Input Consulting

What Input Consulting does

INPUT Consulting gGmbH is a Stuttgart-based, non-profit (gemeinnützige) research and consulting organization founded in 1995 that studies the transformation of work, digitalization, and labor relations in the German service sector. The firm conducts application-oriented research projects on topics including human-centered AI, codetermination (Mitbestimmung), work design, and platform-based self-employment, and channels its findings into consulting engagements and seminars for institutional clients. Its core offering is best characterized as applied research and policy consulting rather than a packaged technology product: outputs consist of studies, analyses, expert opinions (including submissions to the German Bundestag's Office for Technology Assessment), and educational programs, delivered through project partnerships with trade unions, federal ministries, foundations, and corporate clients.

The firm is funded primarily through competitive public grants from federal agencies (notably BMBF and BMAS) and commissioned studies from labor foundations (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung) and trade unions (principally ver.di), supplemented by corporate project sponsors such as Deutsche Telekom and IBM Deutschland. Four projects are currently active — KI.Mitbestimmt, Leistungssteuerung agiler Arbeit, Digilab NPO, and Haus der Selbstständigen — alongside a back catalog of completed programs including TransWork, humAIn work lab, MADAM, SmartAIwork, AKTIV kommunal, and Smart Urban Services. The organization operates with 11–50 employees from a single headquarters at Theodor-Heuss-Straße 2, Stuttgart, and is led by sole Managing Director Claus Zanker (in role since 2016). Distribution is direct and relationship-based, supported by a website, newsletter, dedicated project microsites, and social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and ResearchGate.

Name

Input Consulting

Legal name

INPUT Consulting - Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Innovationstransfer, Post und Telekommunikation mbH

Website

https://input-consulting.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INPUT Consulting is a Stuttgart-based nonprofit research and consulting firm founded in 1995 that studies work transformation, digitalization, and labor relations for German trade unions, federal ministries, foundations, and service-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management & Labor Research Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Workplace & Collaboration Consulting (BPAHAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN), Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Applied labor research
• Digitalization consulting
• Work transformation studies
• Co-determination advisory
• Service sector research

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: Government-funded research projects from BMBF, BMAS, ESF, and other federal agencies. Projects include applied research on digitalization, work transformation, and labor conditions.
2. Commissioned Studies and Consulting: Studies and consulting services commissioned by trade unions (ver.di, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung), government bodies, and companies such as Deutsche Telekom.
3. Seminars and Training: Educational seminars and workshops on topics including digitalization, work design, and codetermination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

INPUT Consulting is a Stuttgart-based non-profit research and consulting organization that conducts applied research projects, studies, and analyses on the transformation of work through technology and digitalization, the socio-economic development of the service sector, working conditions, and labor relations/employee co-determination. It translates research findings into consulting engagements and seminars for trade unions, government bodies, foundations, and service-sector companies in Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Applied Research Projects (Forschungsprojekte) Application-oriented research projects on the transformation of work through technology and digitalization, socio-economic development of the service sector, working conditions, and labor relations/employee co-determination; delivered for trade unions, government ministries, and research foundations (e.g., ver.di, BMBF, BMAS).
• Commissioned Studies and Consulting (Studien und Beratung) Commissioned studies, analyses, and consulting engagements for trade unions (ver.di), foundations (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung), government bodies, and companies such as Deutsche Telekom, covering labor conditions, digital transformation, and industrial relations.
• Seminars and Training (Seminare) Educational seminars and workshops on topics including digitalization, work design, and co-determination, offered to institutional clients and partners.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institut DGB-Index Gute Arbeit, BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the DGB-Index Gute Arbeit institute for research on good work conditions and labor quality standards in Germany.
• Institut für Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung e.V. München (ISF München)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partnership with ISF München on topics including AI at work, digital transformation, and labor studies.
• Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation (IAO), StuttgartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Fraunhofer IAO on work science, organizational research, and digital transformation projects.
• ver.di – Vereinte DienstleistungsgewerkschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary trade union partner for multiple research projects on digitalization, AI implementation, and worker representation in the service sector.
• Universität Duisburg-Essen, Lehrstuhl für Personal und UnternehmensführungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for joint research on human resources management and organizational leadership.
• Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Institut für Arbeitswissenschaft (IAW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with RWTH Aachen's Institute for Work Science.
• Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft (ifaa), DüsseldorfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ifaa on applied work science research.
• IBM Deutschland GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplication partner in the humAIn work lab project for developing human-centered AI solutions.
• Deutsche Telekom Service GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplication partner in AI research projects focusing on service sector digitalization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey Global Institute: Global consultancy's research arm producing influential studies on work, automation, and AI — overlaps with INPUT's themes at the research and publications layer, but serves a much broader enterprise audience.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Large German foundation producing policy and labor-market studies across a broad portfolio; comparable in commissioning model though much larger and thematically wider than INPUT.

Direct peers

• WSI – Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut: Hans-Böckler-Stiftung's economic and social science institute produces policy-oriented labor research with strong union and government audiences, closely comparable to INPUT's applied research focus.
• ISF München: Institute for Social Science Research in Munich focuses on work, technology, and labor — a long-standing INPUT partner and a direct comparable on AI-at-work and digitalization research.
• Fraunhofer IAO: Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) conducts applied research on work, organization, and digital transformation — directly overlapping INPUT's research domains and explicitly listed as a core strategic partner.
• DGB-Index Gute Arbeit: German Trade Union Confederation initiative producing annual reports on work quality — INPUT is a listed research partner and DGB-Index is a directly comparable applied research program on working conditions.
• Hans-Böckler-Stiftung: Confederation of German Trade Unions' affiliated foundation funds labor and digitalization research — a major commissioning client of INPUT and a comparable producer of studies on work transformation.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: Major German political foundation commissioning labor and digitalization studies — INPUT is a listed client/partner, and FES produces adjacent policy-oriented research.
• IG Metall Vorstand (research division): Germany's largest industrial union operates an in-house research function focused on digital transformation and codetermination, directly comparable to INPUT's union-oriented applied research.
• ifaa – Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft: Düsseldorf-based applied work science institute partnering with INPUT on labor and digitalization research; comparable in scale, mission, and German-only applied research scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100043242320820
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/input-consulting-ggmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Input Consulting