From the shower straight to the 20th Backnang Business Talks: Christoph Holz on the new world of work

20th Backnang Business Talks

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I am in the midst of 730 invited guests in the Lerchenäcker industrial park. I am here to take part in the 20th Backnanger Wirtschaftsgespräche as an emergency replacement for Nicole Lontzek, who has fallen ill. The Backnanger Wirtschaftsgespräche are known for networking, exchanging ideas and gathering new impulses.

The words of Mayor Maximilian Friedrich echo in my ears. He emphasizes the importance of this event and I feel directly addressed when he says: "Everyone in Backnang and around Backnang who's anyone always enjoys coming to our business talks." I sense that this event is more than just a meeting, it is a declaration of love for small and medium-sized businesses, crafts and trade.

The challenges of the current economic situation become clear: bureaucracy entanglement, digitalization backlog, rising energy costs, shortage of skilled workers, demand shortfall and political indifference. The words of the OB resonate with me: "We must find solutions together, otherwise only those who destabilize the community and in the long term also weaken our business location will become stronger."

"We entrepreneurs must drive change".

Then I take the stage and talk about digitalization and automation through robots, about the opportunities and challenges associated with it.

When I look back, I think, "Our great-grandparents did inhumane work in the factories of the Industrial Revolution because that's what was needed at the time." Digitization teaches us more than ever what it means to be human. "Being human is what's left when all inhuman work is digitized. And that is creativity, personal responsibility and empathy. In a word, entrepreneurship. Because everything can never be digitized. How will an algorithm ever determine the value of something? That remains up to us as humans." However, future employees must then be able to operate robots. And they can all do that if they are curious, self-reliant and motivated.

My speech not only provided food for thought, but was also entertaining. This was mainly because I repeatedly let my Austrian humor flow in, sometimes in sarcastic form. For example, I explained: "Not everyone has to have the best people. Only those who want to be competitive in the future should worry about such things."

The speech is followed by a panel discussion in which the topics are explored in greater depth. What remains are good conversations and networking, and that's exactly what I'm doing. We have the opportunity to shape a better future. And that is exactly what I will do.

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