Website: www.bsh-group.com
Board Work at the Center of Global Governance
BSH Hausgeräte GmbH is among the world's leading manufacturers of home appliances. As part of the Bosch Group, the company operates in a highly complex organizational environment with global responsibilities, diverse stakeholders, and clear governance structures.
In his role as Head of Management Board Office, Michael Tiedemann is responsible for the preparation, execution, and follow-up of all Board Meetings. Additionally, he coordinates all joint activities of the Board and acts as the central interface to the shareholder and the supervisory board.
"We have twelve full-day Board Meetings per year. They are very comprehensive in content and ultimately affect the entire organization, as all departments are involved in the board work. Accordingly, the change for the company was profound," Tiedemann describes the scope of the board work.
Proven Processes, but No Common System
Before implementing Boardwise, the organization of Board Meetings was well-established but required considerable manual effort in preparation and coordination. Over the years, the team had built their own sophisticated system of Excel lists, Word documents, Outlook invitations, and self-developed macros.
"We had established processes and customized tools, but it was all piece by piece," Tiedemann explains.
Topic registration was done via Excel, separated by organizational areas. After approval by the respective managing directors, the individual Excel files had to be manually merged into an overall agenda by the Management Board Office.
Post-processing was also fragmented: minutes in Word, task tracking in separate Excel lists, reminders via email.
Each additional manual step increased the effort and complexity of the processes.
From Need to Decision
The first contact with Boardwise arose through personal exchange, given that the solution was already in use in other areas of the Bosch Group. This exchange met an existing need.
"Software-based support and a common database like Boardwise was exactly what I had dreamed of – without knowing that it really existed," Tiedemann recalls, "and additionally in a very simple form."
What was convincing was not only the functionality, but the integrated approach: a central system as a common database for preparation, execution, and follow-up of Board Meetings.
"You no longer have to manually transfer things or search for topics in agendas. Everything is in one integrated system."
– Michael Tiedemann, Head of Management Board Office at BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Implementation with Moderation
Boardwise was initially introduced at BSH specifically for Board Meetings. Tiedemann deliberately accompanied the introduction closely and in a stakeholder-sensitive manner: executive management, assistants, and organization were informed and involved early on.
Training sessions, open Q&A formats, internal documentation, and FAQs ensured that the new system was understood and accepted before it was mandatorily introduced.
The flexibility of the tool proved to be a decisive success factor for acceptance in the Board.
"One of the great advantages of Boardwise is that it offers a spectrum of working possibilities for different users and is therefore very flexible," he emphasizes.
Different working methods, ranging from completely digital to analog, are maintained even with Boardwise. At the same time, Boardwise provides a uniform, optimized process foundation in the background.
More Than Efficiency: Focus on Effectiveness
Today, topic registration, agenda creation, invitations, minutes, and task tracking are fully integrated into Boardwise.
"Boardwise brings automation and efficiency gains - however, effectiveness is crucial for me," Tiedemann explains.
"Decisions made reach the organization, tasks are implemented, and the goals of executive management are achieved."
The relief is noticeable – even shortly after implementation:
"Even before the new processes have fully settled in, we are at least 20 to 30 percent more efficient," Tiedemann summarizes.
Conclusion: From Coexistence to Reliable Foundation
With Boardwise, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH has established their board work on a common, clear foundation.
Where individual solutions previously existed side by side, today an integrated system ensures transparency, traceability, and accountability.
"From a user perspective, Boardwise gives you a reliable system and no longer a black box like before," Tiedemann concludes.
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