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In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, even the most established companies must adapt their internal cultures to remain competitive and innovative. This is evident in the intersection of tradition and modernity within legacy manufacturing firms. As digital transformation accelerates, the challenge for these organizations is not only to update their technology, but also to foster workplace environments that inspire creativity and engagement and sustain high performance. The following case study explores one such journey of transformation within a venerable German manufacturer.

The case study reveals how 200-year-old successfully transformed its IT department culture by integrating a principle held by Stefan Zach, vice president of global IT, that “having fun correlates directly with performance.” Zach says, “The company’s IT department has developed a unique cultural model that demonstrates how traditional German manufacturing companies can successfully implement modern workplace practices while maintaining operational excellence.” Together with Zach’s leadership colleagues, the 125-member IT team has created a sustainable framework that balances autonomous team structures with high-performance expectations, resulting in exceptional employee retention and business outcomes. This transformation occurred organically over more than 20 years, suggesting that cultural change requires patience, consistency, and genuine commitment to employee development. (See also: How IT and OT are merging: Opportunities and tips.)

Wieland Group overview

Founded in 1820 and headquartered in Ulm, Germany, Wieland Group represents one of the world’s leading suppliers of semi-finished copper and copper alloy products. With 10,500 employees across 90 locations globally and annual revenue of 6 billion euros, the company has successfully navigated two centuries of industrial evolution. In 2019 Wieland acquired   Global Brass and Copper Holdings Inc., which expanded Wieland’s global footprint significantly, cementing its position as a market leader in specialized non-ferrous products.

The company’s heritage extends beyond business success to include a long tradition of employee welfare. As early as 1834, founder Philipp Jakob Wieland established factory health insurance and built worker housing, demonstrating an early commitment to employee well-being that continues to influence company culture today.

The IT organization supports Wieland’s digital infrastructure across diverse business units and operates as a critical enabler of the company’s digital transformation initiatives while maintaining cultural practices that distinguish it from typical corporate IT environments. (See also: Navigating the crunch point: Volatility and change in manufacturing.)

Cultural philosophy of fun as a performance driver

The central thesis of Wieland’s IT culture emerged from the IT leaders’ and Zach’s beliefs that there is a significant link between performance and enjoyment, which they gained over years of working and leading teams. This philosophy developed organically over more than 20 years, evolving from traditional German business practices toward a more engagement-focused approach that maintains professional standards while fostering genuine enjoyment in work. The concept of “fun” in this context differs significantly from superficial workplace entertainment. Zach defines “fun at work” as project-related work that brings enjoyment. Achieving this involves the following:

• Homing in on culture and the workplace by having fun at Wieland IT: Zach’s leadership, which places a high value on human connections, has created a fun and rewarding workplace.Culture and the workplace have a large impact on how employees view their working world. According to the EY 2024 Work Reimagined Survey, 66% of survey takers agree that their company culture had significantly improved in the prior 12 months. Among these companies, a critical factor was that leaders have purposefully homed in on talent and culture.
• Transforming culture over a long time span: The transformation of Wieland’s IT culture was not an overnight change but rather a deliberate evolution spanning decades. New employees quickly become “infected by this spirit, internalize it, and pass it on to others by becoming part of the team,” creating a self-perpetuating cycle of cultural transmission, Zach says. This organic propagation mechanism ensures cultural sustainability even as the team grows and changes. The extended timeline allowed for organic development and ensured that cultural changes were deeply embedded rather than superficially imposed. This approach aligns with research on successful organizational culture change, which indicates that sustainable transformations require consistent leadership support over extended periods.
• Scrum-based autonomous operations: Wieland’s IT department incorporates autonomous teams that follow Scrum principles, empowering teams to make decisions about “who does what, when, and how,” while aligning with broader organizational objectives. The model addresses several key organizational challenges including decision-making efficiency, employee ownership, and skill development.
• Agile leadership as management role was redefined: In this autonomous structure, traditional management roles have evolved significantly. As Zach describes, “The most important tasks of the respective managers are dealing with project escalations and developing their team members.” 

Five critical key practices and programs to leverage

The organization and IT leadership team have introduced a variety of key practices and programs that can be easily leveraged within other organizations. They include:

• Coaching program: Every new team member at Wieland is assigned a colleague who provides guidance as a coach during their integration period. This addresses several critical needs including knowledge transfer, social integration, and reduced early turnover. Coaches help new employees build relationships and understand both formal processes and informal communication patterns.
• Annual talent workshops: Zach organizes annual two-day offsite workshops for new employees who have demonstrated excellent performance. These events provide multiple benefits including recognition and motivation, skill development, network building, and leadership pipeline development.
• Open-door philosophy: An open-door philosophy encourages employees to approach other colleagues regardless of hierarchy or functional boundaries. This practice creates several organizational advantages including rapid problem resolution, knowledge sharing, and relationship building.
• Project-based engagement model: The most compelling aspect of Wieland’s approach is how it integrates fun and performance around project work. The department’s most stressful projects — particularly “rollout project cutover/go-live phase” — paradoxically become “the most loved part,” Zach says. The IT organization has established positive reinforcement mechanisms such as achievement recognition, shared challenges, learning opportunities, and celebration culture. Zach’s challenge to go-live teams — “make this an event you will be proud to tell your grandchildren” — illustrates how the culture elevates routine work into meaningful achievements.
• Ownership culture implementation: The principle that employees should “act as if the company was yours” is implemented through concrete practices, Zach says. Teams have genuine authority to make operational decisions, manage budgets and resources, consider long-term implications, and pursue improvement opportunities.

Retaining IT talent while innovating and improving

The outcomes are quite substantial and meaningful for both IT and the Wieland organization. The company has found that:

• Attracting and retaining talent is easy: The culture has created a self-reinforcing cycle where “people strive for being part of the ‘good projects'” and high-performing individuals are naturally attracted to an environment where excellence is both expected and supported. This lowers recruitment costs, reduces turnover, improves knowledge retention, and creates competitive advantages.
• Ownership fosters innovation and new ideas: The ownership culture and autonomous team structure are conducive to innovation. Teams identify and implement improvements without being directed to do so, the open-door philosophy facilitates knowledge sharing and collaborative innovation, and the supportive culture encourages appropriate risk-taking.

Lessons from a successful transformation  

The success of this model provides insights for other organizations with global IT teams, particularly those in manufacturing industries where local technical expertise and global coordination are both essential. Here are a few lessons learned.

• Culture grows over time: Culture cannot be imposed quickly but must develop organically over time with consistent leadership support. Cultural initiatives must directly support business performance rather than compete with it, and leaders must consistently demonstrate good behaviors and attitudes.
• Change requires a systematic approach: Cultural change requires systematic support through programs, policies, and practices, not just rhetoric. Organizations seeking to implement similar approaches should consider their cultural starting point, leadership readiness, pilot programs, and feedback mechanisms.
• No measurements are required: Cultural initiatives can be sustained without elaborate measurement systems, provided they are integrated with business performance and supported by consistent leadership practices. This finding challenges conventional wisdom about culture change management.
• The transformation is an evolution of traditional German business values: The Wieland approach represents an evolution — rather than rejection — of traditional German business values. Key elements that remain strong include punctuality and planning, quality focus, direct communication, and work/life boundaries. The company has successfully integrated hierarchical structure with autonomy, efficiency with engagement, and formal processes with informal relationships.
• Scalability and collaboration across the globe are possible: With team members in Germany, the United States, and elsewhere, Wieland’s approach demonstrates scalability across cultural boundaries. The core principles translate effectively across different national business cultures while maintaining local adaptation.

Addressing evolving workforce expectations 

As younger generations enter the workforce with different expectations about work/life integration and meaningful employment, the Wieland model provides a framework for meeting these expectations while maintaining business performance.  The following thoughts must be considered:

• New approaches to an evolving workforce: The increasing role of artificial intelligence and automation in IT work will require new approaches to employee engagement and skill development. The Wieland emphasis on ownership and continuous learning provides a foundation for adapting to technological change.
• Working globally and locally: The success of Wieland’s approach in a global context provides insights into other multinational organizations seeking to maintain cultural cohesion while respecting local business practices.
• Innovation for both employee experience and business results: The Wieland case study demonstrates that traditional manufacturing companies can successfully implement innovative workplace cultures that drive both employee engagement and business performance. The key insight that “having fun correlates directly with performance” challenges conventional wisdom about workplace management, and the case study provides practical guidance for implementation. The success of this approach over more than 20 years suggests that it is sustainable rather than a temporary trend.
• New frameworks for the next-generation workforce experience: The integration of autonomous team structures, supportive programs, and performance-focused culture provides a comprehensive framework that other organizations can adapt to their specific contexts. Perhaps most significantly, the case demonstrates that cultural transformation is possible within traditional business environments when approached with patience, consistency, and commitment to employee development.

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, a director in IDC’s IT Executive Programs (IEP), is the former chief research officer at PeopleCert and DevOps Institute. She is considered a thought leader in the adoption of DevOps, value stream management, and IT and enterprise service management principles to improve IT services and products. She is passionate about empowering IT leaders with strategy, operational excellence, and creating a culture of continuous improvement and automation.