Thursday, June 6, 2013

Western Balkans – An Awakening Region

As a person who grew up in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, I often reflect what we have learned and experienced with the disintegration of our former country. I am not nostalgic or emotionally blocked due to the dismantling of a political entity. Quite the opposite, this experience has provided me a very rich pool of understandings, lessons, and wisdoms. These are some of the learning:

- I realised quite some time ago that society is a dynamic structure that is constantly changing, adapting and transforming. It is permanently transitioning between order and disorder (thus, the challenges of the European Union are quite familiar to me). They are typical for an attempt of trying to unite diversity into a federation, and to draw up political borders. Such attempts – in their endeavour to establish control cover the driving forces of integration – fail to appreciate that the essence of any integration, which lies in the understanding of the need for it, and creating an added value from it. Added value that must be shared among the partners driving such development,
At the times of rapid change, diversity and infinite possibilities, it is important to maintain an inner balance. To be able to collect our thoughts, focus and to know what we want.; to recognise our inherent structures that enable us to hear, see, feel and seize opportunities that suit us most. Opportunities, which in a world of infinite possibilities help us realise goals that exhilarate us and bring joy and a deeper meaning to our existence.  This is valid for everyone – individuals, organisations, communities, partnerships, networks, regions and continents.
It is a fact, confirmed by lessons of our history, but is also evident in the opportunities of today. 
- it is clear and natural that public administrations and governments are also living organisms striving for growth and sustainable development. Unfortunately, at this point most of the European countries and communities are like adolescents who want to learn everything by themselves,
- history is a good source of knowledge, but not something we can live on. We need to act every day, generate value over and over again, and adjust accordingly.
Summit100, a meeting of South-eastern European business leaders is a unique concept developed by the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM), Croatian Employers' Association (CEA) and the Slovenian “Manager “ Association which represents a strong cohesive force in the future economic integration in the region and a concrete contribution of top managers to intensified economic cooperation and improved competitive position of business in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. More...
In the light of the above, a meeting of business leaders from the Western Balkans at the end of May in Montenegro was truly refreshing. Serbians, Slovenians, Bosnians, Hercegovinians, Macedonians, Montenegrins and Croatians shared a venue bursting with constructive energy. Inquisitive, exciting, optimistic and joyful attendants broke through the glass ceiling of tragedy and gloom of our recent past. We should never forget the past. It should always remind us of the threat of destruction, hatred, pain and cold-heartedness. However, we should ensure that it remains what it is – a memory.

Western Balkans Political Summit
Source: Summit100 archive, 2013
"This region is without a doubt a key region for Slovenia for most of our investments are within it (70% of all Slovenian investments in 2011) and a key partner in terms of trade, second only to the EU. All our major companies are present in this region, while small and medium-size companies that are focusing on market niches are also increasing their presence significantly
Stanko Stepišnik, Minister of Economic Development and Technology of the RS,  Summit100, Montenegro 2013
Because, life is inviting us all into a creative process. Into cooperation and joint creation of the present and the future. We realized that together we can obtain business that can create sufficient added value to ensure a development and prosperity of the Region, and that for achieving it, we do not need a political frameworks.

While it was encouraging to see and hear Western Balkans' political leaders sharing roundtable thoughts on prosperity of the Region, this also provided us with a confirmation that without a solid economy, this Region has no actual significance in the global community.
Mr. Petrovič, what inspired you to launch the Summit100 event?
Integration is a precondition for growth, which is the primary motive of Summit100, a forum of regional business leaders. Individually, each of the countries in this region is small and almost insignificant with respect to the global market. Foreign investors require economy of scale in order to restore investment activities that are needed by the region. Integration turns our countries into a territory of 22 million inhabitants and it is up to us to win big projects and business deals. More...
Milan Petrovič and Duško Knežević 
  Source: Summit100 archive, 2013
Personally, I came to the following additional conclusions:
  1. certain markets outside the dominance of the Anglo-Saxon influence are contributing significantly to the new economic map of the world: Russia, parts of the Middle East, Africa, and SE Europe,
  2. the Balkans has the potential for growth within at least two basic business models: (1) a model that is based on transit (telecommunications, energy, traffic, etc.) and (2) a model that is based on systemic approaches in relationships with key customers (construction, agriculture, tourism, banking, areas requiring dynamic, educated and multilingual professionals, etc.),
  3. our shared history in the Balkans has built invisible bonds among people that hold great potentials for creativity and success based on economic needs and market opportunities. Our strength is in our incredible adaptability, resourcefulness, professionalism and sincere desire to improve our lives. Our hugs have remained sincere, hearty and they still hold a sense of familiarity, safety and trust. The depth of the Slavic soul, its exceptional intuition, passion and empathy are the qualities of the new evolving societies. Therefore, it's time for partnerships in the Balkans, based on economic interests and business excellence,
  4. in a global economy the key to success lies in weak networks and partnerships based on market needs, specific projects, complementing abilities and simple desire for business success and establishing prosperity for people and communities.
This region that lived in a strongly tied common country for several decades and consequently developed inter-compatible and complementing competencies and capacities, which is partly still valid today. We have to learn how to open the region among and to ourselves. This will enable us a stronger position at the European and global levels. 2. Summit100, a meeting of business leaders from SE Europe last week lay and built on important foundations. Our priority now is to focus on innovative concepts and realisation of specific partnerships, e.g. in construction, which is already in a process of integration under the scope of Feniks, but also in infrastructure and energy tourism.
Iztok Seljak, MSc, Chairman of the Management Board, Hidria
Iztok Seljak, Hidria
Source: Summit100 archive, 2013
Our artists, sportsmen and scientists constantly prove to us, that our way of thinking and working can be exceptionally successful. It is time that our businesses also start manifesting this potential. Feniks – as the first network arising from the Summit100 – is already paving an optimistic path for economic integration in the Western Balkans. May there be many other economic ties in the future. The time is right. The time is NOW.
The Feniks International Construction Consortium, established at the end of January 2012  in Belgrade, unites 45 excellent Slovenian, Serbian and Bosnian companies with an annual turnover of EUR 5 billion and over 30,000 employees. This project was initiated by PSP Farman from Serbia and Hydria from Slovenia. Last year, this consortium of initially only Slovenian and Serbian companies was joined by companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the recent Summit100, the consortium was joined by important partners from Montenegro. The key aim of this project  is a joint appearance on third markets  (particularly in Russia, broader Eastern and South-eastern Europe and Middle East).
The Feniks project carries great potential for the entire region, which is also reflected in the unreserved support it received from government representatives from all participating countries.. Within the first year of Feniks' operation several companies participated in the Russian projects executed by Feniks' Serbian partners, particularly in the construction of universities and hotels in Sochi and of a science and research centre Skolkovo in Moscow. In its second year Feniks will be conducting serious negotiations for project in Northern Africa and Middle East. Another success that needs to be mentioned is the project of building a new CSKA stadium in Moscow which will be used for the 2018 football world cup. The project worth over EUR 160 million was won by PSP Farman
"Neither the Devil nor the Church, the nation will write its own judgement," wrote Ivan Cankar, one of the greatest Slovenian writers, a man of global dimensions who was thoroughly critical towards the Slovenian soul, who was constantly provoking and holding a self-reflecting mirror up to our nation.  We need to see inside ourselves to understand who we truly are. To be able to constantly seek new opportunities for improvements and progress based on our own identities.

I am proud of my nation and the region where I grew up, and from where I am successfully engaging in the world from. I am proud of the experiences and the way of thinking of my Region. I derive my strength from my personal and the geographical transformation and the constant progress.
My vision for the Region:
We hold multinational inspiration in our hearts
My mission for the Region:
West Balkans Region – the model of emerging thriving societies
I know we can do it! Slovenia, West Balkans, the broader Balkans and SE Europe. However, if we don't act, all we will have is potential.  I'd like to thank the organisers for the invitation. Thank you for the opportunity for highlighting the role that media, innovation communication and innovation journalism could play in the Western Balkans' breakthrough on global markets. I hope our spark will keep shining and our abilities will grow strong wings to be able to fly.
 
Round table: Media as Catalyst of the New Deal for a New Age
Sonja Šmuc, Branka Đukić, Violeta Bulc, Theodore M. Kyriakou, Ljupčo Zikov
Source: Summit100 archive, 2013

Take care, Violeta

More about the meeting here.

Additional links:
How can we cooperate
Where we can meet global
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Monday, May 13, 2013

Inspiration through intuition

Our experiences over the past few weeks have contributed to the topic presented in this issue of Aktualno 2.0.  We hope you will find them useful:
  • when making decisions about your education and training,
  •  when considering ideas you wake up with in the morning, or ideas coming to you on a walk, or in a meeting with your business partners,
  • when your view differs from everything you have heard so far,
  • when you cannot understand why others cannot understand your view.
Within the framework of Vibacom’s trainings, and later at the InCo movement's Management Board meeting, we combined our years of experience with innovation ecosystems and our experience with understanding and development of intuition, gained over the past two years, in the following new business model: Comprehensive Model of Development of Intuition –5I (Inspiration, Idea, Invention, Innovation, Improvement) (Figure 0). This model shows there is a direct relationship between unconscious and conscious actions, both in the process of idea generation and regarding the sustainable innovation.

Source: InCo movement, 2013


The key messages of this new insight are as follows (Figure 1):
  • inspiration comes from the realm of unconsciousness (other sources can result from the rational approaches, e.g. analysis),
  • intuition is our inherent means for connecting to our unconscious,
  • one's unconscious contains all acquired knowledge, experience, genetic memory, impulses from the current environment and elements of the collective/planetary/cosmic consciousness,
  • inspiration depends on one's openness to diversity, change, novelty, etc.,
  • one's openness to inspiration can be enhanced through removal of emotional, spiritual, energy and physical blocks, by consciously improving the receptiveness of one's senses and by developing a complete presence in the moment,


  • each step of the innovation process also contains a loop, which can be dynamically retraced back to all of the previous steps; each change in the current position influences the conditions in which we operate; each change establishes relationships and co-creates the next step; therefore, it is of key importance to maintain sensitivity to changes in our current environment at any given moment, and that we dynamically adjust our actions at every step.
Source: InCo movement, 2013

Further development of the model

1. The level of an individual: the content presented above strengthens the need for a systemic personal development on all six dimensions of the human through which we relate to ourselves, as well as to everything around us (Figure 2). A sustainable and systemic development of all six dimensions represents a special challenge to individuals and teams/organizations/societies. The same applies to the understanding of a multi-leveled interconnectivity of people, by creating at the same time a thrivable space that allows a release of the creative potentials of all individuals and maintaining a respectful relationships with all other members of the Planet Earth community.


2. The level of an organisation/community: the same description, as stated above for an individual, applies to organisations/communities that act as individual beings themselves. They, as well, are connected closely with the space around them (conscious and unconscious), which in turn influences the decision-making processes of everyone connected to them. Organizations/communities with their conscious and subconscious level make an impact on inspiration, on the generation of ideas, and on the development of innovations, which may or may not ultimately come to life. The successful generation of ideas and market realisation of innovations requires maintenance of fluent and active organisational relationships, which have an impact on the innovation process (Figure 3).  However, all of the above is calling for a development of new structures, business approaches and work methods. These would allow us a gradual integration of new visions about who we are and how we evolve, what we influence and what influences us, into our daily lives. Consequently, with such behaviour we can release collective participation that could lead to enhanced collective consciousness and vice versa. (individual – collective – individual – collective…)

 
3. The level of other structures: new realisations strengthen the multidimensional bonds/activities of an individual; not only with his/her intimate space, but also with all the spaces she/he moves through, works in and cohabits (geographically or at the level of the country, tribe, interest group, planet, etc.) The basic characteristics described for the individual and organizational level apply to this level as well. (Item 2). Additionally, we need to stress the relationships among various structures, which contribute to the establishment of new connections and bonds. Every structure possesses conscious and unconscious aspects through which they establish relationships with other structures, and consequently individuals as well (Figure 4).


Why such realizations are useful for the model of sustainable innovation:

Successful sustainable development of innovation ecosystems depends on at least three factors:

  • a systemic approach,
  • dynamic structures that ensure sustainable adaptation to and development of innovative products based on authenticity, an understanding of the needs and creating value for stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem, and the society as a whole,
  • ongoing lifelong development of individuals who are co-creating the innovation ecosystem.
In the search for such solutions (sustainable, innovations with a positive impact) the rational aspect of our perception alone is not sufficient for effective decision-making. Therefore we, as humans, have an opportunity to awaken yet another of our inherent skills – intuition. With its help we can upgrade our rational decision-making capability, enrich it, and add a more sustainable value to the actions we make.

Practical realisation and direct use of the above findings:
  1. for the creation of visions (cross-structural cooperation, participative models),
  2. for the development of new products, services and solutions (understanding needs and behaviours, providing solutions that create value for the target customer segment),  
  3. for planning marketing strategies (establishing an open and direct connection to the market niches, understanding actual needs, communicating information in a form that is understandable to the market niche),
  4. for the selection of teams (understanding the multidimensionality of individuals and searching for the winning team),
  5. for establishing a relationship with suppliers of knowledge, materials, intermediate products, etc. (for better understanding of the common mission and of the market needs we are addressing), 
  6. for shaping individual identities and understanding the direct and indirect consequences of our actions.
At the end I would like to stress one more time that intuition is an important channel, a means for accessing the information in our subconsciousness, which together with our conscious capacity enables systemic decisions. Whether we know and accept it or not, the information in our subconscious influences our decisions, stimulates inspiration, as well as comprehensive and systemic actions. I hope these findings will help you in shaping up a stable and sustainable environment that supports an on-going development of innovations. We sometimes come to a dead-end, feeling unable to understand what is going on around us, but this merely enables us to learn, to break through our frustration, and to open up new areas where we can thrive. The aim of this article was to highlight yet another path for finding the answers to the questions we are faced with in our private, business and social lives. May your steps be fruitful, joyful and have a deep and lasting influence. 

Oj, Violeta

Additional links:
How can we cooperate
Where we can meet global
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