Organizational researcher Matthias Gouthier expresses skepticism regarding the strategy pursued by Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla. The company’s stated goal is to become a “railway that instills pride” by 2035. However, Gouthier, who specializes in what he terms organizational pride, told Spiegel that “to feel pride, you need success.” He argues that Bahn currently lacks this success, noting that employees only face criticism from passengers.
Gouthier also dismissed the satire “Boah Bahn,” published under Palla’s predecessor Richard Lutz, as “absolutely counterproductive.” In this satire, Anke Engelke portrays an overburdened train driver. Gouthier argued that watching it made one ashamed of the railway, a feeling which is the opposite of pride. He is also critical of Palla’s announcements that the entire corporation will undergo changes. These pronouncements have led some employees to wonder if they have been doing everything wrong up until now.
The researcher further clarified that pride can stem from an individual’s own performance, their team, or their profession itself. He added that pride can be generated even when achieving one’s goals despite difficult circumstances. He cited the new perspective on retail employees during the Corona crisis as an example, observing that they “are not just stocking shelves, but keeping the entire store running.”
On a more positive note, Gouthier highlighted that the CEO herself obtained a driver’s license for traction units. He stressed that management needs to stay close to the customer. This concern is backed by a previous internal survey which revealed that the railway workforce’s sense of pride had dropped to a historic low.
