Projects

Volksbank Mittweida eG

The Human Conference

How to build thought leadership?

Our client, one of Europe´s economically most successful cooperative banks, is headquartered in the remote countryside of East Germany. Yet there  – and not at any of the usual “urban hotspots” – they strive for a healthy future including jobs in future finance, prospering small and medium sized businesses, a supportive municipality and a thriving university. “What can we do to attract talent from all over the world” they asked us. “Start a conversation about the most pressing issue of our times: how to use technology (not)” we said. So we conceptually created “The Human Conference”, designed the conference, co-curated the programme, brought in many of our beloved thought-leaders and co-moderated on the premises.

applied methods:

  • Radical Openness
    How people connect and collaborate is transforming. By shunning old, secretive practices and embracing transparency, smart organisations share intellectual property within themselves and the community. Through this practice they gain speed and interaction productivity that reconnects them to the pace of change happening around them.
  • Exponential Organisation
    SCALE model:

    S: staff on demand. Just like Uber doesn't actually employ its own workers, we're moving to a model where companies outsource most of their major work, giving them more flexibility to quickly adapt to market changes.

    C: community and crowd. Exponential organisations use collaborative means to build community and scale their work.

    A: algorithms. UPS is a good example of a company using an algorithm to maximise efficiency--in this case, finding the best routes for trucks.

    L: leased assets. Similar to having staff on demand, exponential companies have assets on demand and don't own much of what they use.

    E: engagement. To create connectedness between the organisation and the community, exponential organisations use things like digital feedback, incentives, and gamification.

     

    IDEAS process:

    I: interfaces. These organisations have very customised processes for how they interface with customers and other organisations. An example of this is Apple's strict rules on what reaches its app store.

    D: dashboards. To manage employees with a lightweight and high touch, exponential organisations use real-time management systems and dashboards to measure business metrics.

    E: experimentation. Exponential organisations operate like lean start-ups--constantly adapting, tweaking, and tuning their efforts to match external factors.

    A: autonomy. Many exponential organisations streamline with a decentralised authority structure, which means no reporting structure or job titles.

    S: social. Using collaborative technologies, these organisations manage real-time communication to keep all employees up to date.
  • Futures Thinking
    Futures Thinking offers ways of addressing, even helping to shape, the future; but it is not about gazing into a crystal ball. It illuminates how policy, strategy, and action can promote desirable futures and help prevent those we consider undesirable. It stimulates strategic dialogue, widens our understanding of the possible, strengthens leadership, and informs decision-making.

    Futures Thinking is a method for informed reflection on the major changes that will occur in the next 10, 20, or more years in all areas of social life, including education. Futures Thinking uses a multidisciplinary approach to pierce the veil of received opinion and identify the dynamics creating the future.

    While the future cannot be reliably predicted, we can foresee a range of possible futures and ask which are the most desirable for particular groups and societies. A variety of methods – qualitative, quantitative, normative, and exploratory – help to illuminate the possibilities, outline policy choices, and assess the alternatives.
  • Netnography
    Netnography is an online research method originating in ethnography, which is applied to understanding social interaction in the contemporary digital communications context. It is defined as a specific set of research practices related to data collection, analysis, research ethics, and representation, rooted in participant observation. In netnography, a significant amount of the data originates in and manifests through the digital traces of naturally occurring public conversations recorded by contemporary communications networks. Netnography uses these conversations as data. It is an interpretive research method that adapts the traditional, in-person participant observation techniques of anthropology to the study of interactions and experiences manifesting through digital communications (Kozinets 1998). The term netnography is a portmanteau combining "Internet" or "network" with "ethnography". Netnography was originally developed in 1995 by marketing professor Robert Kozinets as a tool to analyse online fan discussions about the Star Trek franchise.
  • Digital Diplomacy
    Often, transformation projects are less likely to fail due to a lack of willingness, too tight budgets, or too little speed, but rather because of the different mindsets and professional and cultural prejudices of those involved. With “Digital Diplomacy” we provide, in the form of training, exercises, and excursions, for a better understanding between the so-called “old” and “new” world.

applied services:

  • Assessments
    You're comfortable with your core business. Now you're going for a new market or are simply interested in getting a professional, external opinion on your innovative idea? We assess it quickly, to the point, and based on cutting-edge expertise. As a result you get a personal presentation face to face and a brief evaluation in writing. Some exemplary causes for assessments usually are: - Market Opportunities - Digital Fitness - Organisational Innovation Culture - (Dark) Data Potential
  • Moderation
    You produce a conference, trade exhibition, panel, or show to foster your business and need a serious, well reputed moderator? We’re here to support you with our carefully selected team of moderators from subtle, elegant and smart journalists to straight-forward, canny business guys. Please drop us a line to express your interest here.    
  • Advisory
    For a decent amount of time and – much more importantly – with intense practical experience we have specialised in change and innovation culture across industries, cultures, and generations. So, once you think you should get some seriously senior expertise aboard for your project, we're happy to look into your request.   Typically, moments that involve the following topics suggest the need to talk to us. Yet, this list is not exclusive. Basically, if you've read through this and made it to this point: we're happy to hear from you - even if it's about your wedding. - Innovation Formats - Intercultural Diplomacy - Creative Direction
  • Design
    Innovation and change needs the participation of the people on whom you rely to make things happen. This is where the art of design comes into play. Because without a professional, desirable design, all communication is wasted (aka nothing). If your change or innovation project is no fun - it's basically dead before you have even begun to activate it. So, may we encourage you to make things attractive, even “sexy”? Please. We support you with: - Ideation - Art Direction - Creative Direction
  • Match Making
    We've been running our business for more than 15 years. Since the first day, we've placed special emphasis on our network of high potential thought leaders, change makers, and multiplicators. Once you've comprehensibly explained your specific interest to us, there's a high likelihood that we have some very capable human beings for you who you should get to know to foster your interest. We do this based on trust and high moral standards, so you might hear us answer “no” as well if we feel we shouldn't act. But please: try us. The people we like to match with you typically are of the following kind (globally): - Innovation Thought Leaders - Change Makers - Strategic Investors - Substantial Entrepreneurs

credits:

 

Leonhard Zintl

Client CEO

Volksbank Mittweida

 

Miriam Stareprawo-Hoffmann

Client Conference Director

Volksbank Mittweida

 

Sonja Hahn-Tomer

Client Conference Producer

Volksbank Mittweida

 

Alexey Lysenkov

Art Direktion

gannaca

 

Christina Schlich

Production Manager

gannaca

 

Christopher P. Peterka

CIO

gannaca