About the Book

In times of networking and the growing importance of platform economies, how can products and services be developed that inspire people? Which development methods and organisational forms are promising for this? Leaders and developers will find answers to these questions in this book. With their holistic approach, the authors look at the changing leadership roles that arise in the development of products and services: Is it, for example, about translating new ideas or unknown technologies into high-quality products? Or is it about working efficiently together in an international development alliance? The procedures and models were discussed and further developed in more than 10,000 theoretical and practical workshops with managers at Bosch worldwide. At its core is a leadership model that facilitates discussion and combines the skills needed to master technical issues with those needed to lead people.

After an introductory chapter on fundamental questions such as the organization's purpose, values, and strategic goals, key elements of leadership in systems design are introduced, including requirements engineering, architecture design, and model-based development. The following chapters discuss concrete approaches and strategies to

- Convert quality attributes,

- to reduce risks,

- to introduce a review culture,

- manage complexity

- Process conflicts

- Define roles

- to build teams.

The structure of the book follows the process of developing and implementing strategic goals. However, each chapter can also be read on its own, as it forms a self-contained unit.

This book makes the leadership task understandable, discussable and learnable for developers. It thus helps managers to shape change in their own field of work or to grow into a new role.

About the Author: Dr.-Ing. Thomas Michl studied aerospace engineering at the Technical University of Munich and received his doctorate at the Institute of Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics at the University of Stuttgart.He has many years of management experience in various management functions in the development of Robert Bosch GmbH and is a proven expert in Systems Engineering. Today, he heads the globally active "Bosch Product Engineering System Academy" and is himself a trainer and coach for specialists and executives.Dr.-Ing. Godehard Nentwig, studied aerospace engineering and business administration, advises development organizations, develops training programs and trains managers in specialist and management engineering topics. For more than 20 years, he has held various positions in research and product development in Germany and the USA. His professional spectrum covers various industries, from process engineering to aerospace engineering and the automotive and household appliance industries. His management experience ranges from working in start-ups to managing a development center in a large German company.Dr. rer. nat. Christine Deininger, studied physics at the University of Stuttgart and received her doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Metal Research there. After a research stay at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, she joined Robert Bosch GmbH in 1995, where she held various specialist and management positions in product and manufacturing process development for 22 years. She is an expert in development quality and, as a systemic consultant, has extensive experience in specialist, management, and organizational development. Today she is the owner of the consulting firm ENGENCE-Engineering Excellence.
Dr. Michael Jantzer, studied "Technical Cybernetics" at the University of Stuttgart and "Industrial Science and Mechanics" at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He received his doctorate from the Institute for Control Technology of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Facilities at the University of Stuttgart. Jantzer has worked for Bosch for 27 years in various management roles in the Industrial Equipment, Thermotechnology, and Safety Technology (Development, Manufacturing, and Management) divisions. For six years, he has been head of the "Coordination of Technology and Development Methodology" central office. In this function, he is responsible worldwide for the Bosch Product Engineering System, including innovation management and technology coordination. His central task is the design and implementation of continuing education programs for experts and managers in product development.