ANNOTATION
Customer in the Spotlight – Phrase or Reality?
In this panel discussion, our guests often share stories, experiences, and practical tools that are not officially available anywhere. This year, you will take away valuable tips and tricks on building a customer-oriented company culture, directly from top managers and entrepreneurs from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. You will also have the opportunity to ask your own questions via Slido.
This year’s conference revolves around the theme “Organizational and Product Innovation in the Age of Customer Experience.” Focusing on the customer is not a new concept – various approaches such as Lean, Agile, CX, UX, Service Design, and Product Development have long emphasized delivering value to the customer and enhancing their experience. After all, Tomáš Baťa understood this principle long ago, making customer orientation a key factor in his company’s success. Even before him, many small business owners and craftsmen knew that their reputation depended on the quality of their products and services.
On the other hand, in many organizations, decision-making power still lies with top management, which is often disconnected from direct contact with customers. This disconnect can create a false impression that the organization is customer-focused, while key decisions are influenced by internal goals, politics, or short-term financial interests. This can result in customer dissatisfaction, inefficient processes, weak innovation capacity, and employee demotivation.
Customer focus is not just a marketing phrase—it requires a deep shift in mindset and organizational functioning. It takes courage and willingness to modify traditional management models and give more decision-making power to the “periphery”—the people and teams who interact with customers daily.
Leading experts in management and customer experience will discuss how companies can overcome challenges and truly focus on customer needs. We will explore the importance of decentralizing decision-making and ensuring transparency, engaging employees, and fostering a culture that genuinely prioritizes the customer.
Join us to hear insights from managers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts who have successfully made this transformation.
Rastislav Duriš
Rasťo is a facilitator and organizational psychologist who specializes in the human side, Agile, and systematic approach to organizational development. He teaches leaders and teams self-management and decentralization. He brings global approaches to support organizational transformations to the Czech Republic, such as the Rocket Model of Teamwork, Management 3.0, Gamestorming, BetaCodex Network, Lean Change Management, and Liberating Structures. In his consulting and training practice, he most commonly collaborates with Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers.
Šimon Vlachynský
Šimon has been working as a Scrum Master for more than six years, both in Czech and international teams. He is the author of several internal company trainings, and at one time he was the organizer of “Scrum Erasmus” – exchange visits between companies to gain inspiration not only in the field of agile culture. He has experience with classic agile frameworks, onboarding new colleagues or setting product and team goals. He can clearly set and explain metrics in a way that helps with the progression of set goals. He approaches the work in a human way, while also being able to provide constructive advice for progress within the self-development framework.