Experience sharing group
Experience exchange group (abbr .: Erfa-Gruppe or Erfa-Kreis ) is a name for a regularly organized meeting of independent entrepreneurs to exchange experiences. Erfa groups are a cost-effective, economically relevant advisory tool. The number of Erfa groups in Germany is estimated at between 4,300 ( Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung ) and 5,900 ( HWK -Bayern).
target
The aim of Erfa groups is to overcome the isolation of the individual entrepreneur, to offer an organized framework for dealing with one's own company and its problems and to enable joint benchmarking .
Working method and topics
Owners or managing directors of companies that are not directly competing with one another exchange information about operational experiences and problems at recurring intervals (at least once, rarely more than three times a year). They provide their business figures for a group-internal company comparison and for the development of future strategies. The topics range from the presentation of goods and the division of the range to supplier analysis , the development of a purchasing or marketing plan and the joint discussion of future-oriented corporate strategies . A participating company is often the organizer and host of the annual conference and makes its company available for a company inspection and for constructive criticism from colleagues. Participation in an Erfa group requires openness and mutual trust.
Organization and advice
Experience groups are often accompanied by management consultants or professional associations who specialize in the respective industry . Interested companies are usually placed by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in existing experience groups; in some cases , industry associations help with the selection or founding of new experience groups and keep a list of suitable business consultants. Operational, content-related and regional factors are taken into account for admission. Direct competitors are not placed in the same Erfa group. In the absence of a professional advisor, an active participant can take over the management of the Erfa group.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Together for more success - What distinguishes ERFA work? , Chamber of Agriculture North Rhine-Westphalia , accessed on January 31, 2019
- ↑ a b c exist-cologne.de, March 11, 2006: Erfa groups - mutual business advice , pdf
literature
- Benedikt Erdmann: ERFA groups as an instrument for increasing performance in specialist retail . Schriften zur Handelsforschung, 1992, ISBN 978-3-509-01606-2 .