Two days, four inspiring keynotes, 30 interactive sessions, 140 motivated participants and students from the Human Resources & Organization Study Programs – these are the numbers of the 1st Transformation Camp at FHWien der WKW.
From April 26 to 27, 2024 transformation enthusiasts, change agents, organizational developers and HR developers had the opportunity for two days of intensive exchange, interactive sessions, inspiring keynotes, interesting encounters and, above all, joint learning. This event was organized and carried out by fifty1 in cooperation with the Human Resources & Organization Study Programs of FHWien der WKW.
Day 1: Experiencing transformation up close
“Transforming fear of the unknown into curiosity for the new” was the powerful start to the Transformation Camp on Friday with the keynote speech by author, tech founder and AI expert Mina Saidze. She sees a renaissance of the humanities coming our way and empathy and emotional intelligence as THE superpowers in the age of AI.
The next step was the interactive session planning of the Un-Conference in the form of an open space. The participants organized workshops, discussed during presentations and shared ideas without rigid structures. All this under the law of mobility: if you realize that you can’t contribute or learn anything more in a session, move on – everything happens that is supposed to happen.
The first day was already packed with exciting sessions: the issue of fair wages was discussed; experiments were conducted with Lego bricks and ÖBB shared its transformation strategy in the wake of the retirement wave. Caritas, A1, Asfinag and MANZ Verlag also gave insights into their strategies and implementations. Students from the Master’s program in Organizational & Human Resources Development held an interactive workshop on the topic of “Cross-generational collaboration: my world – your world”.
The event concluded with a keynote speech by Heike Mensi-Klarbach, Head of Group People and Organizational Innovation at Raiffeisen Bank International AG. Her presentation focused on the individual in the transformation process and the importance of people sensitivity. She spoke of the key role played by managers and the difficult search for a balance between appreciation and offense.
Day 2: Focusing on future trends and humanity
“The reconciliation of trends and countertrends leads to transformation,” says futurologist Matthias Horx in his opening keynote on day 2 of TransformationCamp. Reassuring: Incidentally, his Future Institute has calculated whether humans will eventually become extinct – that won’t happen: “There will always be some left who will build a civilization again.” He saw the biggest transformation in the labor market – companies must apply for employees, working hours and forms are changing fundamentally. A shock and a major challenge for many.
The second day was well filled with numerous sessions: Among other things the team from the FHWien der WKW let the participants experience the transformation mechanisms intensively with a “transformation game”, Adidas focused on diversity and FHWien researcher Daniela Ortiz presented her model of productive dialogs for sustainability innovations.
The keynote speech by sociologist Judith Muster concluded the event with a plea for humanity in organizations: “You can only find solutions if you look at the whole person and start with the circumstances.” She started her keynote speech with controversial theses and resolved them with wonderful ease.
The variety of topics and the inspiring exchange with so many exciting people will resonate for a long time to come. And one thing is certain, the Transformation Camp 2024 will not be the last.