“Anyone who orders a tour from me must know that they will get it” – it is a strong promise that Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz made to the Germans. One thing is already certain: it should not be easy for him to keep the promise. As head of the self-appointed “progress government”, Scholz not only has to cope with the corona pandemic. He must also master the other challenge, which is just as big and complex: the restructuring of the economy.
The Federation of German Industries has just presented the feasibility study “Climate Paths 2.0”. It shows that greenhouse neutrality can be achieved in the industrial, transport, building and energy sectors by 2045. But it also shows how ambitious this task is: no fewer than 21 political levers have to be set in motion as quickly as possible, from climate protection agreements to green lead markets and buying incentives for electric cars to the construction of hydrogen pipelines.
We are facing a transformation which, in its historical dimension, can only be compared with the industrial revolution. The economy, no, the whole country needs this project. We cannot afford to fail. Unfortunately, previous experiences with major political projects are not exactly optimistic. Germany has no cognitive problem at all. Whether it’s vaccinating, expanding renewable energies or digitizing administration: we know what to do. What is lacking is the practical implementation.
For this you first need clear, easily communicated goals and a detailed implementation strategy. For large parts of the population, however, none of this is recognizable in terms of climate protection and digital change, and the personal effects are hardly understandable. In order to get rid of unnecessary fears and resistance to change, we need more clarity as soon as possible.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Politics can be oriented towards the economy
Sure, change is often difficult. Business executives know this from their own experience. Companies that want to be successful have to keep realigning themselves, sometimes reinventing themselves. The good news: There are many examples that this can succeed: Siemens exceeds its own profit forecasts after a major restructuring, SAP is driving business in the cloud after a change of course, BASF is reducing its carbon footprint with Chemcycling. Even if politics works differently in some respects: The new federal government can learn a lot from here.
Perhaps the most important lever is communication. Convince people, take them along, motivate – this is the only way to succeed. This is also criminally underestimated in some companies. One reason: For board members who have been working on new strategies for months, everything is already clear when the employees’ learning process has only just begun.
The traffic light coalition also agreed on strategies and projects behind closed doors for weeks – while the population can at best still have an inkling of where the journey is going. Hardly anyone reads 177 pages of coalition agreement. Chancellors and ministers now need to prepare people for what to expect. Fast, transparent and on as many channels as possible. The more extensive the transformation, the greater the need for information.
In a project of the century such as the ecological restructuring of the national economy, the individual projects have to be explained continuously over the years. These explanations must not be limited to talk show appearances on television, they must also and especially reach those who do not use traditional media. So: communication also on Instagram, on Tiktok, also in English and Turkish.
MPs have to go to the problem areas
Just as clever board members explain their strategy in the machine shop, politicians have to go to problem areas. To where those who are or could be among the losers in change live if they are not offered alternatives in good time. The transformation has to be explained in marketplaces, at civic festivals and in gatherings. In other words: in the constituencies.
The new Bundestag has 736 members, more than ever before. Much has been complained about this size of Parliament, now it could have a good one day. That is when the Bundestag becomes the transmission belt for change: 416 MPs belong to the parties of the traffic light coalition. If everyone only advertises the transformation process in a publicly effective manner once a month, that means 5,000 appearances in a year.
A large-scale dialogue will also lead to citizens developing their own ideas and perspectives. We also know that from companies: those affected are often much more aware of their situation than managers assume. They often know exactly what is going wrong, and not infrequently they have thought about how it could be better. Politicians just have to be willing to ask and listen.
Of course, it cannot stop with announcements. Words have to be quickly followed by action. Hesitation leads to a loss of trust, poor implementation shatter credibility. Equipping the health authorities with modern software, which has been verbally evoked, has turned into a laughing stock because faxes are still being used in the fourth wave of pandemics.
A direct line to the boss is essential
The fact that no reliable case numbers were available over Christmas and New Year’s Eve and that the laboratories are still not testing enough for virus variants is astonishing. The big problem in the pandemic is that one has “got bogged down”, criticizes the virologist Christian Drosten. That’s bad enough. It would be even worse if the mistakes in the large-scale climate transformation project were repeated.
A direct line to the boss is indispensable for change projects. This is the only way for a project to have the necessary impact. And sometimes you need a word of power that can disregard hierarchies and dissolve resistance in the bureaucracy.
By installing a council of experts and the Corona crisis team, the government made a good decision that was rightly welcomed. Both bodies are directly linked to the Chancellery. The conversion to a climate-resilient economy must also be a matter for the boss. The government should set up a transformation council here, with experienced managers from companies, administration and management consultancies, engineers and climate researchers.
Some know what has to happen. The other how it can be achieved. The Chancellor promised that anyone who orders a tour from me will also get it. We, Mr. Scholz, do not order. We demand.
More: The state needs a new self-image.