Employees as digital pioneers: "Future Heroes" campaign strengthens innovation culture at Niedax

a group of colleagues in a modern office environment celebrating a success. One man is giving a high-five to a woman, while two others are clapping and smiling in the background. | employee empowerment SUNZINET

The Project

Breaking down barriers for successful digital transformation

In any long-established company, digital transformation isn’t just about technology—it’s about people. How can organizations surface hidden innovation, connect disparate teams, and turn everyday insights into scalable change? For Niedax Group, a family-owned medium-sized business from Rhineland-Palatinate, these questions were crucial. Despite a culture of product innovation, internal collaboration faced hurdles: 

  • Autonomous departments: Individual subsidiaries operated autonomously, and expert knowledge was often isolated within specific departments. 

  • Untapped ideas: Employees drove local improvements but lacked visibility and tools for scaling within the corporate group.

  • Fear of change: Decades-old established processes provided employees with the necessary work routines, but this also led to a hesitant acceptance of adopting new digital tools. 

The result? The wealth of grassroots potential remained fragmented. In order to transform, the company needed a way to make progress transparent, celebrate contributions, and turn isolated "wins" into collective momentum. The change needed to be personified – by giving a face to the people behind the tools and processes. 

  • Services

    Change Management

  • Key Benefits

    Transparency

    Scalability

    Collaboration

  • Project Highlight

    Contributions to employee-driven digital projects

  • Project Timeline

    November 2023 - ongoing

Three colleagues giving each other a high-five in celebration. One person is wearing a blue jacket, another is dressed in a purple shirt, and the third is holding a green folder. | employee empowerment SUNZINET

The Goal

A culture where employees drive change

Niedax Group was aiming to encourage employees to actively participate in the company’s digital transformation, fostering a cultural shift towards engagement. The solution was intended to break down silos, make innovation visible, and enhance engagement by giving staff ownership of the change process.  

Key Objectives: 

  • Make employees visible as shapers of digitalization: Change doesn’t come from outside – it’s created by the employees themselves. 
  • Build trust through authenticity: Sharing real experiences and successes made change relatable and credible. 
  • Strengthen intrinsic motivation: Show employees they could make an active contribution to shaping the company’s future. 

In short, transformation shouldn’t be something that happens to employees – it should be something they create themselves. 


Strategy & Implementation

Turning employees into heroes of change

To achieve these goals, we developed the "Future Heroes" campaign—a storytelling-driven initiative that positioned employees as the protagonists of digital transformation. The strategy focused on visibility, empowerment, and organic growth of ideas. 

  • a group of four colleagues engaged in a discussion around a standing table in a modern office setting. Three of the individuals are standing, while one is seated. The atmosphere appears collaborative, with one person explaining something while the others listen and engage. | employee empowerment SUNZINET

    Teaser video: A video introduced the campaign and invited employees to nominate colleagues or present their own digital projects. This “call to adventure” marked the first step.

    Dedicated intranet hub for hero stories: All campaign information and individual hero stories were gathered, encouraging participation through a special submission form. 

  • three colleagues sitting together on a bench outdoors, working collaboratively on a laptop. Two women and one man are engaged in the task, with the man operating the laptop while the others observe, contributing to the conversation. | employee empowerment SUNZINET

    Open call: Employees were invited to nominate colleagues or submit projects they have initiated and/or implemented themselves. 

    Selection criteria: Projects were chosen based on grassroots innovation. 

  • two colleagues sitting together on a comfortable sofa in a modern office lounge. One person, a man, is holding a tablet while the other, a woman, is pointing at it as they discuss something. Both are dressed casually, with the man in a white shirt and dark pants, and the woman wearing a striped shirt with wide jeans and sneakers. | employee empowerment SUNZINET

    Videos & articles: Employees shared their personal challenges, success stories, and learnings in interviews and articles. 

  • a group of three colleagues in a relaxed, modern office setting. A woman in a black blazer is holding a smartphone and showing something to a man in a white shirt, who is smiling as he looks at the screen. A woman in a beige blazer, sitting next to them, is smiling and appears to be part of the conversation. | employee empowerment SUNZINET

    Awards: Employees who made outstanding contributions were recognized with medals, certificates, and personal letters of recognition from the management.

a group of four colleagues engaged in a discussion around a standing table in a modern office setting. Three of the individuals are standing, while one is seated. The atmosphere appears collaborative, with one person explaining something while the others listen and engage. | employee empowerment SUNZINET
three colleagues sitting together on a bench outdoors, working collaboratively on a laptop. Two women and one man are engaged in the task, with the man operating the laptop while the others observe, contributing to the conversation. | employee empowerment SUNZINET
two colleagues sitting together on a comfortable sofa in a modern office lounge. One person, a man, is holding a tablet while the other, a woman, is pointing at it as they discuss something. Both are dressed casually, with the man in a white shirt and dark pants, and the woman wearing a striped shirt with wide jeans and sneakers. | employee empowerment SUNZINET
a group of three colleagues in a relaxed, modern office setting. A woman in a black blazer is holding a smartphone and showing something to a man in a white shirt, who is smiling as he looks at the screen. A woman in a beige blazer, sitting next to them, is smiling and appears to be part of the conversation. | employee empowerment SUNZINET
a circular diagram illustrating the key components of the

Value for the customer

A bottom-up innovation culture

The “Future Heroes” campaign continues to transform Niedax Group’s relationship with digital transformation, delivering measurable cultural and operational benefits: 

  • Increased internal visibility: Innovations and the people driving them are no longer hidden but are celebrated. 
  • Appreciation: Individual contributions are recognized by leadership and management – digital transformation is seen not as a necessary evil, but as a driving force for the entire company group.  
  • Bottom-up instead of top-down: Employees became drivers of transformation, not just recipients of directives. 
  • Lasting impact: Successful projects, where possible, are embraced at other locations – a sign that the new culture is taking root. The "OneNiedax" idea is carried even further within the company. 

Why is this a true example of culture change? 

two people sitting or working together, possibly in a collaborative setting. The figures are illustrated in black, while the background is highlighted with a bright green accent, emphasizing the human connection or teamwork aspect. | employee empowerment SUNZINETEmployees weren’t just communicated to – they were part of the transformation itself.

a hand holding a laptop, with the hand and laptop highlighted by a green accent. This symbol likely represents digital services, support, or assistance related to technology and computing, highlighting the action of providing or receiving technological solutions. | employee empowerment SUNZINETChange became something tangible and recognized – not just abstract and uncertain. 

 

The customer

The Niedax Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of cable management systems. With locations in over 30 countries and 81 branches worldwide, the company employs approximately 2,800 people and is continuously expanding its global presence.

Drive successful change in your organization

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In this first meeting, we will talk about your challenges and goals and suggest possible next steps!

Lukas Kamm - CRM & Digital Marketing - SUNZINET

Lukas Kamm

Team Lead CRM & Digital Marketing

kamm.lukas@sunzinet.com

+49 221 / 355 009 0