interviewer: Frank Haas photos: Lukas Hämmerle The two Gebrüder Weiss locations in Lauterach und Wolfurt are separated by a mere mile. More than enough reason to ask the two branch managers Willibald Nigsch (Wolfurt) and Michael Wohlgenannt (Lauterach) about the dividing line between comradeship and competition. At Gebrüder Weiss management meetings, you and your colleagues from the West region can always be seen sitting at the same table. Are appearances deceiving, or do you really get along so well, despite the rivalry between you?
Michael Wohlgenannt: Friendship is a matter of perspective. But I would agree that we have a friendly relationship. That’s probably because we have a long history of shared success in the region, so envy doesn’t really come into play. Willibald Nigsch: But there’s another more practical explanation as well. Mr. Mayr (the Branch Manager in Hall / Tirol) always arrives at conferences two hours before anyone else, and lays claim to the seats for us. Otherwise I could imagine sitting at a different table for a change. (laughs) But relations between your predecessors is supposed to have been anything but harmonious. MW : That’s true enough. But it was a very different world back then. There was much more pressure on them to compete. WN : As a man of his times, my predecessor naturally embraced a different management style. The profit-center mentality in the locations was far more intense than today, and the rivalry was all the fiercer. We still operate as a profit center –
but within a framework of overriding corporate goals and structures – and are managing very nicely. What brought about this different approach? WN : Commerce has changed considerably in recent decades. Today things are much more interconnected than they used to be, so even service providers need to have good working relations if they want success. The benefits of a constructive partnership are too apparent for them to be questioned anymore. How would you describe the rapport between you? MW : As a good working relationship. WN : Right, in the sense that we accept each other and also respect each other’s work. We have shared targets we are working towards – that helps too. In recent years we have made fundamental changes to the Vorarlberg region and reorganized things to keep them functioning smoothly during the next few years. So the right structure was a factor in your good working relationship? WN : Exactly. Our branches aren’t competing as intensely as before. Today their portfolios complement each other. We’re both happy to have the other one at our side. Nevertheless: stable personal relationships are vital if you are creating shared structures and pursuing common goals. MW : The circumstances really are unusual. Willi and I have been at the company for decades. And we’ve also spent years and years together in management. So we’ve had plenty of chances to forge mutual trust. WN : And the confidence we have in one another isn’t limited to the two of us working together. It spreads to both our departments as well. If there’s no animosity, our two teams can post the results we want quickly.