At this year’s annual end-of-year collab meeting in Hamburg, we took a closer look at what we have learned in 2024 by bringing together our local groups with an open invite to other community members, a few selected speakers and created a curated packed afternoon with a dozen lightning talks.
Attending this year was a bigger crowd than past years — a diverse set of digital leaders from large, complex and global organisations like Canyon, Jungheinrich, Lufthansa, OTTO alongside agencies such as Diconium and Thoughtworks as well as software firms like CoreMedia, Magnolia, Staffbase and a few other friends from near and far.
Employee communication platform software firm Haiilo hosted us in their charming offices, which was a fitting scene for learning and networking.
Read moreWe all work to live. But we feel most alive at work, when we are doing something that seems valuable.
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the very essence of work. Beyond just automation and efficiency, AI holds the promise of making our work more meaningful—but it also poses significant risks.
Richard Harbridge, Chief Technology Officer and Microsoft 365 MVP at Toronto-based Microsoft partner 2toLead, joined a recent members' call, where he unpacked how AI can both enhance and challenge the value of our work.
We delved into the double-edged nature of AI adoption, exploring how it can amplify our skills, foster innovation, and drive deeper connections in the workplace. But with these opportunities come real concerns: AI’s potential to devalue human expertise, disrupt roles, and reshape what we consider valuable in our professional lives.
Richard guided us through the complexities of AI change management, offering insights into how organisations can align AI investments with employee-centric goals to create a harmonious coexistence between technology and employee intent. We also heard about actionable strategies to ensure AI empowers rather than undermines our professional growth. Finally, we wrapped up with some of the big positives and big negatives AI can have for our work.
Read moreWhat happens when you bring together leaders from different industries who are working on different fields?
Yesterday our digital transformation friends at diconium in Hamburg hosted our sold out annual Christmas member's meeting, where we had an afternoon of learning and networking across the different fields we cover incl design leadership, employee experience, digital strategy and product management.
As the legendary advisor and influential consultant Ram Charan famously said:
"Listening isn't just hearing; it requires the willingness to entertain other viewpoints - especially opposing ones"
Like a miniature version of our 3-day Aarhus conference, we made it through 10 lightning talks in a packed afternoon with quite some thought provoking perspectives. In between we had a bit time for reflections and the conversation continued over some good food.
Read moreJust last month, Dropbox announced their plans to go Virtual First. This means that remote work (outside an office) will be the primary experience for all employees and the day-to-day default for individual work, also after COVID. It also means non-linear workdays and it’s Dropbox’s take on creating a sustainable, thriving workplace for the future.
In a recent member conference call, we heard from Marc Pazcian at Dropbox on what going virtual first means in practice and how this impacts creativity and collaboration. Marc is Solutions Architect and Cultural Ambassador at Dropbox DACH region. He's based in Hamburg, Germany.
Read moreIt seems to me, that many organizations have jumped too quickly on this new buzzword and consultants and analysts alike have now found a new pot of gold after the GDPR rainbow. Don’t take my word for it, see Forrester on The Employee Experience Playbook for 2019. As one of our members said at a peer group meeting: Upon reading it, I felt like the ship had sailed and we were too late.
Read moreMost organisations are undergoing radicalchanges on many fronts. Rapid evolution onthe digital and technological fronts andchanging demographics within theworkforce are challenging conventionsacross sectors and industries. Thecombination of a new generation enteringthe workplace with fresh skills, approachesand expectations and experienced seniorsstaying on for longer means that we need tofundamentally rethink the workplace – and how we design the employee experience to make the best of this new reality.
Creating a harmonious workplace is not a new discipline, but it takes more focus and cross-departmental e!ort and coordination than ever before to get it right – given the rapid pace of change. Creating good customer experiences and mapping smooth customer journeys have been ways of gaining market share across sectors and industries for ages. Many organisations are becoming acutely aware of the importance of creating equally good experiences for their workforce if they are to attract and retain the best talent now and in the future. This growing focus on the employee experience requires skilled and experienced professionals to take the lead, bring together the may strands and pave the way ahead.
We have identified 10 pioneers who in their respective ways are making waves in terms of improving employee experiences. Some lead software start-ups, some are independents and some work for complex global organisations – privates as well as NGOs – where they are making a notable difference.
We’ll be watching these bright individuals
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