Yesterday evening Nikolaj Stagis appeared as a guest in the TV-programme Deadline on DR2 for a debate on authenticity. Together with lifestyle expert Christine Feldthaus and anthropologist Karen Lisa Salamon he discussed the nature of authenticity in the context of lifestyle and consumption. A relevant context indeed, however the outcome of the discussion was left in a blur as the concept of authenticity was never really discussed on an informed basis. Nikolaj tried to set the stage by defining that being authentic means finding and using your inner strengths in everything you do. Nevertheless, the definition was quickly angled in a way that explained authenticity through baking spelt bread and celebrating an old-fashioned way of life. A bit of a shame, if you ask me. 

Personally, I would have preferred that the discussion had concentrated on why and how we can become authentic and the value this will lead to. A person might reach happiness, harmony, self-esteem or inner peace for instance. Things that are difficult to measure, but makes quite a difference in life. 

In terms of giving the debate substance beyond spelt bread Nikolaj pointed out that authenticity is all about passion and "who you are" - not necessearily nostalgia, romance and "doing things the old-fashioned way". There are many ways for a person to become authentic. Being an entrepreneur for instance is a way to self-realization and doing what you are passionate about. 

Although the theme of the debate was focused on the individual, authenticity has the potential to make a similar difference for companies. And while the gain of an authentic lifestyle for the individual is mainly found in intangible values such as happiness and harmony, the benefits for the authentic company can be measured financially. LEGO is an outstanding example on how mobilising inner strengths can cause a radical turn-around. After years of trying to expand their product portfolio – e.g. into the textile and game industry – business was beginning to struggle from these new ventures. Only when the company went back to focus on their inner strengths - LEGO bricks – things started to improve rapidly. 

That angle would have taken the debate to a whole new level. Well, in my opinion anyway. But what do you think? Is dedication to spelt bread, paleo diet and living in the countryside the same as being authentic, or does the concept entail a wider definition?

Watch the debate on Deadline

What makes your public transportation experience a good one? There are obvious factors like on-time arrivals and clean vehicles, but for most of us a good service from the man or woman at the wheel is of equally high importance. The public bus transportation industry in the greater Copenhagen area have for many years had a poor image in the public eye, which affected both commuters and potential job applicants. In collaboration with Stagis, the industry decided to turn around the negative image with the project ‘Chauffører med karaktér’ (Bus drivers with character).

"My passengers and I have great experiences together" - Gunnar, bus driver

‘Chauffører med karaktér’ has over the course of nearly four years focused on creating a positive image of public bus transportation and, chiefly, bus drivers in the greater Copenhagen area. We are very proud to hand over a project that has experienced very positive and measurable results.

The primary goals of the project have been to increase job satisfaction among bus drivers and to change the overall image of the public bus transportation industry. Before the project was launched in 2009, almost half of the involved bus drivers thought that their job and the bus industry in generalhad a bad image. A recent survey from August 2012 shows that this number has dropped to 12 per cent. Actually 84 per cent of the bus drivers take pride in their job today – compared with 66 per cent in 2009, and 90 per cent thrive at their workplace, which only 71 per cent did in 2009. This change for the better is a direct result of the project, and is especially due to the success of both internal and external communication efforts.

‘Chauffører med karaktér’ was a classic Stagis project in the sense that it called for our particular method of approaching a project where there is a need for finding, developing and expressing authentic strengths. Our certain method relies on the following five phases: 

1. Research – research and mapping of the company’s authentic strengths.
2. Strategy – Development of strategy, process management and planning of e.g. scenarios to develop authentic strengths.
3. Structural changes – Change management through cultural and structural changes, development and operation of change programs, new services, cultural interventions and internal education programs.
4. Design – Development of the company’s symbols, surfaces and digital interaction.
5. Communication – Communication and marketing across media channels, development of external image through e.g. events, campaigns and PR.

In our extensive research and mapping of the authentic strengths of the public bus transportation industry, we found, that the bus driver was the biggest asset. Therefore we concentrated on making the bus driver more accessible, showing the person behind the uniform.

Sulajman Baftijari wins "Busdriver with character of the year" at event on Christiansborg Slotsplads 2 September 2012

Changing the image of the bus driver in the public eye meant that the passengers had to be involved. We created a text message service where passengers could praise their local bus driver when he or she had made the commuting experience a good one. This was a huge success and a lot of passengers took part. Improving the image of the bus drivers and the industry in general naturally had to be backed up by internal change. Therefore we created an academy for mid-level managers and bus drivers, where they learned how to communicate better with each other, and also how to communicate better with passengers.

A very clear and recognisable design line was created for the project, and implemented in both internal and external communication. The clear graphic design line created a strong visual identity for the project, which both bus drivers and passengers immediately links to the project.

The internal communication effort included, but was not limited to, newsletters, break room posters, posters compiling praise from passengers, a project website and a Facebook-site to make sure that everyone working in the bus industry knew about the project. Externally we involved the passengers through campaigns in the busses, a text message service to give praise to the driver and to vote for the driver of the year. Additionally we made films about the daily life of a bus driver, created a website and Facebook-site, and twice coordinated an event celebrating the bus drivers with the most character based on the passengers text messages- just to name a few of the many activities in the course of the project.

Stagis initiated the project in 2009, and it stands as one of our biggest projects to date. The project ended in 2012.

Over the past six months I've had the privilege of spending time with the management and employees at HP in Denmark. After several tough years during the financial crisis and a shifting environment for the IT industry, the Country Management Team wanted to rediscover and focus on the strengths of the Danish HP organization in order to increase engagement, motivation and pride within the organization. Stagis was invited to work with the management team to rediscover the authentic strengths of HP and to help the organization remember and reclaim what they are good at – what HP in Denmark is passionate about.

During the spring I met most of the managers in the Danish organization and during May and June I’ve personally been meeting and interviewing a lot of managers and employees at Hewlett-Packard in Allerød. When I started out I mostly thought of HP as the hardware company that most people think about – a company that produce servers, laptops and printers. But then, as I met with people and joined workshops and meetings, I remembered some of the things I had heard and read about HP over the years. When Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded their small company in a garage in Palo Alto in California in 1938, they were not only founding a small tech shop, they founded what is now known as Silicon Valley, the cradle of an entire industry. And they led the HP company from being good to great through a number of leadership principles that have been praised in well recognized management litterature. Like “Management by Walking Around”, “Open Door Policy” and “The HP Way”. Here’s one of the ads that ran during HPs “reinvent” campaign reconnecting to the historic garage and the principles of Bill and Dave:



I think the ad captures some of the greatness of HP. Since the time in the garage HP has come to be the largest IT company in the world with more than 320.000 employees around the globe. But during the past few years things have been tough in the tech industry due to the financial crisis. The former CEO Mark Hurd introduced new forms of reporting and cut costs in order to help HP stay afloat. Just a few months ago the former CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman, took over the role of CEO. The shifting external environment had an impact on the tech industry and on HP. Customers are reluctant to invest in IT, the strategy of HPs PC division is subject to media commentary and naturally, life in the tech business is not what it used to be, five or ten years ago. As you can imagine, the financial crisis naturally leads into identity questions like “who are we?” and “who do we want to become?”.




When I first entered HP one of the things that struck me was the lack of visual identity. The building is new, cool and looks great, but if someone had removed the HP Invent graphics from the building I wouldn’t be able of seeing, which company was working here. The same goes for the reception area and the meeting rooms. Where is the physical, visual or tactile expression of identity and the passion for the products, the employees and the customers? Every organization needs to express and show who they are in order to build a strong authentic identity.

Here’s the good news. Last week I was visiting HP in Allerød again. Newly appointed Managing Director in Denmark, Jakob Schou Meding, was on his tenth workday at HP, talking about community, knowing each other, working together and how to build trust in front of about 200 employees. People were cheering and seemed to have high hopes for the future. I joined to give a brief presentation of the authentic strengths of HP Denmark that I discovered over the past months. When I walked out of there I was proud to be part of the process and I felt quite sure that I was witnessing a local organization becoming a new, more focused version of itself. In the very near future the organization will be working with a series of initiatives to increase the sense of community, appreciation, engagement and leadership – and to help the potentials of the Danish organization grow.

I have just begun a two month visit to Accademia di Danimarca in Rome, where I'll be starting a new process of the international edition of "The Authentic Company". During the next week I will be finishing the Danish edition of the book "The Authentic Company". It examines what the three dimensions of authenticity is, how they can be mapped and illustrates through examples how leaders can handle authentic organizational identity. An impressive line of leaders, founders and owners have agreed to enter a discussion of their management practice and the authenticity of their organizations. The Authentic Company offers case studies from Ducati, Alessi, Ferragamo, Hästens, LEGO, BMW, Novozymes and the World's no. 1 restaurant, Noma. The Danish book should be out on Gyldendal this fall... Finally!

In Rome I will be starting the process of an international edition of the book. I will be collaborating with several Italian institutions and organizations as well as discussing a possible Italian publication. Italy is a leading nation in terms of celebrating and utilizing the heritage of organizations, it being commercial companies, industries, cities or regions. More than 50 Italian companies celebrate their cultural history in large high-end corporate museums. The museums are organized in l'Associazione Museimpresa, which is unique in the World. One of the fundamental paradoxes I discuss is, how heritage can be a driver of identity as well as a limitation for development and innovation. A question that leaders across industries and organizations struggle with, it being Alessi, Ducati or the city of Rome.

One of the debates of recent development of Rome is that it takes ages to build the Metro because of the massive presence of ancient history under every street and piazza. Every time they start to dig tunnels, new archeologic treasures pop up. The development of Metro A opened in the 1980s and it took 20 years to build, delayed by archeology. How do you lead and develop a city which is constantly on the verge of becoming a museum of ancient history rather than a place of contemporary life and ongoing development? ABC News reported on the story a couple of years ago.

I red an article in the Australian jounal 'Open Manifesto', written by a design professor who used to live in Denmark. The article is about one of the things he enjoyed in denmark – our well designed post boxes!? Well, apparently postboxes in New Zeland is long, narrow and they leak when it rains. And in Denmark it rains, it hails, the wind is blowing and still the professor go he´s mail dry.

As he moved back he started to get enoyed when he recieved wet artwork by mail. On a trip to denmark, he brought back a danish post box. Problem solved. At least he thought so. For some reason, the post in New Zeeland never really managed to put the post all the way through the A4 wide opening, or they misused the post box in another strange way. 

As a Dane, I think it's rather normal to assume that we receive or mail in a proper condition (actually we're not too impressed with our national post service at all). But what this article frames, is that there is no such thing as perfect design. its completely relative to context and cultural behaveour. Even a (for us) completely obvious object as a post box, is relative to who's using it.  

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation has launched a highly interesting new weekly documentary programme called “Undercover Chef” (meaning Undercover Boss in English). The show lets CEOs experience their own organization from a new point of view – that of their employees and costumers. The CEO plays the role of a new employee under a false name as his employees patiently introduce him to the work routines and daily life in his own organization.

Last week, the CEO of Danske Diakonhjem, which is an organization managing a chain of nursing homes, worked a few days as a health care worker. As the visibly emotional CEO was placed completely powerless in the stand-up lift that constitutes an indispensable part of many of the residents’ daily routines, it was clear that more was at stake than simple role play. This was a CEO achieving a deeper understanding of the emotional and social dynamics in the organization he manages, and he left the experience wiser and more aware of what matters most to his employees and costumers. 

The show airs tuesday nights on DR1 and is available for streaming here (in Denmark only)

Something extrodinary is going on at the Copenhagen Airport. I’ve been wondering about it for the last few months. Today was no exception. As I was pouring coins, belt, watch, jacket and my beloved Mac in a plastic tray on my way to a Munich-bound flight, a handsome man at the age of my Dad welcomed me with a smile and “how are you today”. Suddenly I found myself chatting with Uncle Security. There are two odd things going on here. First of all, if you are not part of Danish culture I need to tell you, that Danes have a peculiar way of not talking to strangers. So being met by a stranger who greets you and invites to conversation is not as common in Copenhagen as in many other places around the Globe. The other odd thing that took me by surprise here, which most air-travellers and especially commuters will recognize, is that Uncle Security is usually in a really bad mood, easily offended and clearly demonstrates has had too many passengers through the counter already. The US security cousins are the worst. It seems like they have been instructed by some TSA-director (Actually, I think there is no director at the moment) to look evily at every passenger and see if any terrorists might admit themselves. This is not the place for a joke, as some has experienced. But things were different with this Danish security check family member.

“I noticed you guys have started to smile a lot lately,” I said. “Yeah, work is so much more fun now,” he smiled even more and nodded. “I’ve been trying to help the bus drivers be a bit like you guys,” I said. “Great idea,” he said, giggling, and helped my things onwards as the other happy uncle was waving me through the scanner. “What in the hell kind of program have they gone through,” I thought to myself as the next happy uncle was padding me down and commenting on my new winter boots.

Security Aunt was waiting with my Mac ready at hand by the end of the conveyor belt. Same tie and perfect white shirt. “Is this your Mac?” she asked. Real auntie-curls, same age and same golden framing on the glasses. Surely the sister or wife of the giggling guy. I opened the computer, she checked, while chatting about how many passengers are now travelling with two laptops. I asked if I could photograph them, but rules didn’t really allow. “I’m really impressed by the changes here,” I said and auntie tried to explain as she was taking care of the next traveller: “Work just flows easier when you’re helpful - it makes our time here so much easier,” she said as she smiled to a Japanese woman while pulling a bottle of water out of a handbag. “Have a safe flight,” she finished.

Just a year ago I was usually waiting in line for 10-15 minutes before I could put my bag on the belt and the greeting would be along the lines of “Empty-your-pockets-any-last-coins-there-and-your-watch?” while the person would stare somewhere else, not noticing that my things were already in the plastic bin. Today, as I walked to the gate, I was reminding myself how every kind of job has the potential to be fun, involving and something that employees can be enthusiastic about. Nomatter what the job is. Because every job has the potential of finding a meaningful purpose. It’s a matter of mentality and choice wether travellers are dumb-asses and the work is tedious tasks at a conveyor belt or if it’s a fun day with the ‘cousins’.

Last week I was doing interviews for one of our customers, to gather information for further evaluation of different authentic strengths and values. The interviews were split into two parts; the first part was an open narrative conservation, and in the second part the informants were asked more specific questions. It was a really interesting work and a got a lot of remarkable opinions out in the daylight.

The method applied, narrative conversation or interview, is in my belief a very relevant and honest way to get information from your informants. Within these open conversations there is no hidden agenda, or at least there should not be, and therefore you get a relatively deep insight in your informant’s version of the truth. If you let people talk, and you take your time to listen, you will reveal what great things they really have on their minds. It doesn’t matter if interviewing is a part of your job or not, but do yourself and your friends a favour; ask an (open) question and listen to the answer…