Travelling in the opposite direction: from companies to tribes
When Philippe Studer, co-founder and director of the marketing research firm EDinstitut, decided to take a trip with his family, he never imagined that it would change his life and the way he runs his company.
Philippe Studer made a choice: to leave home far behind, cut himself off from the world and go to meet indigenous peoples. The CEO observed three key, common values in each of the peoples he encountered, from the Mayas in Mexico to the Hmongs in Laos to the Zulus in South Africa: trust, kindness and collaboration. This discovery was a huge revelation for Philippe, and the meetings helped him reconnect with his own humanity as well as changing his outlook on life, other people and… his company. What happened when he came back? Well, Studer “simply” transformed his business by applying the same basic values at every level of the firm.
Travel is often a way of putting things in perspective, undertaking an internal journey at the same time as roaming the world – and then coming back richer and stronger for your decision-making. This is exactly what Studer’s story illustrates in this book, which is also a journey in itself. Philippe got back in touch with himself through his contact with the indigenous peoples he met, and he put what he learned about the richness of their cultures to work for the benefit of his company and employees.
How about you? Where did you go this summer? ;-)
Further reading: Le voyage inversé: De l’entreprise à la tribu by Philippe Studer Publishroom, 2018)
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