The year 2021 began for Jakob Matuschka-Gablenz and Raphael Hartl in the same office. Both regional managers of the Bankhaus-Spängler branch in Vienna have been in office for a little over two months. It makes sense if the desks are close by, everything else would be much too cumbersome, they say in unison.
“You notice when the other is on the phone and know immediately about what has been discussed. If everyone were to sit in their little room, it would be a hassle, ”says Matuschka-Gablenz. Now that you work in the home office, you recognize the advantages of a shared office all the more.
Keep your back free
As a dual leadership, they now make decisions in twos and play each other’s backs by splitting up administrative tasks in order to have more time for customer consultations. They both want to continue doing their management job.
The two seem well coordinated and well-coordinated. “Because the chemistry between us is right,” says Hartl. “This is very important for a tandem to work.”
Shared agendas
There has also been a dual leadership in the Vienna office of the Kienbaum consultancy since January 2021: Cornelia Zinn-Zinnenburg, previously the solo managing director of Kienbaum, has had an equal colleague in Sandra Schrögenauer. They have clearly divided the agendas:
“I am happy to take the lead on market-related topics and in the area of people development,” says Schrögenauer. “We coordinate this in advance. Conversely, I am well involved and informed when it comes to commercial topics as well as internal and external communication. I rely on Cornelia’s experience. “
High consensus ability
Allocate responsibilities and competencies fairly, work on an equal footing, develop ideas together, have the last word as a couple. The half-half principle sounds tempting. But it also has its pitfalls.
“Working in tandem can be very fruitful. But I also take a critical view of this fifty-fifty division, ”says Eva Rechberg, Managing Director of Systworks. “If two people take responsibility, it can make voting more difficult and time-consuming.”
It also requires a high level of consensus and conflict resolution, as well as the willingness to work on a relationship at management level, to build trust and to adhere to rules. “It is also a question of type whether you can do that.”
Frictions
Rechberg has already coached many leadership tandem. She knows that there are two main times when duos come to her: “At the beginning, when a common strategy is being worked on, or when a conflict arises and the whole thing no longer runs smoothly.”
Classically, friction would arise when overlapping areas of responsibility lead to irritation or when the company’s success declines. “Then the pressure increases and not everyone is equally stress-resistant.”
Permanent Dialogbereitschaft
Rechberg’s experience shows that leadership duos can also survive conflicts – “provided they are not too hardened.” Jakob Matuschka-Gablenz and Raphael Hartl are aware of the potential for conflict. But: “In order not to let things get that far, you have to address issues openly, then disagreements are kept within bounds,” says Matuschka-Gablenz.
For Cornelia Zinn-Zinnenburg and Sandra Schrögenauer, too, the success of their collaboration depends heavily on their constant readiness for dialogue. “Good coordination and planning is a must,” says Zinn-Zinnenburg. Hartl believes that double peaks can be a sign of change. “A tandem is a modern approach to leadership. The picture that all the individual alpha animals make up the hierarchy is out of date. “
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