Tymphany: Audio z kopřivnického Sillicon Valley (7. strana)

BUSINESS ROZHOVOR two of us now. Weare both sitting at home but still we are communicating and looking at each other, as if we were in the same room. You don´t speak to me, nor do I speak to you; we speak to our computers. We can hear each other well. Audio is one of the means that enables people to communicate via technology and human senses. This relates to a whole lot of things that go handin-hand with sound. Cameras, image projection, voice recognition used for payment verification, communication with AI, virtual reality, music that you bring along everywhere you need. It is a gigantic business. These are the things we want to be around and where we try to set the trends. The era is moving and so are we. How has the audio business been influenced by the current situation, when the demands for online and audio communication are increasing? This year was good for innovations. People have more and more started realizing that they want and need to understand each other. A lot of them work from home these days. And they don‘t even need to be at home; they can be in nature or on a bench in a park. At that moment, they use our products “on the go”; they put on headphones and they are basically at work. The generation of youtubers is growing and they create online content. They buy quality microphones and speakers; they don’t shoot just on their mobile phones. This segment is growing really fast. The move from the office to the home has had a huge impact on the audio business. When you are at home, you want to make it nice around you. People spend significantly more on home appliances; they buy hi-fi to make these moments more pleasant. Even though we expected a drop, the market is turning, and our business is going up together with audio, which is a part of the online world. Text: redakce, Šárka Kůrková Kristýna Eliášová Foto: redakce , Tomáš Juřena www.tymphany.com Your company was under Danish company Bang & Olufsen until 2017. This company is known for its so-called “Scandinavian management”. Can you explain how you implement such leadership? Our factory started fifteen years ago. We came under the wings of Tymphany in 2017, but for twelve years we belonged under Bang & Olufsen. When you are part of a Scandinavian company for so many years, a company that is composed of Scandinavians, you will find out that they are far ahead and that you have much to learn from them. I believe that we managed to jump on their trend quickly and adapt to it. Scandinavian culture can be described in one word: trust. The number of supervisory systems and various checks is very limited there. Hierarchy is not the most important thing. The idea is more important, the fact that people are able to talk to each other and have a common goal. I see a company more as a network of people with certain responsibilities, not as a pyramid. Moderation by superiors cannot be eliminated completely, but we limit it by delegating the responsibilities to the teams. Approvals are basically 16 ǀ POSITIV 4/2020 slowing down business. But we need to be fast! Another idea of this approach is to give everyone the opportunity to tell their opinion and choose the appropriate way to work. Again, this is really not for everyone; some people really need a precise “cookbook.” All of this doesn‘t only bring freedom and an open environment, but also responsibility. Despite the open environment, trust and friendly atmosphere, we know that the result is important. Tymphany is not a Scandinavian company anymore, but we try to take the best part from everything. Today we can describe our company culture mainly with the word vigour. It is also very important that people feel good at work; only that way they can enjoy it. A nice environment contributes to that. Though our factory is an industrial building, I would call it a designer jewel. It replicates the beauty of our products. For example--in the centre of the production area we have a glass-walled atrium with a park; between the development office and production line we have a glass-walled opening. From every place in the production area you can see outside through huge windows. You write “Give your people a dream; you won‘t get anywhere with commands” on your blog. What should we make of that? We offer a very attractive salary and benefits to our employees. That’s one thing. But we don’t want this to be the only reason people work for us. Our motto is “We love audio.” We want people to try to change the world through audio. Of course, for the better. We want them to see that they have an impact on the person who buys the product. For example, the operator puts the product together and tests if it is reliable. The moment he hears the music, he packs the product and sends it off for sale. The next person to hear the same music will be the customer. I believe that this makes an important connection between them. Audio is a powerful thing. When you speak about a wedding with people, I am sure that everyone will remember the song they chose for their first dance. Or when your grandpa dies, everyone thinks about what music should be played for him. They really take care to pick what he liked the most. We have a huge impact on people‘s lives: when they want to be happy, they take a speaker or headphones and play music they like, and it improves their mood. This is our dream. As a last thing: please tell me what is your favourite place in the Moravian-Silesian region. I love the Beskid Mountains. I have three favourite places I run up to from time to time: Velký Javorník, Lysá hora and Pustevny. When I climb up Lysá hora at night and look at Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek glowing, I think to myself, how beautiful it is here. I think that we have beautiful nature here around Ostrava; I like it here. Thank you for the interview.