Case Study: Shopware

Shopware is one of the leading and fastest growing companies in the e-commerce sector. They achieve their success with the development of flexible store software and pursue a clear mission. They want to give their merchants the freedom to develop their growth potential quickly and easily with flexible and forward-looking e-commerce solutions.

With their approach of an open commerce platform and their community-driven attitude, they have achieved immense growth in recent years. This can be seen, among other things, in the growth in the number of employees to currently around 350, with an increase of around 150 employees within the last two years. By the end of 2022, an increase to up to 500 employees is planned. Shopware has a dynamic and fresh culture with an active focus on growth and development.

Leadership Development. Transfer of Learning. Leadership Culture.

The challenge

Strong growth not only brings advantages, but also presents companies like the e-commerce provider shopware with new challenges time and again. Growing organizations are becoming more complex and increasingly require more orientation and control. The dynamic, fast and uncomplicated way of working together that we still know from start-up times no longer works. The company grows, as in this case, faster than the actors moving within it. As a result, many areas had to reorganize, redesign their team structures and processes, and also rethink the management structure. In the course of this, newly created management positions were filled through internal promotions or external hires.

• Heterogeneity of managers

  The newly established management team exhibits a very high degree of heterogeneity in terms of previous management experience, backgrounds and company affiliations. The competence and professionalism of employee management varies.

• Diverse understanding of leadership

  Newly hired managers sometimes have a different understanding of leadership and are looking for orientation in the "shopware way" of leadership. Promoted leaders face the challenge of changing roles from a teammate to a leader. Product description

• Performance pressure

  The envisaged growth requires managers to act quickly and confidently and to focus strongly on day-to-day business while at the same time strategically aligning their own contribution within the growing organization and the development of its employees.

The solution

To meet the challenge, shopware's People & Culture team worked with HRpepper Management Consultants and thankscoach to design a needs-based and coaching-based development model that addresses the individual development needs of each executive.

• Model approach

  This approach combines feedback, development and coaching processes at shopware to provide a needs-based and powerful development model for leadership development. In detail:

  • starts with management development where the respective manager stands.

  • Provides orientation on leadership understanding and standards at shopware

  • is based on the availability of the manager and integrates seamlessly into the daily management routine

• In detail

  Specifically, leadership development is supported by the following elements of the development model:

  • 360degree feedback as the basis for development (multi-perspective - from peers, directs, managers, customers, partners)

  • Standardized learning coaching based on an individual development plan (conception of development steps)

  • Stringent support for managers over several months by an individual (learning) coach (reflection and sparring on development progress and alternatives)

  • Development and offering of leadership trainings in a blended learning approach based on the development plans and needs of the (learning) coaches (hybrid learning formats as central learning offers)

  • Conducting a Leadership Summit (leadership conference for networking and exchange between leaders).

"The coaching from thankscoach helped me a lot as a junior manager. I was able to discuss specific cases from my day-to-day management work with my coach and also work on my personal development plan on an ongoing basis. I now feel stronger in my understanding of leadership and can act more reflectively in "tricky situations"."

- Anne Göpel, Manager People & Culture

The result

The development model designed and based on coaching in cycles repeated every six months has a very positive impact on the development of leadership skills and performance of the teams.

1. increase in leadership competence
As a result, all managers develop greater leadership competence and confidence in dealing with employees.

2. development of a leadership culture
One's own leadership role and understanding of leadership are more easily adopted and lived according to the Shopware leadership culture.

3. increased performance
Leaders are more focused and efficient in their day-to-day management, which has a positive impact on the performance of the teams and thus the organization as a whole.

Satisfaction with the coaching program: 4.93/5 ⭐

You have similar challenges in your organization and are interested in how leadership coaching from thankscoach can support you? Then feel free to contact us for a no-obligation exchange.