“Helping organizations stay resilient and future-ready through the right mix of technology, streamlined processes, and practical training.”
This guiding principle has shaped Michael Sommerer’s career in digitalization and innovation. For him, true transformation arises not from technology alone but from the alignment of process, systems, and people.
Reading this is about lessons drawn from real-world digital transformations, offering practical insights into leadership that strengthens teams, strategies that overcome resistance and scale innovation, and guidance for CEOs on approaching ERP renewal as a true business transformation. It also reflects on the importance of building an enduring legacy of ethical leadership and long-term impact.
From the German Armed Forces to Organizational Change
In 1989, Michael joined the German Armed Forces, not knowing that this decision would shape his entire approach to leadership and problem-solving.
Three years later, he completed one of the toughest challenges of his life: the Advanced Individual Combat & Leadership Training – a six-week elite course focused on survival, decision-making under extreme pressure, and leading small teams through highly challenging missions.
For six weeks, there was no comfort:
- Minimal sleep.
- Little food.
- Continuous physical and mental strain.
- Constantly changing scenarios, designed to push you beyond your limits.
- The dropout rate is 67% – only one out of three participants will receive the highly recognized badge.
What this training really taught him wasn’t just survival. It taught him how to cut through chaos, make clear decisions under pressure, and lead teams when failure isn’t an option.
Years later, he found himself on a very different battlefield: SAP S/4HANA migration projects.
When he steps into a project, it’s often already late, over budget, and seconds away from total failure. Some are already considered failed.
The natural instinct is to add more people – more consultants, more managers, more everything. But anyone who has been there knows the truth:
“Adding people to a late project doesn’t fix it. It makes it worse.”
The real solution?
- Condense the project down to what truly matters.
- Eliminate noise.
- Refocus on the core deliverables that will create impact.
- Execute with absolute clarity and discipline.
This is exactly what he learned in the Advanced Individual Combat & Leadership Training:When the situation feels overwhelming and resources are scarce, simplify the mission.
Make every move count.
And lead your team with calm, unwavering focus.
By applying this mindset, Michael has been able to turn around failing projects – delivering digital transformation that not only goes live successfully but also rebuilds trust within the organization.
Different battlefield.
Same principles.
Calm leadership under extreme pressure wins every time.
After receiving his diploma in business and organizational sciences, which prepared Michael to analyze and design complex workflows, he became Head of Organizational Management in the German Armed Forces. One of his first tasks was to establish a support organization for the German Armed Forces’ first combat mission. Manual tracking of the time-critical complex supply chain through fax, email, and Excel had become unmanageable. To resolve this, he built a small network and set up a shared Microsoft Access database to centralize information.
That experience made something clear: technology is never enough on its own. Processes must be designed in tandem with systems, and people must be trained to perform under pressure. As a Company Commander, Michael relied on structured training principles – demonstration, explanation, imitation, and practice – which ensured steady performance in stressful situations. The lesson that process, technology, and people must work in concert remains the compass of his leadership today.
“Helping organizations in staying resilient and future-ready through the right mix of technology, streamlined processes, and practical training.”
Leadership That Puts People at the Centre
Michael’s leadership has evolved from being prescriptive to people centric. Co-creation, trust, and empowerment now define his style. His years as an officer instilled a core principle: leadership is effective only when built on reliability and trust, particularly in times of pressure.
At IDI GmbH, where he serves as Managing Director, this principle translates into openness, integrity, and fact-based decision-making. His leadership rests on three pillars:
- Clarity of Purpose – Every team member understands the significance of their work.
- Autonomy with Accountability – Freedom to innovate is coupled with responsibility for results.
- Continuous Growth – Mentoring and guidance expand both skills and confidence.
Colleagues and clients alike note that this approach fosters an environment where creativity thrives and accountability drives results.
Calculated Risks That Drive Results
Early in his career as a supply chain manager for a vehicle manufacturer, Michael was tasked with increasing production output by one-third while reducing the vast amount of incomplete vehicles. His analysis revealed the real issue: overly ambitious targets and supplier bottlenecks.
By aligning production plans with actual supplier capacity, he initially faced an increase in unfinished vehicles. Yet within weeks, supplier deliveries stabilized, missing parts declined, and productivity rose substantially.
This reinforced a conviction that guides him to this day: calculated, data-backed risks, when paired with clear alignment across teams, can generate lasting operational transformation. At IDI GmbH, this philosophy is visible in the use of small, low-cost pilot projects to prove value before large-scale ERP transformations. These early wins reduce resistance and create momentum for broader change.
“Taking calculated, data-backed risks and getting everyone on the same page will create lasting operational transformation.”
Balancing Speed and Sustainability
Michael is deliberate about balance, leadership, and life. Grounded by a strong family life with his spouse and four grown children, he maintains clarity and focus in a fast-paced, travel-intensive role through swimming, biking, and long treks.
A personal highlight was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand, a 20-kilometre trek ascending 1,800 metres, which underscored the value of pacing: pushing forward with intensity but pausing to restore energy and perspective.
Prioritizing both business needs and personal renewal, leading with sustained energy and strategic precision. This is probably one of the major reasons behind his inclusion among “Europe’s 10 Most Impactful Managing Directors Powering Business in 2025.” Michael just doesn’t persevere; he aspires to inspire a similar capacity in others.
At IDI GmbH, he applies the same philosophy. Digital transformation projects are designed to deliver speed without sacrificing long-term stability. By pacing initiatives, focusing on high-impact areas, and ensuring teams are trained effectively, clients gain both agility and resilience.
Building IDI GmbH Into a Trusted Partner
In 2017, Michael founded IDI GmbH to address a recurring flaw in ERP projects: the misalignment of IT and business, combined with a frequent undervaluation of cultural change. With Scrum experience since 2009, he was convinced agile methodologies could bring the transparency and adaptability needed to achieve real business impact.
Today, IDI GmbH has grown into a consultancy with a network of nearly 100 hand-picked experts, supporting medium and large enterprises worldwide in unlocking the potential of SAP S/4HANA. From manufacturing and purchasing to warehousing and supply chain management, the firm helps clients transform ERP from a rigid IT exercise into a growth engine for innovation and competitiveness.
Key to this success is overcoming resistance to change. Michael and his team often begin with small-scale pilots that quickly demonstrate measurable value. For organizations accustomed to rigid waterfall models, IDI GmbH introduces hybrid approaches that combine familiar governance with agile practices such as sprints and prototyping. And when companies seek to explore AI, Michael ensures they first modernize processes and data foundations to support sustainable adoption.
This blend of pilots, hybrid delivery, and operational readiness has become a proven formula for building innovation cultures that scale.
“When clients achieve transformative results, our consultants grow, and our firm earns recognition for putting client needs first. I know we’ve made a lasting impact.”
Digitalized Leadership in a New Era
Michael views digitalization as a force that is reshaping leadership itself. Success is no longer defined by control but by empowerment – enabling teams to act fast, experiment boldly, and innovate with data-driven insights.
Leaders must also adapt to new realities: remote and hybrid workforces that demand trust and culture-building, ethical challenges surrounding AI and data privacy, and the relentless pace of change that requires continuous learning.
For Michael, leadership today is about orchestrating ecosystems of people, technology, and ideas. Those who embrace continuous learning, digital fluency, and ethical responsibility will be the ones to create sustainable success.
“Leaders who embrace continuous learning, ethical responsibility, and digital fluency will be best positioned to navigate disruption and create sustainable success.”
Turning Challenges into Competitive Advantage
When the United States announced new tariffs on European goods, many European manufacturing companies were thrown into turmoil. The sudden changes created immense complexity in pricing and supply chain management. For some, the challenge was so overwhelming that they began considering scaling back – or even shutting down – business operations with U.S. clients altogether.
But one forward-thinking company chose a different path.
A Visionary Partnership
Michael, the leader of IDI GmbH, and his team of expert consultants had already been working closely with this manufacturer as they transitioned from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA. During this transformation, IDI GmbH didn’t just focus on system migration – they partnered with the client’s leadership team to review and redesign every core business process, end-to-end.
One critical area identified was value-based pricing. The company sources hundreds of thousands of custom parts from suppliers worldwide. In the past, the global purchasing team had to spend thousands of hours manually updating purchasing conditions whenever material indexes for raw materials changed – a slow, error-prone process that drained resources and delayed critical decisions.
The IDI GmbH Solution
IDI GmbH implemented an integrated process connecting the company’s engineering system directly with SAP S/4HANA. This innovation enabled real-time updates of all relevant material information, eliminating manual data entry and drastically reducing administrative overhead.
With this system in place, the purchasing team could adjust pricing dynamically and accurately, freeing them to focus on higher-value activities like supplier development and resolving emergency supply chain issues.
The Tariff Test
When the new U.S. tariffs went into effect, many competitors scrambled to calculate accurate pricing and struggled to adapt quickly.
For this manufacturer, however, the transition was seamless.
Because all relevant data was already in the system, adapting to the new tariffs required almost no extra effort. Instead of reacting defensively, the company moved swiftly to offer competitive, compliant pricing, gaining market share while others were forced to slow down or retreat.
Results That Speak for Themselves
Thanks to the foresight and strategic planning of IDI GmbH, the client turned what could have been a business threat into a powerful competitive advantage.
- Manual workload eliminated: Thousands of hours saved annually
- Agility achieved: Near-instant response to tariff changes
- Strategic focus restored: Purchasing team free to drive supplier innovation and resilience
- Market share gained: While competitors pulled back, the client expanded their presence in the U.S. market
Our Mission at IDI GmbH
This success story embodies what IDI GmbH stands for: helping businesses thrive amid uncertainty through intelligent, future-proof solutions.
By combining deep SAP expertise with a holistic understanding of global business processes, we empower our clients to transform challenges into opportunities – just as Michael and his team did in this case.
Practical Guidance for Leaders and Organizations
Michael’s advice to aspiring professionals is grounded in experience: digital transformation requires more than technical skill. It demands strategic vision and human leadership. Qualities such as humility, hunger, and people smarts – captured well in Patrick Lencioni’s The Ideal Team Player – are indispensable. Transformation, he stresses, is less about being the smartest person in the room than about creating a room where smart ideas can flourish.
“Digital transformation is not about being the smartest person in the room, but about creating a room where smart ideas emerge,”
For CEOs tackling ERP renewal, Michael’s message is clear: start with business strategy, not technology. Define the “why” – whether scalability, compliance, or cost savings – and ensure the ERP aligns with long-term business goals.
“Start with business strategy, not technology.”
Stakeholder engagement is critical, as is appointing a project leader with both authority and business insight. Consultants can support execution, but ownership must remain internal. Success should be measured beyond go-live, with KPIs tied to tangible business outcomes such as reduced costs or faster cycle times. Above all, ERP renewal must be treated as a cultural transformation, not merely a technical upgrade.
“We will help you to build a world-class team driving the digital transformation of your company.”
