Question 1

Which customers do the Human Business Labs have? What reference projects are there?

Accepted Answer

Human Business Labs started working in June 2023. We are currently in an active development phase.

The approach of the Human Business Labs is based on decades of experience of the core team in innovative environments in various industries and companies. Examples include Daimler, Magna, Nestlé, Vodafone, 1&1 United Internet, Deutsche Telekom, Microsoft and many more.

Question 2

Who can become a customer?

Accepted Answer

We address managers, founders, parts of a team, or anyone who believes in a human future and wants to actively shape it.

Admittedly, this is a very large circle. But we don't want to be restricted either. What matters is how genuinely interested you are in strengthening the human core of a company.

Question 3

What do I get as a customer from the Human Business Labs?

Accepted Answer

Working in the Human Business Labs pays off in many ways.

Concrete solution suggestions for challenges presented in the form of implementable projects
Time and cost savings
Short-term HBL projects provide employees time, space, and resources to explore new ideas, experiment, and learn from failures - without disrupting daily operations.
HBL projects help retain and attract talent.
Experience and experience the diversity and magic

of human business in safe and meaningful, solution and result-oriented project environments
Cross-functional teams
New work with creative approaches such as Agile, Blue Ocean, Design Thinking

Knowledge exchange: Access to the HBL community network and database.

Question 4

How much does it cost to work in the Human Business Labs?

Accepted Answer

This depends on the scope and duration of the challenge. There are two cost blocks:

Basis Fee: The basic fee includes the costs for room rental and accompanying coach.
 
Project Equity: If a sponsor accepts the project proposal at the end of the incubation period, the sponsoring company pays a so-called project equity to the Human Business Labs in addition to the basic fee.

Question 5

Why are there only projects and no startups?

Accepted Answer

Unlike the existing incubators and accelerators that support start-ups, Human Business Labs focus on developing impactful and real projects.

Compared to start-ups, projects are easier to set up, more flexible, less risky, smaller in scope, offer faster learning, are easier to scale, attract a wider audience, are less expensive and are easier to integrate into existing ones Integrate corporate landscapes.

Question 6

Are the Human Business Labs based on a specific method?

Accepted Answer

No. We do not limit ourselves to a single method, but use a wide range of innovative methods and frameworks such as Agile, Open Innovation, Theory U, Design Thinking, Blue Ocean and others.

The core of the project work is a simple but very effective methodological framework: the MVP model. MVP stands for motivation, vision and practice.
For each challenge, teams explore the MVPs for the three dimensions of companies, people and teams and try to build the project at the intersection of these three MVPs. 
Experience shows that this intersection is the core of so-called "Wow projects" is. These are projects that are purpose-driven, make a difference, that people identify with, where synergy effects and high performance are more likely, and last but not least, projects that are filled with joy.
The MVP model is based on more than 25 years of practical project experience in various industries and companies. Thomas Juli describes the model in his book "Human Business. Living and working in the digital age" (Haufe, 2020).

Question 7

How long does an incubation period last?

Accepted Answer

An incubation period lasts between 2 days and 6 weeks.

Question 8

What kind of innovation approach do the Human Business Labs have?

Accepted Answer

The Human Business Labs pursue a holistic innovation approach, because it is not products and processes alone that produce innovations, but people. For this reason, people innovation is just as important as product innovation and process innovation.

Human Business Labs also believe in the power and magic of crowd intelligence. A group of ordinary people can collectively be better able to solve problems and drive innovation than even the most intelligent individual. For this reason, all HBL teams are cross-functional and diverse.

Question 9

Are the Human Business Labs a business or management consultancy?

Accepted Answer

No. As an incubator, we see ourselves as a door opener or perhaps as a kind of “midwife” to help companies (re)discover and strengthen their human core. What this core looks like is unique, company-specific and depends on the circumstances in which the company operates.

If the sponsoring companies have a need or interest in business or management consulting, we will be happy to put you in touch with our existing network. However, the Human Business Labs themselves are not available as pure consultants because this is outside our scope of action.

Question 10

Who do Human Business Labs compete with?

Accepted Answer

Human Business Labs are not designed to disrupt the market because we don't have to. We focus on developing viable projects and not start-ups. And we do not offer consulting or coaching services like established consulting firms. Ultimately, we don't want to own and offer our own co-working spaces, but rather use existing regional co-working spaces.

In this sense, Human Business Labs emerge outside the boundaries of existing industries. There is no existing market or established players that could be disrupted by us or fail because of us.

Question 11

Where are the Human Business Labs located?

Accepted Answer

Our headquarters are in Muri near Bern. Our workshops and incubators take place in local coworking spaces or directly at our customers’ homes. There are currently no plans to set up our own co-working spaces. We would rather cooperate with local coworking spaces and be flexible and mobile in our work.

Question 12

What is Human Business?

Accepted Answer

Human Business is a model of organizational culture that recognizes people as the core of creativity and innovation, values their well-being and growth, and promotes trust and respect at all levels. 
 
All projects that are created in the Human Business Labs have one thing in common: they focus on us humans as a crucial success factor in the digital age and modern entrepreneurship. It's about creating value for and through people. 
​
We are contributing to the development of a human future. One project at a time.
Gerald Hüther describes human business as a “bridge to a different economic order”..

Literature: Juli, T (2020). Human Business. Living and working in the digital age.  (bunch)

Question 13

How can I become a freelancer in the Human Business Labs?

Accepted Answer

Our freelancers are called residents.

In principle, anyone who understands and supports the values and principles of human business and those of the human business labs and ideally already has practical experience can become a resident.

Residents are not employees of the Human Business Labs. They work on the projects at their own expense and can be employed by the sponsoring companies after the incubation period

Question 14

How can I become part of the team?

Accepted Answer

If you would like to become part of the core team of the Human Business Labs and actively shape a human future and corporate world, contact us. The best thing to do is write to info@humanbusinesslabs.com and introduce yourself.

We are looking for experienced coaches, marketing, finance, and IT experts for our core operations as well as event managers, trainers, and guides for our special retreats. The core team is located in Muri near Bern, Switzerland. But we work globally, wherever our customers are or our retreats take place.

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