Jitske Kramer (1973) 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 female speaker, entrepreneur, facilitator and founder of Human Dimensions. In 2013 Jitske was chosen as Trainer of the Year. She is known for being the bestselling author of Deep Democracy, Jam Cultures (about diversity and inclusion), Work has left the Building and co-author of The Corporate Tribe (2016 Management Book of the Year).
As a speaker, Jitske Kramer’s stories take you on an exciting journey into human issues and solutions on how people shape cultures and how cultures shape people. To see what is really going on. With an eye for differences and similarities. Looking at things from a distinctive perspective. Without the autopilot. Daring to go off the beaten path. About dialogue, decision-making, power, inclusion, leadership, organization culture, change, sabotage and ranking. About sales, multidisciplinary teams, safety and international cooperation. Challenge the obvious. And ask questions. Every day. Beyond the concept of us/them. About connecting differences and saying a proper goodbye when necessary. Essential knowledge for effective cooperation, decision-making methods and collective change.
She brings worldly knowledge and experiences back to the world of organizing, 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.
It is her quest to understand how we can build strong cultures, safe for diversity and ready for change. In her talks and books she shares her experience and research into these topics.
Based on the books The Corporate Tribe and Building Tribes, Jitske Kramer takes you on a fascinating journey. She talks about how people shape cultures and how cultures shape people. Full of beautiful stories and anthropological lessons about people, culture, change and leadership. About the interplay of Power & Love and the importance of good interaction and decision-making.
With efficient bullet point meetings and human campfire conversations. Anthropological insights to create and maintain strong and healthy organizations. Challenge yourself to consider how your secret tribal delights about cooperation and leadership fit in today’s modern open organizations.
Do not expect a standard keynote, but a unique experience that will get people moving. On diversity and inclusion
A touching musical keynote combining solid content with spoken word. Jitske discusses the value and necessity of inclusion and diversity for teams and organizations. About power, ranking and taking risks to get into the flow together. About how people set and push boundaries. About meaningful encounters, courage and leadership. About the Jam Circle.
A keynote that crosses borders. Jitske discusses heavy themes in a light-hearted manner. She makes you think. About how much diversity you can handle. And want to handle. And what this requires of leaders. You will leave a different person than you were when you arrived. Jamming together, with strong boundaries and loving attention.
‘Join the Jam. How much diversity can you handle?’
A performance with music, stories, spoken word, compact theory and visual graphics. In Jam Cultures, everyone dares to make their own voice heard, and to listen to those of others, in order to create a better whole together, in constant harmonization. Inclusion in a jam session, where you come together with courage and connection. At the core, inclusion is about who is allowed to participate in what, who is allowed to contribute input on which topics and who is allowed a say in decision-making. And who are not. And with that, inclusion is about people, boundaries, leadership, power, privileges, conflicts, differences and similarities. It is about working together with differences. You could also call it agile leadership. Hard and soft at the same time.
In 2009, Jitske Kramer learned about Deep Democracy, became an instructor and worked with the Human Dimensions team to put the Lewis method of Deep Democracy on the map in the Netherlands.
Imagine that at the start of a strategic process, we didn’t say ‘I hope we can quickly reach an agreement.’ But instead: ‘how amazing it is to be here together with so many people, with so many different views, opinions and networks. With such diversity. Let’s use our collective wisdom, backgrounds and knowledge to the best of our abilities.’ What great things we might achieve together… But how to do this? How do we ensure that it is not always the same few people who talk during a management meeting?
How do we ensure that all points of view are fully covered? That the larger whole is more important than individual egos? A keynote speech on the ‘wisdom of the minority’, with a special method that originated in post-apartheid South Africa. About sabotage, autocratic decisions, kings and sharks. Often painfully relatable and insightful. Based on the bestseller Deep Democracy.
Go on a journey with Jitske and learn to see things through the eyes of an anthropologist. Change, mergers and conflicts will never be the same.
In this keynote, through Jitske’s unique travel experiences, you will learn how people around the world encounter similar issues: how to handle change, leadership, conflict, goodbyes, mergers. The different unique cultural answers to these universal questions are food for thought. This is an extraordinary keynote which will challenge your own world view and your ideas about what is normal and abnormal. What is strange becomes familiar. And what is familiar becomes strange.
‘An anthropological perspective is trying to experience what is strange, without constantly letting your own opinion get in the way.’
We will determine the exact route of the journey during the intake session. The journey might include stories from and about the Sinai Desert, the voodoo of Togo, curious rituals in India, marabouts in Gambia, taxi drivers in Malaysia, fountains in Friesland, ta’arof in Iran, wedding drama in Las Vegas, silent meetings among the Quakers…. Jitske uses these travel stories to establish links with your own daily practice. Various themes can be covered here, such as: handling change, conflicts, mergers, rituals, leadership, goodbyes, and inclusion.
Jitske sees the corona virus as a global culture shock. Her keynotes are about dealing with sudden changes, hybrid work methods and remote leadership.
For this time of major changes, Jitske puts together special keynotes about the impact of the corona virus measures on society, organizations and teams. And what this requires in terms of leadership and cooperation. For an anthropologist, these are fascinating times. Jitske closely follows the developments in society and in organizations that result from this corona virus culture shock. We can learn so much from the world around us right now.
The corona virus calls for getting a grip in uncertain times. How can we keep connecting remotely?
The corona virus measures are constantly changing. In her keynotes, she plays into the current dynamics and questions. Questions like: is this a crisis or a transformation? How to lead remotely? How to collaborate on a project if you can’t get together? How to maintain connections and pride? How to ensure no one is overcome with loneliness or overwhelmed by the workload? How to train new people? How to discuss difficult topics and maintain a good atmosphere when working remotely? In short: how are you adapting your organizational culture to this new context? But also: how do we know what is true? Why are conspiracies getting so much media coverage now? How are we dealing with different perspectives?
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