Development (August 2019)

«No news are good news»: almost two years have passed since the last newsletter, and activities in all four business areas continue to be expanded and consolidated.

The consultations in our offices in Fribourg and Zurich (partly Bern and Lausanne) have increased significantly, especially in the case of PsYkids and proTalent. Dr. Julie Baumer (Head of PsYkids and Co-Director proTalent) is responsible since December 2017 as well as school psychologist at the Lycée Français in Zurich. In the radio program «RTS Le Talk» of the Swiss radio, she is interviewed as an expert in a half-hour interview («Papa, Maman, le psy et moi!»).

Emphasis and very often in demand are analysis of the current personal and professional situation with focus on abilities, strenghts and weaknesses as well as development opportunities (personal assessments) and coaching, especially in the areas of intellectual giftedness as well as music. Concerning giftedness, we regularly attend congresses and exchange ideas internationally with professionals from the field of practice, teaching and research, and concerning music we are Founding member of an association and a fund to support outstanding music talents. In our discussions, it is striking that there exist often uncertainness, undifferentiated to false information, stereotypes and prejudices about these topics. Even experts sometimes give information unilaterally or incorrectly. Our aim is therefore to contribute to a realistic, balanced perception and opinion formation in order to see people with their individual – sometimes similar, but sometimes very different – strengths, weaknesses and potentials, and to suit them in their professional and private environment in order to respond to their questions, needs and possibilities.

At CICB, we continue to conduct presentations, courses, cultural audit and cultural change at companies, individual coaching and preparation for foreign assignments focusing on intercultural competence in German, French, English and Spanish, and at CACB with Assessments (core product is the one-day individual Assessment), Coaching and Outplacements.

Furthermore, we have been active for many years – in CICB and CACB in particular within Swiss Assessment, Association of Management Consultants Switzerland (ASCO), Swiss Board Forum (Swiss Institute for Administrative Boards and Executive Board Members) and the Swiss Management Association (SMG) – and in PsYkids and proTalent in particular at ASEHP, Mensa (Switzerland) and ISPE.

New contacts and activities, guest lectureship (August 2016)

In addition to consolidation and expansion of current activities, there were many notable activities and contacts during the past months. Among them, the talks during the 14th Alpensymposium at 12 and 13 January 2016 in Interlaken with the following personalities: Prof. Yanis Varoufakis (Economist and former Greek Minister of Finance), Dr. Auma Obama (Kenyan Germanist and Sociologist; sister of US-President Barack Obama); Micheline Calmy-Rey (former Swiss Foreign Minister and President of the Confederation) and Dr. Bertrand Piccard (Swiss Psychiatrist, Scientist and Adventurer). A long-term cooperation is planned between CICB and Yanis Varoufakis, regarding to the themes intercultural stumbling blocks as well as synergy potentials within international politics.

As part of further meetings, the following discussions, partially cooperation and friendly relations are to mention: with Claude Nicollier (Swiss Astrophysicist, NASA-Test Pilot and Astronaut); Aldo Schellenberg (Lieutenant General; Commander of the Swiss Air Force); Dr. Pierin Vincenz (former CEO Raiffeisen Bank Switzerland; since October 2015 Chairman at Helvetia Insurance); Dr. Jörg Peltzer (Surgeon and Chief Physician in Delémont and initiator of trauma centers Swiss surgeons in Ethiopia); Prof. Martin Killias (criminologist and criminal law expert); Dr. Beat Curti (Swiss Retail and Media entrepreneur); Jean-Claude Biver (Swiss Watch entrepreneur); Diego Hangartner (Swiss Pharmacist, neuro-scientist and co-founder of Mind and Life institute Europe) and with Shlomo Graber (survivor of concentration camps and author; this year he had his 90th anniversary).

In November 2015, Thomas Baumer performed two workshops in intercultural competence for the staff of Beyer Chronometry in Zurich. Beyer Chronometry is the oldest watch shop in Switzerland and is lead today, in the 8th generation, by René Beyer.

During winter semester 2016-17, Thomas Baumer is teaching as guest lecturer at the Academia Engiadina / Higher Technical School for Tourism in Samedan (Grisons/Switzerland) during 2 course days per month the subject “Intercultural Management”.

Audit / proTalent (September 2017)

Particularly noteworthy contacts and activities in the current year were a seminar for the management of the academy for further education and personnel development at Stuttgart-Esslingen as well as the cooperation with Prof. Dr. Flemming Ruud (public accountant and professor of business administration, in particular Internal Control / Internal Audit, at the University of St. Gallen) and the related lecturing activity in the Current Issues on the Internal Audit seminar (details / program) organized by EXPERTsuisse (expert association for auditing, tax and trust).

The psychology practice PsYkids (one of the so far three sections of the CICB Center of Intercultural Competence Ltd.), which was opened in September 2014, has developed and consolidated excellently over these three years. Children, young people and families with different needs as well as different linguistic and cultural backgrounds make use of the possibilities for a determination of the status quo according to objective criteria, as well as counseling and coaching, especially in our offices in Fribourg and Zurich.

Our experience during the 17 years activity of our company (the first 10 years as an individual company, from 2010 as a shareholder with the two sections CICB Center of Intercultural Competence and CACB Center for Assessment and Coaching, and from 2014 onwards with the psychology practice PsYkids) including the exchange with countless personalities in many subject areas, have brought to light important findings, which mainly relate to determination, analysis and description of abilities, potentials and talents as well as their purposeful, measurable further development. In order to be able using this core competency in a more targeted way and thus meeting a frequently expressed need, we have established a fourth section: proTalent. Here, we are focussing on the definition, detection and promotion of talents and capabilities, on the one hand in terms of breadth – the versatility of intellectual, emotional, artistic potentials up to rare manifestation like savant syndrome – as well as in the depth, including high and extreme giftedness.

Since these (conscious or hidden) skills and potentials are often associated with other personality traits that are perceived as both positive and difficult / challenging, we want to pursue a comprehensive, holistic view. That means approaching the different bases, influencing factors and expressive forms in a both deepened and detailed way as well as on a superordinate level (meta view). The goals are to be defined individually with the concerned personalities – usually by defining strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis), the abilities and possibilities, and furthermore the hindering as well as the beneficial influences and interactions, in order to enable these talents to be promoted and used as benefits, without losses, but with the best possible synergies. Not all potentials need to be evolved to the maximum, as the goal is a balanced life between all the traits, expectations and needs of the person concerned, so that he/she can feel well, develop within the wishes and possibilities, and, at its best, be satisfied with him-/herself and the world, as far as possible being happy.

The new section of proTalent is headed by Dr. Julie Baumer (head of PsYkids) and Thomas Baumer (head of CICB and CACB). The management of the group CICB Ltd. is held by Thomas Baumer (CEO), Dr. Julie Baumer (deputy) and Dr. Jörg Sorg.

Symposium Engelberg, Zurich Economic Forum, Swiss Economic Forum, SIETAR (June 2013)

The past months were shaped by a further consolidation of business relationships as well as many new contacts, mandates and assignments for both operational divisions CICB Center of Intercultural Competence and CACB Center for Assessment and Coaching.

Beside of regular communication within the SIVG (Swiss Institute for Board Directors and Managers), the SMG (Swiss Management Association) and the ASCO (Association of Management Consultants Switzerland), focus points were the participation at the Symposium Engelberg in November 2012, the Zurich Economic Forum (ZfU Leadership Academy) in January 2013 and at the Swiss Economic Forum in June 2013 (see profile on NZZ Events).

In September 2013, Thomas Baumer (Founder and Chairman of CICB Center of Intercultural Competence Ltd.) leads a presentation and workshop at the international congress of SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research) in Tallinn (Estonia).

The longtime collaboration and cooperation with Nicole Messi as Director Human Resources and Member Corporate Management of the SAG Group moves a further step and we are very happy to welcome her as a member of our team at CACB Center of Assessment and Coaching. Her established and practical oriented knowledge and experience within Corporate Leadership, Human Resources Strategies, Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring / Change Management Processes in international large-, medium- and small-scale-enterprises are a valuable addition and enrichment of the competences within our team.