Member seminar: Corporate culture for company development and retention of employees

At the seminar held for our members today, we focused on the topic: Current trends in organizational culture and the role it plays in attracting and retaining talented employees. We started by presenting in circle, gathering information from all participants “from the edge” to build a center, an intention. Participants shared an initial question for the group and a separate term on the topic of corporate culture. Terms such as satisfaction, values, professional development, employee well-being, and flexibility were some that were mentioned.

Jean-Pierre Kallanian, the seminar host and expert on human resources continued the process with a short presentation. He explained the interesting concept of the EPIC Model (Explore, Play, Inspire, Connect), as well as how technological trends such as augmented reality, mixed reality, edge computing, blockchain, Big Data, IoT, and AI mirror current human challenges in organizations. Concepts of individual perception, multiple realities, trust, transparency, decentralization, collective consciousness, emotional intelligence, interconnectedness, ethics, and posterity were highlighted as trends. Culture is ultimately how people are treated. It is a verb rather than a noun. We forget the importance of one person’s actions. It is the behavior of many “I”s that make up the collective culture of “we”.

To further encourage participation and knowledge sharing, a World Café format was used to have participants co-operate by looking into the essence of the inquiry. This led to deeper discussions on leading by example, the role of management, openness to feedback, being proactive, employee engagement, and accepting change. Throughout the seminar, we learned practical tips and tricks on how to foster, develop, and nurture corporate culture through the power of small gestures.

Seminar attendees said they would be happy to attend the second part of the seminar as well. All participants actively participated from the following AmCham member companies: Addiko Bank, Adecco, Carlsberg Croatia, Codupo, Ecolab, EOS Matrix, Institute for Research and Education Employed Mom, Manpower, Orbico, SOS Children's Village Croatia, TMF Croatia, Valamar Riviera, Vertiv Croatia, Algebra College.