Self-Management Without the Fluff: Lessons from the Frontlines
Most organizations talk about transformation. Few actually make it happen. Across Germany, a growing movement of rebels is flipping the script. This is where bold thinkers come together to tackle tough challenges, experiment with new ways of working, and learn from each other’s wins (and failures). They’re not just discussing change. They’re making it happen.
A coalition of change makers
Since June 2024, leaders from Bayer, BMW, Würth, Auxilium Group, Fujitsu, Böllhoff Group, and the Innovation Hub 110 of Hessen Police have been meeting monthly in virtual sessions, with quarterly in-person gatherings rotating across Germany. What started in Frankfurt, then Munich, has grown into a thriving community of forward-thinkers, status-quo challengers, and full-fledged organizational rebels.
"What makes this Rebel Cell community unique is the mix of companies from vastly different sectors, all wrestling with the same transformation challenges," says Kim from BMW. "We're at different points on the self-management journey, but our shared commitment to real change makes this a powerful learning space."
Setting the 2025 agenda
In January, the group set its priorities for the year ahead, crafting a roadmap that cuts through the noise and gets straight to the action:
- Activation: How do we (re)ignite transformation around critical organizational issues? Keeping change alive is a never-ending challenge, and this group is determined to face it head-on.
- Strategy Operationalization: How do you turn strategy into action at the team level? From OKRs to Flight Levels, members are testing and tweaking approaches to close the gap between big ideas and everyday work.
"Every organization struggles with translating strategy into execution," says Jochen, coordinator of Rebel Cell Germany. "In this community, we’re not just talking about the problem; we’re actively experimenting with solutions and learning from each other’s real-world results."
Beyond meetings: New formats that fuel change
The community isn’t just about meetings. It’s a space for practical formats designed to speed up learning and sharpen action.
Knowledge Sessions
Before each meeting, members dive into selected material from the Corporate Rebels Academy (courses, interviews, case studies) and then bring their insights to the table for structured discussions. The goal? Turn ideas into action.
Challenge Sessions
This might be the most game-changing format of all. A member lays a real organizational challenge on the table, outlines their thinking, and gets no-nonsense feedback from peers. No theory, just raw, actionable insights.
To learn more about Corporate Rebel Cells and how to get involved click here, or reach out to Jochen Goeser (jochen@bold2move.com) to learn more about the German Rebel Cell.
A glimpse inside: Innovation Hub 110
One recent session spotlighted Innovation Hub 110, a digital transformation unit embedded in the Hessen Police. What started as a 30-person team has scaled to 300, tackling complex change inside a 20,000-strong organization.
Their challenge: turning strategy into concrete action while keeping people engaged and initiatives on track.
Their approach: using OKRs, framed inside a “dual operating system” that blends hierarchy with network agility. Their draft plan, including a vision framework and pilot OKR cycle, sparked sharp feedback from the group, helping them fine-tune the rollout.
"What’s powerful about these Challenge Sessions is how immediately useful they are," says Sebastian from Innovation Hub 110. "We walked away with real improvements to our OKR strategy. Ideas we wouldn’t have seen on our own."
The power of cross-industry pollination
This community’s secret weapon? Diversity.
When people from different industries compare notes, the real breakthroughs happen.
- When Fujitsu shares their approach to digital transformation, Hessen Police adapts those insights to the public sector.
- When Bayer talks about balancing innovation with compliance, BMW sees parallels to their engineering constraints.
That mix of perspectives kills off the echo chamber and sparks ideas that don’t show up in single-sector conversations.
Looking forward
As Corporate Rebel Cell Germany heads into its second year, one thing is clear: real transformation only happens when bold ideas collide with real-world execution.
"The power of this community isn't just in sharing what works," says Kevin from Böllhoff Group. "It’s in the honest conversations about what doesn’t work; the failures, the setbacks, the lessons you never read in case studies. That’s where the real learning happens."
For organizations tired of management buzzwords and ready for meaningful change, this isn’t just about inspiration. It’s about testing, experimenting, failing forward — and challenging the status quo. Together.
The future of work isn’t just a theory or an idea. It’s being built, right here, right now.
