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.