quality, data analysis, and governance are becoming critical success factors for effective AI transformation. In early May 2026, Anthropic introduced new agent templates for financial services. These support tasks such as pitch books, KYC checks, and monthly closing processes. The rationale [...]
