KOKO Aligns its Administration for the Future

After 30 years of growth, KOKO’s management realized it was time to pause and refine its organizational structure, corporate culture, and leadership guidelines. We supported the non-profit organization — Salzburg’s leading provider of childcare, youth welfare, and family counseling — in this endeavor. The project was ambitious: major goals, a tight budget, a demanding timeline, and all administrative employees directly affected.

From the outset, it was clear that the change shouldn’t remain theoretical but have a positive impact in everyday work. Every measure had to be practical, applicable, and compatible with the reality of approximately 20 administrative employees and about 250 employees across all facilities. The goal was to establish a shared language within the organization, define a living set of values and leadership principles, and modernize the organizational structure — with clear roles, responsibilities, and streamlined processes.

Our Collaboration Model: Precise Preparation and Partnership at Eye Level

The focus on efficient and collaborative teamwork was evident even before the first workshop: meticulous preparation and close coordination with the two managing directors, Mag. Eva Goetz and Mag. Wolfgang Gallei, as well as HR manager Mag. Monika Pucher.

These factors ensured that every meeting was constructive and result-oriented. Instead of a long analysis phase, we used targeted workshop formats and discussions with key knowledge holders to address the most important questions. For example, in a premise workshop at the beginning, we clarified the key conditions and assumptions for a successful project outcome.

Within a few months, we initiated a comprehensive organizational development process — including refinement of the corporate culture and leadership guidelines — in an agile, participatory, and results-driven way. The steering group, consisting of management and HR, with input from department heads, drove the project forward with decisiveness, implementation power, and visible presence: from the “as-is” phase, which identified current challenges, to the “to-be” phase, in which the organizational structure, culture, and leadership principles were developed and sharpened. The work took place in creative, collaborative workshops.

A key success factor was the consistent involvement of leaders and employees. From the kick-off event to mini-workshops and regular updates, we placed great importance on clear, ongoing communication, targeted involvement, and space for feedback. An employee survey helped identify overlapping responsibilities and redundancies. This approach not only deepened our shared understanding of individual contexts but also strengthened the employees’ interest and willingness to actively shape change.

Key Steps and Their Impact

Our step-by-step approach: Culture shapes leadership, leadership shapes structures and processes, and the organization shapes performance.

1. Shared Corporate Culture and Leadership Principles

   In workshops, a set of values was created to provide orientation in daily work. Concrete descriptions helped translate general terms such as “responsibility” or “transparency” into clear behavioral principles for all KOKO employees. These were complemented by a leadership model with behavioral anchors that make leadership expectations tangible — and even measurable — for both leaders and teams.

2. Structure with Clarity and Efficiency

   The organizational structure was redesigned with clear responsibilities, defined roles, unambiguous decision-making paths, suitable meeting structures, and transparent governance. The result is a structure that is both strategically sound and operationally feasible.

3. Strengthening Process Competence

   In a hands-on workshop, leaders were trained to document and optimize processes themselves — using a KOKO standard. The goal was to foster self-directed development by building competencies in process management.

The Result: A Strong Foundation for the Future

The outcome was not just a concept but an actionable plan — including a manual as a reference for all administrative staff, clearly defined expectations for leaders through collaboratively developed leadership guidelines, and a roadmap leading up to the implementation of the new structure in January 2026.

Three Key Learnings for Other Organizations

1. Corporate Culture Sets the Framework for Leadership Guidelines

   KOKO’s cultural values define the “how” for all employees — shared beliefs and identity-building principles of action. Thus, the corporate culture forms the foundation for leadership guidelines and behavioral anchors. The clearly articulated expectations for KOKO’s leaders provide precise orientation and empowerment.

2. Separate Function and Person

   When Redesigning the Structure — and Then Integrate
   When rethinking an organizational structure, it helps to separate functions from people. We therefore began with defining the functions and only in the next step assigned people to these roles based on competencies.

3. Involve Employees to Enable Real Change

   Those who can participate from the beginning are more likely to embrace change. An open ear and targeted participation formats pay off when change is meant to work. We pursued a balanced approach — combining efficient work in small groups with transparent communication and inclusion of affected employees in subsequent steps.

Remarkably, despite tight time and budget constraints, the project resulted in a solution that was widely accepted and embraced by employees. This demonstrates that holistic organizational development can be both cost-conscious and effective — provided there are clear goals and genuine sensitivity for the people within the organization.