Heinz Polsterer and the Odyssey of 2001

It was the year 2001 when our System Technology team—formerly max.system—set out for new horizons. Decades earlier, Stanley Kubrick had already foreseen the significance of the year 2001 when he made the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

After five exciting and eventful years at max.mobil., during which our team had achieved remarkable results and made a significant contribution to the company’s success, we decided in 2001 to move to the parent company, Deutsche Telekom, to establish the area of International Standardisation.

Helping to shape the future of T-Mobile, Magenta, Deutsche Telekom and the telecommunications industry as a whole seemed like an exciting challenge. Today, 25 years later, the results of our work can be seen in 4G, 5G and soon 6G. Back in 2001, however, many of us were concerned. We did not know what the future would bring—or whether our team would still exist a year later.

Then as now, ARGO is the right partner in times of change and challenge. Ever since max.mobil. was founded in 1996, ARGO has been an excellent partner in the training and development of our employees. In 2001, ARGO was once again there to advise and support us as we transitioned from operational work to a more strategic focus.

ARGO also supported us when emotions ran high, such as when the max.mobil. brand came to an end. Dieter and Bernhard designed a memorable outdoor seminar that included building a bridge, helping us to say goodbye and prepare to set out for new horizons. It was a complete success—including the boss’s unplanned dip in the water while testing the bridge. But that is another story …

ARGO supports people and organizations to successfully shape change together.