Wilhelm Haller
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm „Willi“ Haller (* 1935; † 2004) Swabian
businessman and social entrepreneur
. Father of Flexitime and founder of Interflex Datensysteme.
Already, as he was an apprentice with Messrs Hengstler, a German manufacturer of electromechanical counters, he became aware that the fixed concepts in organizations could not live up to the needs of the developments in the working world.
In 1964 he went with his family to New York where together with Paul Buser he founded the Hengstler subsidiary Hecon Corporation and, amongst other things, invented the Key Counter which gained a US patent in 1966.
At the end of the 60's he returned to Germany and began to intensively get involved with making working hours flexible and developed concepts for flexible working hours, variable working hours and annual working hours.
Based on industrial counter, Haller developed the first time recording equipment without which, a successful realization of flexible working hours would not have been possible. This equipment made it possible for the first time to record the actual worked time of an employee and not just the beginning and end times of the working day. This was revolutionary in the 1960's.
In order to reach a wide public with his flexible working hours concepts and to make them popular, Haller created the Schwabian/English slogan 'I like Gleitzeit' (I like Flexitime), which became the subject of discussion for many and was to be seen as bumper stickers on many cars.
His ideas and concepts have made him into the »Father of Flexitime« and led to a discussion of the flexibilisation of working hours to be discussed across the Federal German Republic of the time and with time to find more and more implementation. His advice was in demand as a Flexitime expert not only in Germany but worldwide.
In the course of this development, Willi Haller started to design the first computer system worldwide from which a little later the first PC based time recording equipment for SME's (small to medium sized businesses) were developed. In their basic mode of operation, these systems met the standards of all time recording systems today. Many other products and patents can be attributed to Haller's inventions.
In order to achieve his goals faster and better and to give the employees a share in the success, Haller founded the company Interflex Datensysteme with three others of like mind which continually developed to become European market leader (it was later taken over by Ingersoll Rand
). Haller built his organization on the basis of progressive management concepts. Employee motivation played a central role in this. The idea was that one third of profits should be shared each by investors, employees and charitable projects. A novelty for that time was the active involvement of employees in decision making processes.
Willi Haller never saw himself as the boss but rather as part of a team but was nevertheless a recognized and competent CEO. He was able to make his ideas understood and relate them to others, inspire and excite his employees, winning them for a shared vision, and thus utilizing their knowledge potential for the organization. It was extremely important for Haller that work should be fun.
His concepts and ideas went around the world. Flexible working hours have deeply changed the working world. Million of employees profit from it every day.
Willi Haller left his company in the 1980's and worked as a consultant and coach for companies, trade unions, institutions and social organizations. He founded a number of social projects, including the "Lebens House“ and the "Nudel House“. He was guest speaker at universities and management seminars and appeared in television shows.
Although Willi Haller was a radical thinker he also had an influence on leading managers because he was not only charismatic but could also argue pragmatically and logically. He is the author of a number of books and many articles about management, economy and theological themes. He saw himself as the student of the philosopher Martin Buber, whose influence is apparent in Haller's book „Das Dunkle Feuer“ apparent in the translation of this extract:
"We overlook, and too often suppress, the fact that salvation
is actually to be discovered in the shadows. As in the conversion of seed to fruit, to use one of Jesus' examples, the darkness of the earth and its apparent destruction is decisive so salvation apparently grows mainly from a suffering experience within oneself and the environment. But this has nothing to do with the asceticism or self-affliction which makes us pull a face and adorn a bitter countenance but rather with a way to freedom; releasing man, creeping on all fours in internal and external dependency, to the glorious freedom of the Children of God and the making of us as upright human beings. This way leads to the wilderness, down into hell, into the caverns, into the dark lap of Mother Earth, where wheat corn dies and from which only thus fruit can be born."
Haller's ideas continue to be a source of influence even after his death, including in the work of the International Leadership and Business Society e.V., which has set itself the aim of humanizing work.
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
businessman and social entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
. Father of Flexitime and founder of Interflex Datensysteme.
Life
Wilhelm (Willi Haller) was a visionary and realist, always ahead of his time, always able to recognize positive and negative developments in society.Already, as he was an apprentice with Messrs Hengstler, a German manufacturer of electromechanical counters, he became aware that the fixed concepts in organizations could not live up to the needs of the developments in the working world.
In 1964 he went with his family to New York where together with Paul Buser he founded the Hengstler subsidiary Hecon Corporation and, amongst other things, invented the Key Counter which gained a US patent in 1966.
At the end of the 60's he returned to Germany and began to intensively get involved with making working hours flexible and developed concepts for flexible working hours, variable working hours and annual working hours.
Based on industrial counter, Haller developed the first time recording equipment without which, a successful realization of flexible working hours would not have been possible. This equipment made it possible for the first time to record the actual worked time of an employee and not just the beginning and end times of the working day. This was revolutionary in the 1960's.
In order to reach a wide public with his flexible working hours concepts and to make them popular, Haller created the Schwabian/English slogan 'I like Gleitzeit' (I like Flexitime), which became the subject of discussion for many and was to be seen as bumper stickers on many cars.
His ideas and concepts have made him into the »Father of Flexitime« and led to a discussion of the flexibilisation of working hours to be discussed across the Federal German Republic of the time and with time to find more and more implementation. His advice was in demand as a Flexitime expert not only in Germany but worldwide.
In the course of this development, Willi Haller started to design the first computer system worldwide from which a little later the first PC based time recording equipment for SME's (small to medium sized businesses) were developed. In their basic mode of operation, these systems met the standards of all time recording systems today. Many other products and patents can be attributed to Haller's inventions.
In order to achieve his goals faster and better and to give the employees a share in the success, Haller founded the company Interflex Datensysteme with three others of like mind which continually developed to become European market leader (it was later taken over by Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll-Rand plc is a $13 billion global diversified industrial company founded in 1871. The Ingersoll Rand name came into use in 1905 through the combination of Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Company and Rand Drill Company...
). Haller built his organization on the basis of progressive management concepts. Employee motivation played a central role in this. The idea was that one third of profits should be shared each by investors, employees and charitable projects. A novelty for that time was the active involvement of employees in decision making processes.
Willi Haller never saw himself as the boss but rather as part of a team but was nevertheless a recognized and competent CEO. He was able to make his ideas understood and relate them to others, inspire and excite his employees, winning them for a shared vision, and thus utilizing their knowledge potential for the organization. It was extremely important for Haller that work should be fun.
His concepts and ideas went around the world. Flexible working hours have deeply changed the working world. Million of employees profit from it every day.
Willi Haller left his company in the 1980's and worked as a consultant and coach for companies, trade unions, institutions and social organizations. He founded a number of social projects, including the "Lebens House“ and the "Nudel House“. He was guest speaker at universities and management seminars and appeared in television shows.
Although Willi Haller was a radical thinker he also had an influence on leading managers because he was not only charismatic but could also argue pragmatically and logically. He is the author of a number of books and many articles about management, economy and theological themes. He saw himself as the student of the philosopher Martin Buber, whose influence is apparent in Haller's book „Das Dunkle Feuer“ apparent in the translation of this extract:
"We overlook, and too often suppress, the fact that salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
is actually to be discovered in the shadows. As in the conversion of seed to fruit, to use one of Jesus' examples, the darkness of the earth and its apparent destruction is decisive so salvation apparently grows mainly from a suffering experience within oneself and the environment. But this has nothing to do with the asceticism or self-affliction which makes us pull a face and adorn a bitter countenance but rather with a way to freedom; releasing man, creeping on all fours in internal and external dependency, to the glorious freedom of the Children of God and the making of us as upright human beings. This way leads to the wilderness, down into hell, into the caverns, into the dark lap of Mother Earth, where wheat corn dies and from which only thus fruit can be born."
Haller's ideas continue to be a source of influence even after his death, including in the work of the International Leadership and Business Society e.V., which has set itself the aim of humanizing work.