Digitalisierung in der Praxis – Impulse für den Mittelstand: Der erste Schritt

Digitalization hands on for SMEs

An innovative series of discussions on one of the most important challenges of the next decades: “Every company is a digital company”.
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management sheds light on why digitization is an imperative and how hands-on implementation can look like, especially in SMEs. In six interactive events, HHL professors together with experts from SME companies will discuss various aspects of digitalization. They will focus on the original expectations and then accumulated everyday experiences of the guest’s company and will form the basis for an open exchange with the audience. The format opens up the opportunity for conversations, questions and suggestions, and is thus intended to help advance the topic of “digital transformation and innovation” in one’s own company.

The first step – How to approach digitalization

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
(Laozi)

Digitalization comprises a multitude of aspects and buzzwords – technical (Big Data, MES), organizational (digital competences, agile working methods), business related (disruption of the entire business model) – the magnitude of which, especially concerning implementation, can lead to decision paralysis and thus represents a major challenge for every company. The kick-off event – organized in cooperation with “Maschinenraum”, a shared innovation ecosystem for SMEs by SMEs – attempts to solve this impediment by highlighting the example of Basalt-Actien-Gesellschaft (Basalt AG), an SME in the construction business.

The first interviewees are Dr Philipp Hoff from Basalt AG, responsible for Corporate Development & Digital, and Prof. Dr Claudia Lehman, Chair of Digital Innovation in the Service Industries at HHL, interviewed by Dana Prahl (HHL). The talk will, among others, be devoted to the following questions:
Questions asked could be for example:

• How can a first step look like?
• What challenges have arisen after the project started?
• At what point on its journey is Basalt AG?
• How can you translate Basalt AG’s experiences into other sectors or company sizes?

About the speakers

Dr. Philipp Hoff has over 15 years of transformation and management experience. He got his master’s degree in business at HHL Graduate School of Management (class K18) and received his PhD at HSG St. Gallen on the topic of Finance / Statistics. Since April 2020, he has been Head of Corporate Development & Digital at Basalt-Actien-Gesellschaft (Basalt AG). In this position, he is responsible for the development and implementation of the group strategy, as well as the establishment and development of the internal Digital Department. One of his core tasks is the preparation for and initiation of new business models. Dr. Hoff is a transformation-experienced, international manager with a focus on the construction supply industry as well as handling of multiple topics all along the construction cycles (growth to cost reduction).

Prof. Dr. Claudia Lehmann has been holding the Chair of Digital Innovation in the Service Sector at HHL Graduate School of Management since January 2020. Originally from Brandenburg, she studied industrial engineering at the Technical University of Dresden with a focus on aviation technology, technology and innovation management. After gaining some first experience at Lufthansa Cargo in San Francisco and graduating as an industrial engineer, she worked as a consultant. In 2015, she received her PhD on the topic: “Exploring service productivity: Studies in the German airport industry”. Since 2015, Prof. Lehmann has been leading the Center for Leading Innovation and Cooperation (CLIC) at HHL. She is a lecturer at universities in Germany and abroad and gives international lectures on topics such as “Industry 4.0”.

Dana Prahl graduated at Leipzig University in 2000 with a business degree. She worked in Germany and abroad in strategy, project and product management roles, with companies ranging from large corporations to medium-sized ones to her own start-up. Dana Prahl joined HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management in 2020 and since has been overseeing corporate relations, at HHL and the Institute for Family Business & Entrepreneurial Succession (IFU). She initiated this series of events and is in charge of selecting the topics and guest speakers.

Join us and enjoy an inspirational exchange.

The event language is German.

The event is organized by the HHL Institute for Family Businesses and Entrepreneurial Succession (IFU). hhl.de/ifu