The history of the foundation
Alexander Schmidt is a PhD student at the Institute for Management and Controlling (IMC) at the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar. As part of his doctorate on the institutionalisation of controlling in the German-speaking region, he collected historical documents and interviewed some of the key people who were closely involved with the foundation of the ICV.
It all started with... Controller Akademie
Deyhle founded the Controller Akademie as a GmbH together with clients in the autumn of 1972. In 2000 the GmbH was converted into an AG. Today, the Controller Academy is a medium-sized company with around 30 employees, focusing on controlling training and coaching.
Graduates as the driving force
The trigger for the founding of the Association was the desire of the first graduates of the Controller Academy's 5-stage training programme to have a forum for the organised exchange of experience after the seminar had concluded. As a result, the work groups of the Controller Association were established, which today continue to be the centrepiece of the Association's efforts.
May we introduce you to the "Controller Verein"
At the start of 1975, Deyhle, together with six further founding members, started the process to register with the Registry of Associations. These additional founding members included Dr Germeroth, Dr Erwin Küchle, who worked for many years as a trainer for the Controller Academy, and Dr Alfred Blazek, a long-standing trainer and partner of the Controller Academy.
The 1970's: The association is growing
In the 1970s, many controllers were still a rather exotic rarity, hence their desire to share professional expertise among their peers was particularly obvious. Yet even today, the idea has lost none of its relevance, as can be seen in the development of the Association in recent years. In 1990 the Association welcomed its 1,000th member, and in the meantime its membership has grown to over 6,000 people.
The 1990's: IGC completes the round
In the mid 1990s, the International Group of Controlling (IGC) was established based on an initiative by the Association. The IGC is a collaboration of important educational and training institutions for controlling, software firms and other organisations with an interest in the development of controlling. Deyhle again provided active support from the beginning, also as a member of the IGC's Management Committee. He was also one of the driving forces behind the development of the book Controller Wörterbuch (Controller Dictionary).
Honorary Doctorate for the founder
Dr Albrecht Deyhle was awarded this doctorate on 14 November 2008 by the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. According to Dr Jürgen Weber, Professor of Corporate Management and Controlling at the WHU, thanks to Deyhle's accomplishments “controllers in the German-speaking region have become known and socially acceptable.” “You have shaped a new business discipline and made a significant contribution to its success in companies,” Weber emphasised, adding that such influence on the practice of controlling is virtually unprecedented.
