From the Inside and the Outside: A Learning Journey to Mainstream the Digital Transformation in a Federal Enterprise

This article illustrates the continuous development of a federal enterprise, which acts within the area of its commissioning parties and political agenda setting with employees all over the world. While adhering to sectoral structures, it is essential to connect resources such as talent, expertise, and motivation to create agents of change and enable an effective internal digital transformation. Nevertheless, all employees must be given the possibility to join the digital transformation and get the support that best suits their needs. This directly adds to the digital transformation of the GIZ’s service delivery, which was mainstreamed by the implementation of the “digital by default” concept, a concept that leverages the power of digital solutions in each project to achieve its goals in a more efficient, effective, sustainable, transparent, and scalable manner. This is a challenging learning journey, which is the core of a travelling organization. The concept of the three-pillar model (Wollmann et al., Three pillars of organization and leadership in disruptive times – Navigating your company successfully through the 21st century business world. Heidelberg: Springer, 2020) highlights these considerations.