New Cooperation between SAP and Klitschko Ventures couples Challenge Management and Design Thinking

Today I am very excited to announce that the cooperation between SAP SE and my company Klitschko Ventures now comprises SAP’s Design Thinking and my philosophy Challenge Management. What makes me feel so proud about this partnership is that it is drawn up at eye-level, it is about real expertise-transfer and -exchange between the two disciplines. To me this means a big step into the direction I have always wanted to move towards: providing people with the tools and methods for personal transformation so that they can turn problems or failures in life into life-changing opportunities.

When it comes to business, globalization and digitalization have significantly increased the pressure on companies and their individuals to produce innovative results quickly and successfully adjusting to their rapidly changing environment. Now with the synergy of SAP`s Design Thinking and Challenge Management I am convinced that we give professionals the tools to embrace internal and external change and face these challenges in a way that’s focused, agile, coordinative and endurant.

We therefore join forces and combine our methodologies for fostering innovation on an enterprise level – extended to a personal level, as we are convinced it is people who drive sustainable innovation.

Based on my 30 year career in an intense sport becoming a Heavyweight Champion I developed Challenge Management and the method F.A.C.E. the Challenge, together with my team at Klitschko Ventures, to spread the word how to deal with personal challenges in a corporate and governmental world by making proactive, permanent changes to one’s behavior. Our cooperation is about transforming perceived business “problems” or “failures” into actionable challenges with success and to empower employees and executives working cohesively to achieve the desired outcomes.

Juergen Müller, Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Executive Board, SAP states: “Innovation can deliver exponential value and transformative change. Encouraging and enabling innovation is what separates average companies from exceptional and sustainable brands. The key to create a culture of innovation within an organization are people and their curiosity. Empowering professionals to apply their skillset and knowledge while offering life-long learning to foster curiosity will help advance personal and professional goals.”

The heart of our cooperation: Enhancing Design Thinking by my Challenge Management approach

Enhancing SAP’s Design Thinking with the additional human-centric approach of Challenge Management allows a stronger focus on people who are the driving force to innovation. This happens by supporting and encouriging people in finding their Who, their Why, their How and their What so they stay or become strong and healthy – mentally and physically.

The first step: An Online openSAP course

Our openSAP course will provide an overview on our joint collaboration and offers guidance on essentials to drive innovation in enterprises. Through the course, learners get introduced to the concepts and methods of Design Thinking and Challenge Management, and are provided with an overview how to develop a personal innovation path while mastering the speed of change in innovation. Learners will get introduced to SAP’s Design Thinking processes to help meet business goals and will get insights to how to face hyper speed change in today’s digital world to foster innovation culture within enterprises with a strong human-centric approach.

Together, Challenge Management as well as the methods F.A.C.E. the Challenge and Design Thinking serve as complementary components for both corporate and personal success – in a sustainable way.

https://open.sap.com/courses/ko1-tl