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Dr. Hans-Joachim Popp: who holds a PhD in electrical engineering, has been CIO of the German Aerospace Center since 2005. His previous posts include Product Manager at Dräger Medizininformatik, CIO at TÜV Product Service and IT Operations Manager at TÜV Süddeutschland.
Quotation
“Our success is gauged by how quickly and how well we can meet our customers’ wishes, even seemingly impossible ones.“
Dr. Hans-Joachim Popp,
CIO of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
“We benefit from the space-rocket bonus.” – Part 2
Where does personalization come into the equation?
In several ways. We have highly specialized configurations for our end-user environments, with some extremely sophisticated and expensive software that requires high-quality management and support. That’s why we chose to partner with SfR, who has worked with us for many years and knows our needs inside out. Everything that T-Systems supplies on a large scale and at correspondingly low cost, SfR gives us in a modified form. So from our perspective, it is as if SfR were working exclusively for us, and that is extremely important in terms of motivating our scientific staff.
In several ways. We have highly specialized configurations for our end-user environments, with some extremely sophisticated and expensive software that requires high-quality management and support. That’s why we chose to partner with SfR, who has worked with us for many years and knows our needs inside out. Everything that T-Systems supplies on a large scale and at correspondingly low cost, SfR gives us in a modified form. So from our perspective, it is as if SfR were working exclusively for us, and that is extremely important in terms of motivating our scientific staff.
Meeting special needs is expensive. Why are they so important to your staff?
Yes, it’s not always easy. But the success of an organization like ours is gauged by how quickly and how well we meet our customers’ wishes, even seemingly impossible ones. We often need to form small, multidisciplinary teams of scientists rapidly and efficiently over large distances. It’s very easy to build virtual teams if you can say to them, “Wherever you are located, you will enjoy a familiar, stable user environment, and you can request what you need from SfR as easily as ordering from a catalog.” It’s the optical bench comparison again. It’s about leveraging standardization to gain flexibility. It means that you can set up a collaborative network on the fly if you need to. Our experience with SfR has been very positive in this respect.
Yes, it’s not always easy. But the success of an organization like ours is gauged by how quickly and how well we meet our customers’ wishes, even seemingly impossible ones. We often need to form small, multidisciplinary teams of scientists rapidly and efficiently over large distances. It’s very easy to build virtual teams if you can say to them, “Wherever you are located, you will enjoy a familiar, stable user environment, and you can request what you need from SfR as easily as ordering from a catalog.” It’s the optical bench comparison again. It’s about leveraging standardization to gain flexibility. It means that you can set up a collaborative network on the fly if you need to. Our experience with SfR has been very positive in this respect.
Despite this, in 2009 you withdrew from the public-private partnership that was SfR. Why? And what was the result?
We wanted to make it easier for SfR to market its solutions and services to the scientific community than was possible with only ourselves as partner. And we’re hoping to exploit economies of scale by sharing SfR’s services with other research organizations. To achieve this, the company had to become more independent. And the time was ripe for SfR to compete on the open market. And incidentally, we were also complying with a requirement of the German Ministry for Research, which had put a time limit on the PPP from the outset.
We wanted to make it easier for SfR to market its solutions and services to the scientific community than was possible with only ourselves as partner. And we’re hoping to exploit economies of scale by sharing SfR’s services with other research organizations. To achieve this, the company had to become more independent. And the time was ripe for SfR to compete on the open market. And incidentally, we were also complying with a requirement of the German Ministry for Research, which had put a time limit on the PPP from the outset.
Were you aware that we both regretted and welcomed your withdrawal?
No, why?
No, why?
The DLR is seen as the leader among the country’s research centers. And our joint venture with you meant that some of your competitors, whose business we would have welcomed, saw us as a direct rival. That was something of a handicap for us.
There is some truth to that. Our competitors are less reluctant to work with a T-Systems subsidiary now that we, as an ex-partner, no longer stand to profit. And as to our being a leader, we are fortunate that aerospace is a highly regarded discipline. This gives the DLR brand a lot of prestige. Some say we benefit from the space-rocket bonus. This Bayern-Munich effect can lead to envy, which is not always easy to deal with. But in terms of collaboration with other centers, the picture is generally very positive.
There is some truth to that. Our competitors are less reluctant to work with a T-Systems subsidiary now that we, as an ex-partner, no longer stand to profit. And as to our being a leader, we are fortunate that aerospace is a highly regarded discipline. This gives the DLR brand a lot of prestige. Some say we benefit from the space-rocket bonus. This Bayern-Munich effect can lead to envy, which is not always easy to deal with. But in terms of collaboration with other centers, the picture is generally very positive.
Does that affect your reputation as an employer, for example?
Not at all. Our employees act in their own best interests. They go where they see the best opportunities and where they can learn the most. Our strength is that all of our institute directors also lecture at universities. They have a dual role, and actively market the DLR brand to the next generation of scientists.
Not at all. Our employees act in their own best interests. They go where they see the best opportunities and where they can learn the most. Our strength is that all of our institute directors also lecture at universities. They have a dual role, and actively market the DLR brand to the next generation of scientists.
With the foundation of SfR, almost 100 DLR employees transferred to T-Systems. What was the impact?
Well, no one has asked to come back. And that most certainly has something to do with the working atmosphere at T-Systems. At DLR, employees often toiled alone in their specialist area and were more or less left to their own devices. But at T-Systems, they have the opportunity to form teams. And they have opportunities to develop that we couldn’t have offered. No one has requested a return – and even the most ardent advocates of independence on our side are not calling for a complete resurrection of the IT department. Quite the contrary: we have staff whose abilities are developing in line with the SfR skill set. We expect further individual employees to make the switch – which will benefit both sides.
Well, no one has asked to come back. And that most certainly has something to do with the working atmosphere at T-Systems. At DLR, employees often toiled alone in their specialist area and were more or less left to their own devices. But at T-Systems, they have the opportunity to form teams. And they have opportunities to develop that we couldn’t have offered. No one has requested a return – and even the most ardent advocates of independence on our side are not calling for a complete resurrection of the IT department. Quite the contrary: we have staff whose abilities are developing in line with the SfR skill set. We expect further individual employees to make the switch – which will benefit both sides.
When it comes to partnership, what role does cost transparency play?
Outsourcing partners always face the problem of reliably meeting very diverse imperatives. And the costs incurred must be transparent. I think that this is a critical factor when it comes to a provider’s long-term success. Prices have to be clearly explained so the customer fully understands them. This level of transparency comes with a price tag of its own, but it prevents users from reverting to their old “I can do it myself for nothing” mindset.
Outsourcing partners always face the problem of reliably meeting very diverse imperatives. And the costs incurred must be transparent. I think that this is a critical factor when it comes to a provider’s long-term success. Prices have to be clearly explained so the customer fully understands them. This level of transparency comes with a price tag of its own, but it prevents users from reverting to their old “I can do it myself for nothing” mindset.
