Category: Uncategorized

As of today, the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation has its registered office in Olivia Business Centre. The Foundation has joined the group of social organizations residing in Olivia CONNECT, right after the Foundation and the Marek Kamiński Institute. The meeting inaugurating the Foundation’s presence in Olivia’s CONNECT space was attended by m.in. Adam Mandziara, President of Lechia Gdańsk, Janusz Biesiada, President of the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation, Tomasz Motyka, Managing Director of Lechia Gdańsk and Maciej Grabski, President of Olivia Business Centre.

The greeting of the guests was accompanied by the traditional exchange of pennants and T-shirts of the football teams: Lechia Gdańsk and Olivia Business Centre.

^{In the photo, at the top: Maciej Grabski, Adama Mandziara, Janusz Biesiada}

Established in May 2017, the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation is based on four pillars: brotherhood, help, education and sport. One of its goals is to support the development of children and adolescents by promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. The Foundation also works to improve the conditions and quality of life of people in a difficult health or financial situation. The focus of the activities is m.in. on social care, providing assistance to upbringing, educational and care institutions, as well as activating local communities.

“Olivia CONNECT creates comfortable working conditions for the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation. Being located in one of the most modern office buildings in Gdańsk will enable us to achieve our statutory goals even more effectively. We are adjacent to many foundations and institutions dealing with charity, thanks to which we will be able to establish cooperation with them, expand the spectrum of our activities and engage in new projects – says Janusz Biesiada, President of the Lechia Gdańsk Foundation.

Numerous non-governmental organizations, m.in. associations and foundations, as well as business support institutions, have their headquarters in Olivia CONNECT. Among the residents of CONNECT are, m.in: infoShare Foundation, Marek Kamiński Foundation, Marek Kamiński Institute and Inspiring Examples Foundation, as well as the Pomeranian Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pomeranian Association of Entrepreneurs Lewiatan, GUP Job Office, Interizon ICT Cluster and BPO Education Centre – Sopot University of Applied Sciences.

“We are proud to have such distinguished residents join us. Our main goal is to create optimal conditions for cooperation, development, exchange of knowledge and experience. We want to motivate them to cooperate and implement projects that bring benefits to the entire Pomerania – emphasizes Agnieszka Zglinicka, SME Director at Olivia Business Centre. “Lechia has been actively participating in the social life of the Tri-City for years. Now, thanks Foundation, will be able to intensify its activities dedicated to supporting those in need. I am convinced that Olivia Business Centre and the residents of our business hub will be actively involved in the foundation’s projects.

Lechia Gdańsk Foundation website

Olivia Business Centre website

An interview with Leszek Szmidtke, the originator and creator of the Inspiring Examples Foundation, and Agnieszka Zglinicka, a member of the Foundation’s board and the Director of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Area at Olivia Business Centre.

The pretext for our conversation is the meeting inaugurating the public activity of the Inspiring Examples Foundation, which took place on 5 October 2017 in the Olivia Sky Club in the Olivia Business Centre. The guests of the evening were the founders, organizers, friends and business, institutional and social partners of the initiative taking up the challenge of supporting young people in making choices regarding their development and future work in Pomeranian business.

During the meeting, the Foundation’s current activities were presented, and its creators also presented recommendations for further development of the projects implemented by the Foundation. The guests could listen to words of encouragement addressed to entrepreneurs and educators to help, together with the Foundation, children and young people find their way on the labour market.

The debate, moderated by Marcin Nowicki, was attended by: Agata Hofman, PhD – director of the Gedania 1922 Kindergarten and creoGedania school and the Polish Children’s Academy, Małgorzata Gwozdz – HR director at Olivia Business Centre, Dominika Michalska – a student of one of the Tri-City high schools and Paweł Musiał – founder of MpicoSys. Dr. Hofman pointed out m.in. attention to the need to create a space for the development of young people’s talents, as it is done by the Inspiring Examples Foundation. The whole meeting was crowned with a performance by Igor Falecki. The boy not only gave a demonstration of his amazing musical skills, but also told an equally amazing story of the development of his passion – playing the drums.

–/ —

Monika Bogdanowicz (Communication Olivia Business Centre): Leszek, as a publicist and commentator on social life, you have been involved for many years in presenting us people active in the field of business and economy in Pomerania. Your next, new role in the field of promoting professional activity is just taking shape and is starting to have a direct impact on our reality. What was the impulse to establish the Inspiring Examples Foundation and what is the main goal of its activity?

Leszek Szmidtke: (Inspiring Examples Foundation): When I realised that I would not be able to return to my previous profession due to a stroke – I was a journalist and worked at Radio Gdańsk and the Institute for Market Economics – I started to help my son’s class. I wanted the students to see what a piece of economy looks like when done by good Pomeranian companies. An example came from DCT, Remontowa Shipyard, Merkus store, and it all started with a small, young company Professor Why based in the O4 Coworking in Olivia Business Centre. A long start, but extremely important. I did it primarily with my son in mind. I hoped that by looking at different examples and dimensions of entrepreneurship and workplaces, it would be easier for him to make choices later on. Maciej Grabski was a witness, organizer and participant of the first visit and it was he who told me: “Make something more out of it”. Something more, that is, not only for your children…

^{Fig. from the left: Leszek Szmidtke and Agnieszka Zglinicka}

Monika Bogdanowicz: In today’s dynamically changing world, it is difficult to identify certain elements of activity that can contribute to the success of young people in the future. What is the uniqueness of your idea of combining activities aimed at young people and innovative companies in Pomerania in one project?

Leszek Szmidtke: Entrepreneurship is not the ability to make a lot of money. Entrepreneurship is, in my opinion, a way to live an active life. By showing concrete examples of entrepreneurship, we try to tell kids in different ways: “Look for your place in life – the one where you will feel good.” Many vocational schools visit companies as typical places of future work, here department X, there department Y. We show them differently. We talk about enterprises and entrepreneurs in terms of finding one’s own path, we talk about perseverance in pursuing a goal, getting up after a fall, because it happens, and about courage. For me, it is important that a young person learns how to find their place and an occupation that will give them a sense of fulfillment. That’s how I define success. Let him look for and make mistakes when the costs are not too high.

Companies are extremely ingenious in managing the two hours that students spend with them. No two visits are the same. It’s a wealth that sometimes makes your head spin.

Our proposal is systemic and is addressed mainly to high school students who make important life decisions around their final exams. We want to reduce the number of random choices. We don’t just offer company visits. We have prepared a number of additional, attractive proposals based on our allies: Talent Development Centre, Business Incubators “Starter” and “Clipster”, Coworking O4, Pomerania Development Agency, Voivodeship Labour Office. We want to motivate students to go beyond certain ruts; That is why the infoShare foundation conducts classes “Coding for humanists”, Natalia JadźkaRysuje Klonowska “Visual Thinking”, and Rafał Dadej workshops on project management “The best party in the village/on the divide”. This is how we look for new solutions. In fact, we already have other crazy ideas that we will implement in 2018.

Monika Bogdanowicz: Agnieszka, what do you think young people who are facing the choice of a life path, a direction for further education and an apprenticeship in the profession need the most?

Agnieszka Zglinicka: There are many variables, but finding what a young person is really interested in and what they are or can be good at seems crucial. Such awareness, recognition of interest and passion can completely change the current functioning and even the whole life. This, in any case, could be a good start.

Monika Bogdanowicz: How can you directly help the participants of the action related to the foundation’s projects? How do companies that are open to participating in your initiative benefit from the project?

Agnieszka Zglinicka: Let me quote a sentence of Confucius, which illustrates our idea well: “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll remember. Let me do and I’ll understand.” This is what we have based on the activities of the Inspiring Examples Foundation. The Foundation is to open doors, giving a chance to get to know and better understand the modern business world.

In addition to visits to companies, we have workshops that allow you to get to know yourself better and acquire important skills, not necessarily related to the field of education. Asking questions, formulating problems, looking for answers on your own, but also teamwork are no less important than developing the skills necessary to cope professionally in the future.

During company visits, students also carry out mini-projects. Their fresh, sometimes even abstract view of the problem, not limited by excel or budgets, is an invaluable lesson also for managers hosting students. Companies have a chance to get to know their future staff, tell them what is really important at work and what skills, a specific job really requires from them.

People who organize visits to companies face difficult matters. With teenagers, who are not so easy to get away from their smartphones. You have to act and talk in a different way. Therefore, the program must be attractive and engaging. The most important thing in the whole project is the young people taking part in it, their future. Let’s not forget that today’s teenagers will shape our environment tomorrow. Today, we can help a little to make their work enjoyable – it will pay off for everyone.

Monika Bogdanowicz: At what stage of development are the foundation’s projects at the moment? Which companies have joined the Foundation’s activities so far?

Leszek Szmidtke: We have started the last preparatory stage before the start planned for 2018. Then we will propose a shape that will bring us closer to our goals. By the end of this year, there will be about 100 companies cooperating with us. We are very close to that number. What is important here is the quality and willingness to help. The companies gathered are an elite, carefully selected, because being an inspiring example brings with it certain responsibilities. It is not an easy task, especially since there is no single model of this type of activity, so the development of the Foundation requires a lot of effort and creativity from us. We have similar expectations of schools. It can’t just be a trip.

Monika Bogdanowicz: From the very beginning, the project has been supported by active people who create and develop leading companies and institutions in Pomerania. How do you manage to convince managers to participate and get involved in creative work with young people?

Leszek Szmidtke: It is our great asset that we managed to gather many wonderful people around the idea. Each of them is doing something and is working somewhere. Increasingly, business owners and CEOs understand that they should not only make money, but also create “something more”: for others. They see that it is necessary to go beyond their offices and gates. And increasingly, they are doing so.

The project is based on the goodwill and desire of many people. I don’t have the slightest problem with involving companies. Worse, schools are still too often closed to the world around them. I console myself that this is just the beginning and after crossing a certain limit, an avalanche will start.

Although our idea is supposed to stimulate entrepreneurship, I think that few students who take advantage of the proposal will start their own businesses. We assume that in 2018 there will be approx. 3-3.5 thousand young people; 2 or 3% of them will set up their own business. Others will look for jobs in existing companies and institutions. Let them do it, knowing what attracts them or what they are not attracted to.

I am convinced that when entering the job market, they will start their search with the companies they visited and which made a good impression on them, because they saw people working there with passion, energy and joy. Someone may say that there are no such companies in our country and that this is naivety. It’s just that I know such companies and these companies are involved in our project. Among the schools, I have also found some that I can say that I would like to send my children there. Of course, unfortunately, there are still some to which I would not send…

Monika Bogdanowicz: Leszek, your vision of the Foundation’s development assumes a real change in our society and the creation of a modern formula for educating young people. Do you encounter a lack of interest, criticism? It seems that it is difficult to break the pattern of a school trip to the workplace…

Because we are creating something new, we are making and will continue to make mistakes. At the same time, we are always open to discussion, to dissent, to constructive criticism. And still, together with those involved in the project, we are looking for ideas and examples that will be inspiring for young people.

Monika Bogdanowicz: The first year of operation is actually a big testing ground for the organizers. What was the most difficult lesson for you, and what is your daily inspiration to take on new challenges in your work on the development of the Foundation?

Leszek Szmidtke: Difficult lessons are almost every day. We have to come up with unique solutions, which then have to be verified in practice. We do not always meet with understanding, especially of teachers, especially since we also expect commitment and work from them. We are looking not only for the best ideas for students in terms of content and form, but also beneficial solutions for companies. Young people are very creative, they are looking for creative solutions. And our entrepreneurs are increasingly looking to them for inspiration.

Monika Bogdanowicz: With today’s event, the Inspiring Examples Foundation has started its public activity. How do you imagine the materialization of your vision and what should you wish for the next stages of development?

Agnieszka Zglinicka: In a few years’ time, we would like to see the effects of our current activities. To see happy young people, students learning what they are really interested in, aware of what is important to them and entrepreneurs to whom they want to apply, or are already applying at university. Satisfied, complementary and learning from each other’s young employees and their employers.

Leszek Szmidtke: I will only add that in 2018 we want to refine the idea, stabilize it and give it a long-term character. Then we can start thinking about scaling the project. In addition, we dream of creating a healthy relationship between the business world and schools. A place such as Olivia Business Centre is perfect for this.

–/–

^{Leszek Szmidtke , a historian by education, who feels quite comfortable in the economy. Journalist of Radio Gdańsk (over a quarter of a century). Winner of several international awards for his reportages and other broadcasts (mainly historical) – in a way, he is still a journalist, but in a different capacity than before. A long-time collaborator of the Institute for Market Economics. Health problems closed one chapter and opened a new one. Long-term rehabilitation (still ongoing) and help gave me the will and strength. Together with Maciej Grabski (or more precisely, his company 11 Cards) he founded the Inspiring Examples Foundation (she was one year old in August). The first steps were in the autumn of last year, and in the autumn of this year we will be quite close to the final shape and the continuation will follow…}

^{Agnieszka Zglinicka, a specialist in management, with many successes in the area of banking. Today, she is a committed member of the board of the Inspiring Examples Foundation, Director of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Area at Olivia Business Centre, Director and creator of the Olivia CONNECT project – a space that brings together business support and personal development organizations. Propagator of good education.}

^{Inspiring Examples Foundation – runs a program addressed to young people aged 16-18 based on inspiration through attractive examples of Pomeranian entrepreneurship. The aim of the project, which was created in cooperation with regional business, is to develop attitudes conducive to entrepreneurship and to raise awareness of the need to shape qualities that are not only needed by future company founders or employees, but also by citizens. The initiative not only presents students with the existing opportunities to create jobs on their own, but also supports the ability to see the need to adapt to the ever-changing requirements of the labour market (with an emphasis on the need for further education). In the Pomeranian region, especially in Gdańsk and Gdynia, there are many development opportunities for young people, mainly thanks to existing universities and enterprises – including very advanced technologies, which are increasingly thinking about their future in the long term. The richness of the Tri-City is also manifested in the existence of many educational business environment institutions, such as: Business Incubator Starter, Pomeranian Science and Technology Park or the planned Inspiration Centre, in the Olivia Star building, in the Olivia Business Centre.}

^{Contact with the Foundation:}

^{hive. Grunwaldzka 472, Gdansk
phone +48 575 008 711
Email: info@inspirujaceprzyklady.org.pl}

 

 

Interview with Leszek Szmidtke, originator and creator of Inspirące Technologie Foundation and Agnieszka Zglinicka, a member of Foundation’s management board and Director of the area of small and medium sized enterprises in Olivia Business Centre.

The pretext for our conversation is a meeting, which inaugurates public activity of Inspiring Examples Foundation, which was held on October 5, 2017 in Olivia Sky Club at Olivia Business Centre. Among guests there were founders, organisers, friends, as well as business, institutional and social partners of the initiative, which takes up the challenge to support young people in making choices concerning their development and future work in Pomeranian business.

During the meeting, previous Foundation’s projects were presented, its creators presented also recommendations of further development of projects carried out by the Foundation. Guests had an opportunity to listen to some words of encouragement addressed to entrepreneurs and educators to make them more willing to help, together with the Foundation, children and young people to find their feet in labour market.

The following persons took part in a debate conducted by Marcin Nowicki: Agata Hofman, PhD – director of Gedania Kindergarten 1922 and creoGedania school, as well as Polish Academy of Children, Małgorzata Gwozdz – HR director at Olivia Business Centre, Dominika Michalska – a student in one of Tricity high schools and Paweł Musiał – founder of MpicoSys. Agata Hofman paid attention, among other things, to the need to create space, where young people could develop their talents – and this is what Inspiring Examples Foundation deals with. The meeting was crowned by the performance of Igor Falecki. The boy not only demonstrated his incredible music skills, but also talked about the amazing history of his passion’s development – playing the drums.

— / —

Monika Bogdanowicz (Olivia Business Centre Communication): Leszek, as a publicist and commentator of social life, for many years you have been engaged in showing us people who are active in the field of Pomeranian business and economy. Your another, new role in the scope of promoting professional activity is becoming more realistic and is starting to directly influence our reality. What was an impulse to set up Inspiring Examples Foundation and what is the main aim of its activity?

Leszek Szmidtke: (Inspiring examples of Foundation): When I realised that because of my stroke I will not be able to come back to my previous profession – I was a journalist and I worked in Radio Gdańsk and the Institute for Market Economics – I began to help my son’s class. I wanted students to see how a great part of economy looks like when performed by good, Pomeranian companies. DCT, Ship Repair Yard and Merkus shop gave the example and everything began with small, young company named Professor Why, based in O4 Co-working at Olivia Business Centre. It was a long, but extremely important beginning. I did all these things most of all for my son’s sake. I hoped that by seeing various examples and dimensions of entrepreneurship and workplaces, he will find it easier to make future choices. Maciej Grabski was a witness, organiser and participant of the first visit and he told me: “Do something more with it”. Something more, it means not only for my children…

^{Photo, from the left: Leszek Szmidtke and Agnieszka Zglinicka}

Monika Bogdanowicz: In such a dynamically changing world it is difficult to indicate some elements of activity, which may contribute to young people’s successes in the future. Why is your idea to combine in one project actions addressed to young people and innovative Pomeranian companies so unique?

Leszek Szmidtke: Entrepreneurship is not an ability to earn a lot of money. Entrepreneurship is, in my opinion, a way to lead an active life. By showing specific examples of entrepreneurship, we try to tell kids in a variety of ways: “Search for your place in life where you will feel good”. Many vocational schools visit companies as typical, future workplaces, here we have X department, there is Y department. We show it in a different way. We talk about enterprises and entrepreneurs while relating to searching for your own path, we talk about persistence in pursuing objectives, picking yourself up if you fall, because such things also happen, and about courage. For me, the most important thing is to teach a young person how to find his or her place and activity, which will make him or her feel complete. This is my definition of success. Young people should search and make mistakes when costs are not really high.

In any case, companies are very creative while planning two hours, which students spend there. There are no two same visits. This is a diversity, which may sometimes make your head spin.

Our offer is of a systemic character and is addressed mainly to high school students, who will make important life decisions around matura exam time. We want to limit the number of random choices. We offer not only visits in companies. We prepared many additional, attractive offers based on our allies: Talent Development Centre, “Starter” and “Clipster” Entrepreneurship Incubators, O4 Co-working, Pomerania Development Agency, Voivodeship Labour Office. We want to motivate students to go off the beaten track; that is why, infoShare foundation runs classes called “Coding for humanists”, Natalia JadźkaRysuje Klonowska runs “Visual thinking” and Rafał Dadej runs project management workshops called “The best party in the village / district”. In this way, we look for new solutions. In any case, we have other crazy ideas, which we are going to implement in 2018.

Monika Bogdanowicz: Agnieszka, what, in your opinion, do young people, who are about to choose their life path, direction of further education and begin professional internship, need most?

Agnieszka Zglinicka: There are many variables, but finding the subject which is interesting for a young person and at which he or she is or can be good seems to be crucial. Such awareness, identification of the area of interest, passion can completely change current way of functioning and even the whole life. Anyway, it can be a good beginning.

Monika Bogdanowicz: How can you directly help participants of the action connected with foundation’s projects? How do companies, which are open to participation in your initiative, benefit from the project?

Agnieszka Zglinicka: I will advert a maxim of Confucius, which illustrates our idea in a nice way: “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand“. This is the basis of Inspiring Examples Foundation’s activity. The Foundation is supposed to open the door, giving an opportunity to get to know and understand the modern world of business better.

That is why, besides visits in companies, we have workshops which make it possible to get to know yourself better and gain vital skills, not necessarily connected with the direction of education. Asking questions, formulating problems, searching for answers independently, but also team work, are not less important than developing skills, which are essential to do well professionally in the future.

During visits in companies, students carry out also mini-projects. Their fresh, sometimes even abstract look at the problem, which is not limited by Excel or budgets, is a priceless lesson also for managers who host students. Companies have a chance to get to know future staff, show them what is really important at work and what, which skills a certain job really requires from them.

People who organise such visits in companies, don’t have an easy task. They have to cope with teenagers, who are not so easy to be pulled away from smartphones. We have to act and talk in a different way. That is why, programme needs to be attractive and engaging. Because in the whole project young people and their future are the most important. Let’s not forget that tomorrow present teenagers will be creating our environment. Today we can help them enjoy they work – it will be beneficial for everybody.

Monika Bogdanowicz: On which stage of development are currently Foundation’s projects? Which companies have supported Foundation’s activities so far?

Leszek Szmidtke: We have begun the last preparatory phase before the start, which is planned for 2018. Then, we will suggest the shape, which is supposed to bring us closer to assumed objectives. By the end of current year, about 100 companies will have been working with us. We are approaching this number. At the same time, quality and willingness to help are important. Gathered enterprises are a carefully selected elite because being an inspiring example involves specific responsibilities. It is not an easy task, especially given the fact that there is no one pattern of such an activity. That is why, Foundation’s development requires from us a lot of effort and creativity. We have similar expectations when it comes to schools. It can’t be just a trip.

Monika Bogdanowicz: From the beginning of its activity, the project is supported by active people, who create and develop leading companies and institutions in Pomeranian region. How do you manage to convince managers to participate and get engaged in creative work with the youth?

Leszek Szmidtke: This is our huge asset that we managed to gather so many wonderful people around this idea. Each of them does something and is active somewhere. The owners and directors of companies begin to understand that they should not only earn money, but also create “something more”: for others. They know that they need to go beyond their offices and gates. And they do it more and more often.

The project is based on goodwill and willingness of many people. I don’t have any problems with engaging companies. Worse situation concerns schools, which are still very often closed to the surrounding world. I take comfort in the fact that this is just the beginning and the avalanche will start after crossing a certain border.

Admittedly, our idea is supposed to encourage entrepreneurship, but I think that not many students who benefit from the offer, will set up their own companies. We assume that in 2018 there will be about 3-3.5 thousand young people in Pomeranian labour market; 2 or 3% of them will set up their own business activity. The rest of them will be looking for jobs in existing companies and institutions. They can do it, but they should know what is attractive for them and what is not.

I am convinced that when they enter labour market, they will start their searching with companies, which they visited and which made a good impression on them because they saw people who worked there with passion, energy and joy. Someone may say that there are no such enterprises in our country and such way of thinking is naive. But I know such companies and they are engaged in our project. I also found some schools, to which I would like to send my children. Of course, unfortunately, there are still some schools, to which I wouldn’t like to send my children…

Monika Bogdanowicz: Leszek, your vision of Foundation’s development implies a real change in our society and creating a modern formula of educating the youth. Do you face lack of interest or criticism? It seems that it is difficult to break the pattern of school trip to a workplace…

Because of the fact that we create something new, we make and will make mistakes. However, we are open to discussions, different opinions and constructive criticism. Still, together with people engaged in the project, we are searching for new ideas and examples, which will be inspiring for young people.

Monika Bogdanowicz: The first year of activity is like a big training ground for organisers. What was the most difficult lesson for you and what is an everyday inspiration to take up new challenges while working on Foundation’s development?

Leszek Szmidtke: We have difficult lessons nearly every day. We need to come up with unique solutions, which then have to be verified in practice. We are not always understood, especially by teachers, mainly because we expect them to be engaged and to work. We don’t only search for the best – in terms of content and form – ideas for students, but we also search for beneficial solutions for companies. Young people are very creative. They look for creative solutions. Our entrepreneurs very often perceive them as inspiration.

Monika Bogdanowicz: With today’s event, Inspiring Examples Foundation began its public activity. How do you imagine the materialisation of your vision and what should I wish you for the next stages of development?

Agnieszka Zglinicka: In some years’ time we would like to see the effects of our current activities. We would like to see happy young people, students who learn things which are interesting for them and who are aware of what is important for them and for companies they would like to work for after or already during their studies. We would like to see satisfied, young workers and their employers, who complement each other and learn from each other.

Leszek Szmidtke: I would like to add that in 2018 we want to refine the idea, make it stable and give it multiannual character. Then we will be able to start thinking about project scaling. What is more, we dream of creating healthy relations between the world of business and schools. Olivia Business Centre is a perfect place to do this.

— /–

^{Leszek Szmidtke, a historian, who feels quite well in the area of economy. A journalist in Radio Gdańsk (for more than a quarter of century). The winner of some international awards for reportages and other broadcasts (mainly historical ones) – in some way, he is still a journalist, but of different nature than before. A long-term collaborator of the Institute for Market Economics. Health problems closed this chapter, but opened a new one. Long-term rehabilitation (which still continues) and help gave him willingness and strength. Together with Maciej Grabski (and more precisely his company – 11 Cards) he set up Inspiring Examples Foundation (in August it became one-year old). First steps were taken in autumn last year and this year in autumn, we will be very close to our target shape and the story will be continued…}

^{Agnieszka Zglinicka, a management specialist with many successes in the scope of banking. Today she is a dedicated member of Inspiring Examples Foundation management board, Director of the area of small and medium sized enterprises at Olivia Business Centre, Director and creator of Olivia CONNECT project – a space concentrating business and personal development support organisations. A propagator of good education.}

^Inspiring

^Foundation Examples

^{– it runs a programme addressed to young people between 16 and 18 years old, which aim is to inspire by showing attractive examples of Pomeranian entrepreneurship. The aim of the project, which was created in cooperation with regional business, is to develop attitudes which foster entrepreneurship and make people aware that we need to shape features, which are important not only for future creators of companies or workers, but also citizens. The initiative shows students not only existing opportunities for independent creation of workplaces, but also supports the abilities to notice the need to adjust to new labour market requirements (with the emphasis on further education). In Pomeranian region, especially in Gdańsk and Gdynia, there are many development opportunities for young people, especially thanks to higher education schools and entrepreneurships – including highly advanced technologies, which more and more often think about their future in the long term perspective. Tricity’s diversity manifests in the existence of many institutions of business environment with educational character, such as Starter Entrepreneurship Incubator, Pomeranian Scientific and Technological Park or planned Centre of Inspiration in Olivia Star building at Olivia Business Centre.}

^{Contact with Foundation:}

^{hive. Grunwaldzka 472, Gdansk
telephone +48 575 008 711
Email: info@inspirujaceprzyklady.org.pl}

 

OLIVIA SPORTS 2017/18
Date	Time	Team #1	Team #2	Result
MATCHDAY 1
25.10	19.00	Epam	Athos	2	7
25.10	20.30	CCC	Pomerania Development Agency	5	7
26.10	19.00	HK Finance	CityFit	10	8
26.10	20.30	DTN Energa	Omida	12	12
02.11	19.00	Staples	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	4	9
02.11	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	PwC	4	6
08.11	19.00	Energa Obrót	Thyssenkrupp	5	10
08.11	20.30	Ricoh	Bayer	2	37
MATCHDAY 2
09.11	19.00	Pomerania Development Agency	Epam	8	5
09.11	20.30	CityFit	Athos	14	2
15.11	19.00	Omida	CCC	13	11
15.11	20.30	Bayer	HK Finance	2	20
16.11	19.00	Thyssenkrupp	Staples	16	6
16.11	20.30	Energa Obrót	Olivia Business Centre	6	2
22.11	19.00	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	DTN Energa	5	1
22.11	20.30	PwC	Ricoh	46	0
MATCHDAY 3
23.11	19.00	Epam	CityFit	4	12
23.11	20.30	Pomerania Development Agency	Omida	3	26
29.11	19.00	Athos	Bayer	5	6
29.11	20.30	CCC	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	2	8
30.11	19.00	HK Finance	PwC	3	3
30.11	20.30	Staples	Olivia Business Centre	5	11
06.12	19.00	Ricoh	Energa Obrót	2	11
06.12	20.30	DTN Energa	Thyssenkrupp	2	4
MATCHDAY 4
07.12	19.00	Omida	Epam	13	5
07.12	20.30	Bayer	CityFit	3	6
13.12	19.00	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	Pomerania Development Agency	18	4
13.12	20.30	PwC	Athos	9	8
14.12	19.00	Staples	Ricoh	12	1
14.12	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	DTN Energa	2	13
20.12	19.00	Energa Obrót	HK Finance	7	7
20.12	20.30	Thyssenkrupp	CCC	16	14
MATCHDAY 5
21.12	19.00	Epam	Bayer	2	7
21.12	20.30	Omida	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	20	3
27.12	19.00	Athos	Energa Obrót	3	9
27.12	20.30	Pomerania Development Agency	Thyssenkrupp	7	15
28.12	19.00	HK Finance	Staples	16	5
28.12	20.30	CCC	Olivia Business Centre	11	14
03.01	19.00	CityFit	PwC	12	1
03.01	20.30	DTN Energa	Ricoh	5	0
MATCHDAY 6
04.01	19.00	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	Epam	15	3
04.01	20.30	Staples	Athos	5	8
10.01	19.00	Energa Obrót	CityFit	1	9
10.01	20.30	Thyssenkrupp	Omida	7	9
11.01	19.00	PwC	Bayer	7	4
11.01	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	Pomerania Development Agency	7	7
17.01	19.00	Ricoh	CCC	5	23
17.01	20.30	DTN Energa	HK Finance	4	10
MATCHDAY 7
18.01	19.00	Epam	PwC	4	7
18.01	20.30	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	Thyssenkrupp	4	9
24.01	19.00	Bayer	Energa Obrót	12	6
24.01	20.30	CityFit	Staples	17	7
25.01	19.00	Pomerania Development Agency	Ricoh	13	5
25.01	20.30	Omida	Olivia Business Centre	25	11
31.01	19.00	Athos	DTN Energa	8	9
31.01	20.30	CCC	HK Finance	6	9
MATCHDAY 8
01.02	19.00	Thyssenkrupp	Epam	7	5
01.02	20.30	Energa Obrót	PwC	7	12
07.02	19.00	Ricoh	Omida	6	20
07.02	20.30	DTN Energa	CityFit	5	7
08.02	19.00	Staples	Bayer	5	9
08.02	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	8	12
14.02	19.00	HK Finance	Pomerania Development Agency	22	4
14.02	20.30	CCC	Athos	0	5
MATCHDAY 9
15.02	19.00	PwC	Staples	6	4
15.02	20.30	Thyssenkrupp	Olivia Business Centre	42	1
21.02	19.00	Epam	Energa Obrót	3	3
21.02	20.30	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	Ricoh	16	1
22.02	19.00	Bayer	DTN Energa	11	5
22.02	20.30	Omida	HK Finance	0	5
28.02	19.00	Pomerania Development Agency	Athos	1	13
28.02	20.30	CityFit	CCC	10	5
MATCHDAY 10
01.03	19.00	Staples	Energa Obrót	2	7
01.03	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	Epam	3	5
07.03	19.00	Ricoh	Thyssenkrupp	8	12
07.03	20.30	DTN Energa	PwC	7	4
08.03	19.00	HK Finance	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	9	7
08.03	20.30	CCC	Bayer	0	5
14.03	19.00	Athos	Omida	7	17
14.03	20.30	Pomerania Development Agency	CityFit	2	28
MATCHDAY 11
15.03	19.00	Epam	Staples	6	8
15.03	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	Ricoh	6	6
21.03	19.00	Energa Obrót	DTN Energa	4	7
21.03	20.30	Thyssenkrupp	HK Finance	0	5
22.03	19.00	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	Athos	8	6
22.03	20.30	PwC	CCC	4	5
28.03	19.00	Bayer	Pomerania Development Agency	19	5
28.03	20.30	Omida	CityFit	13	6
MATCHDAY 12
29.03	19.00	Ricoh	Epam	0	5
29.03	20.30	DTN Energa	Staples	6	6
04.04	19.00	CCC	Energa Obrót	10	4
04.04	20.30	Pomerania Development Agency	PwC	5	13
05.04	19.00	Athos	Thyssenkrupp	10	6
05.04	20.30	HK Finance	Olivia Business Centre	19	2
11.04	19.00	Omida	Bayer	0	5
11.04	20.30	CityFit	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	9	5
MATCHDAY 13
12.04	19.00	Epam	DTN Energa	5	7
12.04	20.30	Ricoh	HK Finance	5	18
18.04	19.00	Energa Obrót	Pomerania Development Agency	11	3
18.04	20.30	Thyssenkrupp	CityFit	5	10
19.04	19.00	Staples	CCC	4	9
19.04	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	Athos	3	17
25.04	19.00	PwC	Omida	7	12
25.04	20.30	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	Bayer	9	3
MATCHDAY 14
26.04	19.00	HK Finance	Epam	9	4
26.04	20.30	CCC	DTN Energa	5	2
09.05	19.00	Omida	Energa Obrót	22	3
09.05	20.30	Athos	Ricoh	15	4
10.05	19.00	Pomerania Development Agency	Staples	8	11
10.05	20.30	CityFit	Olivia Business Centre	5	0
16.05	19.00	Bayer	Thyssenkrupp	7	2
16.05	20.30	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	PwC	11	4
MATCHDAY 15
17.05	19.00	HK Finance	Athos	10	5
17.05	20.30	Epam	CCC	6	11
23.05	19.00	DTN Energa	Pomerania Development Agency	19	6
23.05	20.30	Ricoh	CityFit	0	5
24.05	19.00	Staples	Omida	8	18
24.05	20.30	Olivia Business Centre	Bayer	0	5
30.05	19.00	Energa Obrót	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	0	5
30.05	20.30	Thyssenkrupp	PwC	3	12

 

	TEAM	GP	PTS	GD
1	HK Finance	14	38	97
2	CityFit	14	36	90
3	Omida	14	32	107
4	Bayer	14	30	22
5	Lechia Gdańsk Foundation	14	30	37
6	PwC	14	25	6
7	thyssenkrupp	14	23	45
8	DTN Energa	14	22	14
9	Athos	14	18	7
10	Energa Obrót	14	14	-34
11	CCC	14	13	-13
12	Staples	14	7	-66
13	Pomerania Development Agency	14	7	-142
14	Olivia Business Centre	14	5	-110
15	Epam	14	4	-60
16	Ricoh	x	x	x

The right to postpone the match was exercised by: PwC, Olivia Business Centre, Lechia Gdańsk Foundation, Ricoh, Atos, Thyssenkrupp, Bayer, Pomerania Development Agency, Staples, CCC, Omida, HK Finance, DTN Energa.

 

 

 

Recently in Olivia Star’s hall, we can admire pottery and paintings of great Tricity artists: Dorota Krzyżanowska, Gertruda Wilczopolska and Wiesław Grzech (his works come from the private collection of Lidia Rutkowska).

This is another part of Olivia Business Centre’s project, which supports and promotes our artists. Previously, among the artists who presented their works in Olivia, were for example artists from WL4.

The exhibition will last till March 23, 2018. The works will also be presented in other Olivia Business Centre’s buildings.

All of them are for sale. If you are interested, please contact marketing department: marketing@oliviacentre.com.

Barbara Matysiak, a chairperson of Artimpres.me agency, is a co-organiser of the exhibition

About artists:

DOROTA KRZYŻANOWSKA. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, she was awarded a degree of Master of Arts in 1985 (diploma in easel painting at the Painting and Graphics Faculty under the supervision of professor Kazimierz Ostrowski and annex in graphics under supervision of professor Czesław Tumielewicz). Her works are presented in galleries and private collections in Germany, Poland, France, USA, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sweden, Canada, England and many other countries. The artist specialises in easel painting, watercolour painting techniques, drawing and her own techniques, including innovative digital techniques. She also deals with multimedia and photography. She cooperates with publishing companies as a designer of graphic layout of publishing series, illustrations, etc. She is an expert in fast “capturing” of a certain energy of a moment – emotions, observations, feelings, movement. She attaches great importance to facial expressions of characters. Sometimes, drawing lasts only some seconds. However, preparing her mind to create this clear and unambiguous message can last long. She likes creating while listening to natural music – sacred songs, ethnic and meditative music from all over the world.

GERTRUDE WILCZOPOLSKA. As an artist, she has been fulfilling herself for 45 years. She studied art at the Faculty of Painting at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She obtained a diploma in 1960. She works with various art techniques, for example: painting, medallic art, unique textile – tapestry, small sculpture forms and also rare painting technique with the usage of glaze on large-format ceramic tiles. Many times, she has participated in collective and individual exhibitions in Poland and abroad (for example in the USA, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Great Britain). She likes sharing practical secrets of fine arts. On the occasion of 100th anniversary of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers, in 2011 she received lifetime achievement award from the Mayor of Gdynia. She hopes that her works fill people with optimism, give hope that even from bad things, which occur in our lives, good things can be born, which are drawn from the source of all love, and she also hopes that grey every-day reality will not overshadow beauty.

WIESŁAW GRZECH. He spent his childhood and youth in Gdynia, in Orłowo district, which has always been his inspiration. He painted the Orłowo Cliff, beaches in Orłowo, pier. Gdynia is his history, there began his journey, which he started by making Gdynia famous thanks to his painting, which is well-known in many places around the world. Wiesław Grzech’s painting: first impression – unusual amount of light. Second impression: continuous spinning of the world, his repeatability. “I am a self-taught man” – he says about himself, however he took the environment of artists by storm, rocked the boat and raised standards for professionals. Wiesław Grzech began to paint at the age of 12. At that time, he created his first oil paintings, sea landscapes. He is fascinated with nature, observes its beauty and perfectly catches its harmony, what is reflected in his paintings: sometimes realistic, sometimes melancholic and brooding…. Wiesław Grzech’s self-generated talent is developing thanks to continuous creative work and searching. He evolved from post-impressionist form to the form peculiar only to an artist. Wiesław Grzech’s works have travelled nearly across the whole Europe. That’s where they find their recipients.

Wiesław Grzech’s works were made available thanks to the kindness of Mrs Lidia Rutkowska (private collection).

The 5th Oliwa Run, which is a cult event for many Tri-City runners, is behind us. The run is organized by the Oliwa District Council, the “Strong in Body, Steadfast in Spirit” Foundation and the Sportevo Triathlon Team. Olivia Business Centre was the patron of the event:) It could not be otherwise, after all, we are part of the Oliwa community and we are committed to supporting local initiatives that allow us to get to know each other better and cooperate better and better.

As the organizers say about the initiative: “This is an extraordinary event, because the intimacy and atmosphere of the place are conducive to the unique atmosphere of a family running festival.”

This year, the entire route ran along the well-known, picturesque paths of the Tri-City Landscape Park. The start of the run was located at the entrance to the forest from Jelenia Street (near AWfiS). The competition took place over two distances: 5 km (1 loop) and 10 km (2 loops).

Olivia was represented by a team of ten daredevils. As Monika says: ” It’s a fantastic event, with an amazing atmosphere, which also results from the natural conditions of the route. It is a unique opportunity to be able to run by the sea, on a route with such varied conditions, altitude and terrain. Numerous mountain sections give you a chance to experience unique emotions and enjoy running. This year, the weather and the mood of many participants, over 500, were also good. We will definitely be back on the paths of Oliwa next year!”

Results of the Oliwa Run

Recently we recommended a seminar ran by Bob Dignen, our guest from United Kingdom. Bob is an expert in international leadership training and coaching. He is a Director at York Associates, a training company in the UK. We were happy to host Bob during the “Let’s Talk Business vol. 2” event organized by LEC CENTRE and York Associates in Olivia Sky Club, where he trained those present on how to effectively communicate in an international business setting.

“Let’s Talk Business” is a series of meeting for people who work in an international environment. They host international experts who share their knowledge and insight that helps to work more effectively with foreign business partners and clients. Let’s Talk Business is meant for managers and business owners who run branches of global corporations, work in international teams or sell their products and services on foreign markets.

This year’s seminar, titled “Effective leadership for international business” consisted of a 3-part workshop delivered by Bob Dignen. An introductory key note was delivered by Krzysztof Herdzik, a manager with over 15 years of experience in the business process off shoring industry, on managing diversified global teams in the light of the 4. technical revolution.

–/ —

Monika Bogdanowicz (Communications Olivia Business Centre): What differs working in a local environment from working in an international setting?

Bob Dignen (Specialist English and international communication training, York Associates, Author, numerous titles including ‘Leading International Projects’): The answers to this question are not what you might assume. For example, if you try to think yourself of the three major differences. After not a lot of thought you will probably decide on terms such as ‘language’, ‘culture’ and ‘time zones and distance’. These common sense notions are certainly part of the issue, but more fundamentally it’s about coping with four challenging dimensions.

Firstly, there are the higher levels of uncertainty – working with strangers, communicating in a foreign language so that you cannot be sure of the effective transfer of meaning). Then you have higher levels of complexity – life internationally tends to involve more complex projects and activities. Thirdly, the curious paradoxes of one’s own company – dealing with the lack of clear responsibilities and priorities in one’s own global-local environment, where organisations seems to have become disorganisation. Finally, diversity: with a greater range of perspectives, beliefs and professional behaviours which makes collaboration difficult. A word of warning. Don’t overestimate the role of national culture.

We love to think in terms of Poles, Americans, Brits, Germans etc. But this high level of abstraction is generally not very helpful in understanding the individuals in front of us. Remember, we never meeting cultures. We only meet individuals.

Monika Bogdanowicz: How to enhance dialogue in teams to reduce the risk of conflict and verying understanding of basic terms?

Bob Dignen: Human beings think about dialogue and conversation in very different ways. Some are long talkers, some are short. Some are direct, some are indirect. Despite the diversity, all of us have to manage three choices – we say nothing (silence), we talk at someone or we ask questions. The feedback from experienced international operators is very clear. We need to ask more when working in an international context. It generates learning. It can show respect. It includes different points of view in the decision making to support innovation. And clarification questions which confirm mutual understanding are gold.

Sounds simple? Yet human beings, having observed them for the last twenty years very closely, seem strangely reluctant to ask questions. Why? Fear, perhaps. Fear of looking stupid or incompetent. Fear of being seen to challenge the other. It’s a misplaced fear. Get asking questions deep into individual and organisational behaviour and things simply work better.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What would you suggest to managers who notice issues with ineffective communication in their teams and companies?

Bob Dignen: Of course, it will depend on which kind of ineffective communication is observed. Perhaps a simple piece of advice would be to … do something about it. Offer feedback. Coach people to become curious about their own behaviour and the impacts it can have on others. Create an environment where people can make mistakes safely, and learn from those mistakes. In a world of uncertainty, complexity, paradox and diversity, mistakes are inevitable. Of course, there’s also another answer to this question. Start to doubt that what you see as ineffective is actually ineffective. Stigmatising another as less effective is something we all love to do – it protects our sense of self and the illusion that we are good and others are bad.

Fundamentally, seeing the good in others’ behaviours which might superficially be seen as irritating or unprofessional, this is the real art of management, perhaps leadership.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What tips would you give to a manager trying to facilitate a positive attitude within an international team?

Bob Dignen: ‘Positive’ is difficult these days. People are generally overworked; they feel they are underpaid, and many feel under appreciated to the extent that they have begun to lose faith in their own management. Low staff engagement surveys bear testament to this phenomenon. I think a number of things breed positive emotions.

People like to feel appreciated – so positive feedback, a word of thanks really helps. People need to feel a sense of purpose and progress. So leaders need to provide a working framework which allows these two dimensions to be identified and lived. People also want to develop themselves, and feel that they are growing as people and professionals, and working along some form of loosely defined career path. A simple piece of advice to managers, to ensure these things are secured in people’s work experience, is to have regular informal 1:1s with their staff, once a month or bimonthly.

These personal check-ins are often undervalued by senior management and yet they can yield so much – motivation, alignment of perspectives and learning for the manager on what the workforce is actually thinking and experiencing.

Monika Bogdanowicz: How can a team of culturally diversified individuals positively impact the company’s value as a brand and what can managers do to utilise the team’s diversity for creating a competitive advantage?

Bob Dignen: Most companies define their brand as being one which respects and embraces diversity. I’m not sure diversity as such is a competitive advantage because, well, everyone’s doing it. Whether people are doing it well, probably not, is another question but I think diversity is becoming almost tired in a sense as a brand support. And remember, diversity is not always and only a positive. Diversity of belief, competence, priority and strategic perspective leads to huge fragmentation is organisations. This is why managers have to work so hard to onboard, to align, to build mutual commitment to a common goal. That’s not diversity, that’s uniformity.

I’m not sure that organisations have a fully coherent understanding of their relationship to diversity.

Monika Bogdanowicz: As human beings we prefer to work with people like us and by analogy we avoid situations where we face the unfamiliar (cultures, norms etc). How to manage communication to create a culture of effective communication in a team?

Bob Dignen: Some people enjoy the alien, the unfamiliar and can thrive on walking into unknown territories. They are few and far between, but there are some out there. The question, however, is around communication and creating a culture of communication. The simple advice is to communicate more about communication. Talk about expectations. Talk about experiences. Talk about frustrations. Talk about customer impact of poor communication.

And from the discussion, build action points – sometime singular but sometimes more general about how communication should be lived in general within the team, e.g. emails should be replied to in 24 hours, frustration should be communicated face to face, no silence is allowed on conference calls – people need to say what they think.

Ground rules and guidelines for behaviour, without making them artificial and hence redundant immediately, can be useful. And remember things like ‘listening’ and ‘openness’ are not behaviours. A behaviour is something tangible. Listening as a behaviour means saying nothing, for example, or making a noise, to show you agree and value or just understand. Different behaviours which mean the same thing cause confusion and inefficiency in teams, so why not agree which behaviours mean what, have which value and then do them.

‘Yes, but…’ can be seen by some teams as constructive searching for the truth; by others as a form of destructive negativity. For a team to be really effective, it needs to discuss behaviours and perhaps set rules. Curiously, after discussion, and I know what your behaviours mean, we often don’t need to align because I just know what you mean.

It’s so simple and yet curiously ignored as a focal point by international teams.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What are, according to you, the key success factors when working internationally?

Bob Dignen: There are no golden rules. Life is always situational and complex. However, staying aware, acting thoughtfully and taking the opportunity to learn through feedback if were successful or not, can be recommended. And don’t forget, international working life is not all about stress and challenge. It’s an amazing opportunity to engage with our world, and create a better future together for the next generations. Looking at the politicians around us these days, if we don’t do it, who will, I wonder?

Monika Bogdanowicz: Thanks a lot, Bob for your inspirational talk and recommendations for our business owner’s and employers.

–/ —

^{Bob Dignen. Bob has worked in the field of business and specialist English and international communication training for over twenty-five years. He delivers professional language training both in the UK and internationally, and also runs seminars and coaches in the field of international team and leadership competence. As an author, he has published numerous titles including ‘Leading International Projects’ (Kogan Page), ‘Managing Projects’ (Delta Publishing and York Associates), ‘Communication for International Business’ (Harper Collins) and ‘English for International Business Communication’ (Harper Collins). Bob delivers interactive presentations and speeches at professional English language conferences, and has also spoken at the events of professional bodies such as Toastmasters in France, the global IPMA conference (International Project Management Association) and regional CIPD workshops (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development). In his free time, Bob enjoys jogging and photography. He is also a trustee of International Service, an overseas development charity.}

^{York Associates is owned and run by Claret Holdings Ltd together with Bob Dignen, Richard Hawker, and Mike Hogan, who hold Executive Directorship roles. YA is supported by its excellent team of teachers, trainers and staff, all of whom help us to deliver high quality English language, professional communication, intercultural and leadership training. York Associates has been offering training in the language and communication field for over thirty years. It is well known in the international communication field through its publishing of books, multimedia materials, articles and conference presentations. In 2014 York Associates became a member of the Claret Group, which has training centres in the UK and on Malta.}

 

The interview is also available in English here.

Recently, we invited you to a seminar led by Bob Dignen, our guest from the UK, an experienced trainer and coach in the field of international leadership. Bob Dignen is a director at York Associates, a language school and specialist training company. He visited us on the occasion of the seminar “Let’s Talk Business vol. 2”, organized by LEC CENTRE and York Associates, which took place in Olivia Sky Club. The meeting was devoted to effective communication in an international environment.

“Let’s Talk Business” is a series of meetings for people who work with foreign partners on a daily basis. The guests of the events are international experts who share their knowledge and experience to facilitate working with foreigners. The “Let’s Talk Business” series is dedicated to managers and business owners who manage branches of international corporations, lead multinational teams or sell their products and services on foreign markets.

This year’s seminar, entitled “Effective leadership for international business”, consisted of a three-part workshop led by Bob Dignen. The introductory presentation was given by Krzysztof Herdzik, a manager with over 15 years of experience in the BSS industry, who talked about how to manage culturally diverse teams in the light of 4. technological revolution.

We invite you to read the interview with Bob Dignen, which was conducted by Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia Business Centre.

–/–

Monika Bogdanowicz (Communication at Olivia Business Centre): What is the difference between working in a local environment and working in an international organisation?

Bob Dignen (International Trainer and Communications Expert, York Associates, author of many publications including the bestseller “Leading International Projects”): The answers to this question do not sound as they might seem at first glance. What are the main differences that come to mind when you think about this question? Upon reflection, you will probably point to phenomena such as “language,” “culture,” and “time differences.” These three questions are certainly part of the answer, but at the core is dealing with four challenging dimensions.

Firstly, there are higher levels of uncertainty in an international environment – you work with people you don’t know, you communicate in a foreign language, and you can’t be sure of the effective transfer of meaning. On top of that, there is a higher level of complexity – as a rule, more complex projects and activities are carried out in international teams. Thirdly, an interesting paradox – we have to deal with decision-making and responsibility dispersed in a local-global environment. In my experience, organizations are becoming more and more disorganized. And finally, diversity – we have to deal with a wider range of perspectives, culturally and professionally conditioned behaviors that make it difficult to work together. And here’s a word of caution – the role of national culture should not be overestimated as it has an impact on people’s behavior at work.

We love to think in terms of Pole, American, British, German, etc. But the use of concepts with such a high level of abstraction is usually not useful in understanding the man before us. It is worth remembering that we never meet cultures, only specific people.

Monika Bogdanowicz: How to strengthen dialogue in teams in order to reduce the risk of conflict and different understandings of basic concepts?

Bob Dignen: People think about dialogue and conversation in many different ways. Some say a lot, others say little. Some are direct, others beat around the bush. Despite the diversity, we all have three choices: we don’t say anything, we talk to someone or we ask questions.

My experience of working with people with extensive international experience clearly shows that when working in an international context, we need to ask more questions. This initiates learning. That can be a sign of respect. It also allows different points of view to be taken into account in the decision-making process and thus supports innovation. And questions aimed at clarifying something, which serve to confirm mutual understanding, are worth their weight in gold. Sounds simple, right?

However, the people I’ve been following closely for over 20 years seem reluctant to ask questions. Why? Maybe out of fear of something. For fear of coming across as foolish or incompetent. For fear of being seen as a challenge to others. But these are misplaced concerns. When we start asking questions about individual and organizational behaviors, things start to work better.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What advice would you give to managers who encounter difficulties resulting from ineffective communication in their teams and companies?

Bob Dignen: Of course, a lot depends on the type of ineffective communication. Often the simplest advice is… do something about it. Offer feedback. Support people to be more curious about their own behaviors and how they affect others. It’s worth creating an environment where people can safely make mistakes and learn from them. In a world full of uncertainty, complexity and variety, mistakes are inevitable. There is, of course, another answer to this question.

Try to question whether what you perceive as ineffective actually is. Stigmatizing others as less effective is a behavior that comes easily to all of us – it protects our self-esteem and the illusion that we are the good guys and others are the bad guys. Essentially, seeing what’s good in others’ behavior, which may be superficially considered irritating or unprofessional, is the true art of management and leadership.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What tips would you give to a manager who is trying to create a positive attitude in their international team?

Bob Dignen: Being “positive” is hard these days. People are generally overworked, they feel like they are not earning enough, and many feel undervalued to the point of no longer trusting those who manage them. This is proven by employee surveys, which confirm a low level of engagement.

In my opinion, several things give rise to positive emotions. People want to feel valued. Positive feedback, a word of thanks really help. People need a sense of purpose and progress towards achieving it. Leaders need to create structures that allow their people to see and experience these two dimensions. People also want to develop, to feel that they are making personal and professional progress, and that their work is based on some, even loosely described, professional path. A simple method managers can use to make sure their people are experiencing these things is to meet with them regularly 1:1 in an informal setting once every month or two. Such in-person meetings are often underestimated by managers, but they can bring many benefits – add motivation, compare points of view, and give the manager the opportunity to learn what their employees are experiencing and thinking.

Monika Bogdanowicz: How can a culturally diverse team have a positive impact on a company’s value as a brand, and how can managers use this diversity to create a competitive advantage?

Bob Dignen: Most companies describe themselves as brands that respect and embrace diversity. I don’t think that diversity in itself is an advantage, because basically everyone experiences it today. Another question is whether people manage diversity well. I believe that diversity wears out as a supportive element of a brand.

It is important to remember that diversity is not always and not only a positive factor. Diversity of beliefs, competencies, priorities, and strategic outlook on business can lead to divisions within an organization. That’s why managers have to work hard to create a common, understandable commitment to achieve a common goal. And that means uniformity, not diversity. I have the impression that organizations do not fully understand their relationship to diversity.

Monika Bogdanowicz: As beings, we prefer to work with people who are similar to us and, by analogy, we avoid situations in which we face the unknown (culture, norms, etc.). How to manage communication to create a culture of effective communication in the team?

Bob Dignen: Some people like the strange, the unknown, and thrive when they enter unfamiliar territory. Such people are few and far between, but they exist and are worth looking for. But the question is about communication and creating a culture of communication… A simple piece of advice is to talk more about communication. Talk about expectations. Talk about experiences. Talk about frustrations. Talk about how poor communication affects customers. These discussions should result in concrete actions. Some of them are single, but usually more general, about how we want to communicate in a team. For example, that an email must be answered within 24 hours, that disagreements must be resolved in person, silence is not acceptable during a conference call – people should speak their minds. Rules and guidelines for certain behaviors designed not to be artificial and thus immediately unnecessary can be useful. But it’s important to remember that phenomena such as “listening” or “openness” are not behaviors. Behavior is something tangible. Listening as a behavior means not saying anything, or, for example, making a sound to show that we agree with or understand something.

Different behaviors that mean the same thing can cause confusion and inefficiency in the team, so why not agree on what specific behaviors mean, what value they have, and then start applying them. The phrase “Yes, but…” It can be seen as a constructive search for truth in some teams, and it can be a form of destructive denial in others. In order for the team to communicate effectively, it needs to discuss behaviors and perhaps establish rules. Interestingly, as a result of the discussion, it may turn out that I know what your behavior means and we don’t need to set any rules because I know what you want to say. It’s very simple, yet often ignored as a key element of international teams.

Monika Bogdanowicz: In your opinion, what are the basic factors of success in working in an international environment?

Bob Dignen: There are no right rules here. Life is always complex and depends on the specific situation. However, being aware, acting with intent, and taking advantage of opportunities to learn from feedback whether something works out or fails is always recommended.

It should not be forgotten that working in an international environment is not only stressful and challenging. This is an amazing opportunity to get involved in what is happening around you and to create a better future for the next generations together. Looking at politicians today, I wonder who is supposed to do this if not us?

Monika Bogdanowicz: Bob, thank you very much for your recommendations for the development of communication in international teams. This knowledge brings great value to our community of Olivia Business Centre, where people work in several languages.

–/–

^{Bob Dignen She has been specializing in language training and effective business communication for over 25 years. She conducts language training in the UK and beyond, lectures and coaches in the field of international team management and management competences. He is the author of several books m.in. “Leading International Projects” (ed. Kogan Page), “Managing Projects” (ed. Delta Publishing and York Associates), “Communication for International Business” (ed. Harper Collins) and “English for International Business Communication” (Harper Collins). He speaks at industry conferences and events organized m.in. by IPMA, PMI, CIPD.}

^{York Associates is a British training company headquartered in York, part of the Claret Holdings Ltd group. She specializes in teaching English, business and intercultural competence and communication, and leadership.}

Other interviews from the series:

Interview with Professor Witold Orłowski

Interview with Leszek Szmidtke, from the Inspiring Examples Foundation and Agnieszka Zglinicka from Olivia Business Centre

5^th Oliwa Run , which is for many Tricity runners an iconic event, has come to an end. The running competition is organised by Oliwa Borough Council, “Strong in Body, Steadfast in Spirit” Foundation and Sportevo Triathlon Team. Olivia Business Centre was a partner of the event 🙂 It could not have been otherwise, as we are the part of Oliwa’s community and we are very engaged in supporting local initiatives, which enable us to get to know each other better and cooperate in a more effective way.

This is what the organisers of the initiative say about it: “This is an unusual event because intimate character of the place fosters the unique atmosphere of this family running feast.”

This year, the whole route led through well-known, picturesque paths of Tricity Landscape Park. The run started at the entrance to forest on Jelenia street (in the neighbourhood of Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport). Rivalry took place on two distances: 5 kilometres (1 loop) and 10 kilometres (2 loops).

Olivia was represented by the team of ten daredevils. Monika said: “This is a great event with unusual atmosphere, which arises also from natural conditions of the route. This is a unique opportunity to run at the seaside, on the route with such a diversified conditions in terms of height and the whole topography. Numerous mountainous stretches make it possible to feel unique emotions and sheer joy of running. This year, the weather and the spirits of more than 500 participants were favourable. We will surely come back to Oliwa’s paths next year!”

The results of Oliwa Run

A resident of Olivia Business Centre, Invest in Pomerania, has launched a new project dedicated to the economic promotion of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Invest in Pomerania is a regional non-profit initiative that helps foreign investors implement investment projects in Pomerania. Since 2011, there have been as many as 77 such investments! As a result, approx. 12,000 new jobs.

“The Pomeranian Voivodeship – an ideal place to work, develop and live” is the motto of the new promotional project of the Invest in Pomerania initiative. The aim of the several-year-long information campaign carried out under the slogan “Live more. Pomerania” is to attract new employees and retain potential employees in Pomerania.

The “Live more. Pomerania” will primarily use a website to communicate with it, serving as a reliable source of information about work and life in Pomerania, as well as social media, profiles to show the greatest advantages of the region from the perspective of its residents. In addition, the organizers will prepare promotional materials that will be distributed during selected job fairs in the province and beyond.

– The project “Live more. Pomerania” is just starting, but we invite you to visit our profile on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. The creation of the Polish, English and Russian-language website will take a few more weeks, we want the portal to comprehensively present reliable information about the region, answer all possible questions that may arise at the time of making a decision to move. says Wojciech Tyborowski, Director of Invest in Pomerania (ARP S.A.). “The idea to create such a place on the web came after conversations with many companies that reported that their potential employees do not know where they can get their knowledge about the region from and often feel lost even after arriving at the site.

“Pomerania is the third most popular region in Poland. That is why more and more people, not only from our country, want to move to us. comments Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. “What’s more, the Pomeranian Voivodeship has recently recorded great economic results, which are conducive to making a decision to live here. Low unemployment at the level of 5.9 per cent, a record number of 12,000 job offers reported by the Provincial Labour Office in August and a record number of declared jobs created by investors – confirm the accuracy of the choice.

Economic development naturally entails an increasing demand for new workers from various industries and with different educational backgrounds. The search for them more and more often goes beyond the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Living, working and studying

The Pomeranian Voivodeship has been beating the rankings in the quality of life category for years. According to research, as many as 73.7% of people are satisfied with life in the region, and as many as 86% of Tri-City residents describe their quality of life as high, these are the best results in Poland! Why? Residents point primarily to the natural values of the province (after all, not every region can boast of, m.in, 316 km of coastline, 2901 lakes or 2000 km of bicycle paths!), cultural events and festivals.

In recent years, the region has also become one of the strongest players in the IT and modern business services market, which opens up unique career paths for potential employees. Thanks to numerous investments from companies such as m.in. Intel, Amazon, Lufthansa Systems, State Street or Swarovski), the Tri-City labour market is very absorptive – the unemployment rate here remains below the national average.

Also, 85% of students describe their decision to study in the Tri-City as a good one, and there are diverse, modern fields of study waiting for them at Pomeranian universities.

– Why “Live more. Pomerania”? Because you live more here. We experience this every day and we know that this slogan touches the heart of the quality and energy of life in our region. We also invite residents and employers to share their experience and co-create the project and promote the province – adds Łukasz Żelewski, President of the Management Board of IDA S.A.

About “Live more. Pomerania”

The information campaign “Live more. Pomerania” is one of the elements of the “Invest in Pomerania 2020” project, financed from EU funds under the Regional Operational Programme of the Pomeranian Voivodeship for the years 2014-2020. The project is implemented by the Invest in Pomerania initiative and is coordinated by the Pomerania Development Agency and the Pomeranian Voivodeship Self-Government. As a result, over the six years of operation, 79 investment projects have been implemented, which have contributed to the creation of 12,000 sqm. Jobs. Invest in Pomerania supports investors in many fields – it provides detailed data about the region, helps to establish contact with local authorities, organizes study visits.

For more information, please visit: http://livemorepomerania.com/