Videos
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Nordic Buisness Forum Helsinki - Jitske Kramer – Building a Future-proof Corporate Culture
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Silence, the Forgotten Human Skill | Jitske Kramer | TEDxWassenaar
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Tricky Times - Navigating the Messy Middle of Change - Jitske Kramer
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Organizations as Purpose Driven Tribes - Jitske Kramer
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Do you have enough campfire conversations? Corporate Anthropology Jitske Kramer
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Setting the Stage for the Future of Work - Webinar with Jitske Kramer
Learn More About Jitske Kramer
Jitske Kramer (YIT-skuh KRAY-mer) is a corporate anthropologist who travels all over the world to learn from traditional healers, leaders, surprising innovators and random passers-by. She is an inspiring speaker, entrepreneur and founder of Human Dimensions. In 2013, Kramer was voted trainer of the year by colleagues and clients.
Kramer is the bestselling author of “Tricky Times” (2024), “Jam Cultures – Inclusion: Having a Seat at the Table, a Vote and a Voice ” (2021), “Work Has Left the Building” (2021), “Deep Democracy” (2019), and co-author of “Building Tribes” (2018) and “The Corporate Tribe,” which was named a Management Book of the Year in 2016.
Kramer brings worldly knowledge and experiences back to the world of management, cooperation and leadership through challenging keynotes and masterclasses. To improve the strength and results of individuals and groups (and to make the world a more beautiful place), she has the ambition to activate organizations to be wildly attractive to everyone and everything. In her stories, what is familiar gradually becomes strange. And what is strange becomes familiar.
Jitske Kramer is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
Photo by Marie Broeckman
Gain a Deeper Understanding of Employees by Becoming an Anthropologist in Your Own Organization
One of the most important insights good leaders have is understanding how the people in their organizations work, both individually and in teams. According to corporate culture expert Jitske Kramer, it’s as important for leaders to understand culture as well as they do company strategy. After all, the saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast” is very true. So, what exactly is culture, how do people shape them and how can leaders influence collective behavior and belief systems? As Kramer explains, it all starts by truly understanding the novel characteristics of a workplace.
In this fascinating, one-of-a-kind multisensory presentation, she shows leaders how to become an anthropologist in their own organization. Kramer draws upon her years of on-the-ground, anthropological research across global cultures to help leaders understand the unique dynamics at play every day within their companies. She shows executives how such an approach allows them to gain fresh insights by seeing their organization through new eyes. Attendees will leave with a framework for viewing the world through the lens of an anthropologist, gaining innovative insights by making the strange familiar and the familiar strange.
Tricky Times: How to Lead When an Uncertain Future Lies Ahead
As the world goes through a prolonged period of multipronged transition, how can leaders recognize opportunities and protect against any potential dangers that lie ahead? According to corporate anthropologist Jitske Kramer, we must let go of what is familiar and prepare for an unknown future, which can be scary. In this deeply insightful presentation, Kramer draws on her latest book, the Dutch bestseller “Tricky Times,” to reveal the subtle patterns that emerge during these times of change. Sharing lessons she has learned on her travels across diverse cultures, Kramer offers clarity on the kind of leadership that’s needed when things are neither what they were, nor what they will become. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of the sense of urgency needed to help businesses and society forge ahead as evolving threats and bad actors emerge. Leaders will leave with a framework for how to understand the dynamics of change and change processes, empowered to usher their organization into the future.
Build a Tribe Within Your Organization: An Anthropological View of Culture and Change
When companies undergo change, the culture within often changes as well. How can leaders better understand how they shape an organization’s culture and how it shapes them? In this revealing and uplifting presentation which can also be presented as a highly interactive masterclass, anthropologist Jitske Kramer draws on her books, “The Corporate Tribe” and “Building Tribes,” to share inspirational stories and anthropological lessons about people, culture, change and leadership. She uncovers the interplay of power and love, and the importance of good interaction and decision-making. With expert insights, Kramer outlines the benefits to be gained from operational strategies, like efficient bullet point meetings, and human-centric practices, like encouraging courageous “campfire conversations.” With practical lessons on how to maintain strong and healthy organizations, audiences will leave with a new lens for seeing how cooperation and people-first leadership fit into today’s modern, open workplaces. This presentation can also be customized to give extra attention to the dynamics of global and international groups of people. Kramer demonstrates how different cultures come together to shape one organizational culture.
Democracy and Inclusive Collaboration: How to Improve Your Team Intelligence*
With “diversity” and “inclusion” often misunderstood in business today, how can leaders work with both to boost team collaboration? According to anthropologist Jitske Kramer, diversity is about a mix of differences, inclusion is about how we make the mix work. She explains that diversity is not ‘a nice to have’ or ‘a thing to fight against,’ it is part and parcel of everyday life. Kramer shows how strong teams and organizations understand how to leverage all kinds of differences.
In this paradigm-shifting presentation, she breaks down the necessary aspects of inclusion to outline how to deal with key differences like emotions and conflict, scarcity and privilege as well as power and powerlessness. By doing so, she shows how to leverage a team’s collective wisdom, unique backgrounds and individual knowledge to achieve great things together. Kramer challenges audiences to consider the question of how we can ensure that it is not always the same few people who talk during meetings, and presents strategies for jointly creating environments of belonging and equity where everybody gets to participate. Attendees will learn eight inclusion principles drawn from her book “Jam Cultures,” allowing them to return to their organizations with immediately applicable tools. Leaders will be empowered to create strong connections that will help ensure all points of view are fully covered, making the larger whole more important and impactful than individual agendas.
*Note – In this truly unique presentation, Kramer includes the power of music and spoken word to not only address our cognitive minds but also our feelings around these sensitive topics. This immersive experience includes Kramer as well as one or more musicians. Contact us more information.
Jam Cultures: About Inclusion; Joining in the Action, Conversations and Decisions (English)
(Management Impact Publishing, March 2021)
Praise for "Tricky Times"
“Jitske Kramer doesn’t simply describe the modern experience of burgeoning cultural change that is infected by tricksters and false prophets, she also offers sound advice for handling it all. In these times of relentless uncertainty, one thing is certain: we need this book.”
“Jitske Kramer offers a completely original, challenging, and practically useful take on change. 'Tricky Times' has the power to transform you and your organization. Approach with excitement!”
“In a world where the ability to adapt is paramount, Kramer's insights provide a valuable compass for anyone seeking to lead through the complexities of transformation.”
What others are saying about Jitske's presentations
“Jitske Kramer provokes you into thinking deeply and speaking out. She gazes into the depths with flair and courage. Looking for surprising new insights and their practical applicability. Unifying and forceful.”
