Bakemführung

Bakemführung is a term used in speculative management theory to describe a leadership approach that blends redundancy, mentorship, and collaborative decision-making to enable adaptive performance in uncertain environments.

The word is a neologism formed from the German Führung (leadership) with a coined stem bakem- intended to evoke backup, nurture, and growth.

Its core principles include creating operational redundancy (backups, cross-training), fostering mentorship and developmental leadership, distributing decision-making to autonomous teams, promoting continuous learning through feedback loops, and maintaining ethical, inclusive governance.

Practices associated with bakemführung include scenario planning, job rotation, paired work for knowledge transfer, after-action reviews, and safety nets such as contingency funds or process buffers.

In critique, bakemführung risks perceived inefficiency through redundancy, potential ambiguity in accountability, and challenges in measurement; supporters argue it improves resilience, morale, and long-term adaptability.

Related concepts include resilience engineering, agile leadership, distributed leadership, and psychological safety.