Inner Development at Icebug
Inner Development at Icebug
Inner Development at Icebug
At Icebug, we believe that inner development should be a natural part of our professional lives. We aim to create a workplace where individuals can bring their whole selves—not just to work hard or climb the hierarchy, but to learn, grow, and overcome obstacles.
Since 2022, we have been exploring the Inner Development Goals (https://innerdevelopmentgoals.org) framework as a tool to accelerate our individual growth – for the best of the team, the company and ultimately the world as the framework is linked to sustainable development.
For structure, we’ve worked with the themes described in the image below – both individually and as part of groups.
To learn more about the process and results: keep reading.
For further reading, please see the whitepaper where Icebug CEO David Ekelund shares our story together with other partners such as Ikea, Google, Stena and Ericsson.
Get the book! Soon we will publish a book on our journey. Sign up here and we’ll let you know when it can be ordered.
Why Inner Development?
Time is limited, and we often face difficult choices and sacrifices, making it essential to ask, "Why focus on inner development rather than just getting the job done?" Achieving ambitious goals while maintaining a healthy business and a fulfilling life in a rapidly changing world can be challenging.
For us, inner development has been a way to promote adult growth, building resilience to uncertainty and helping people reach their full potential. We aim to create a workplace where individuals can bring their whole selves—not just to work hard or climb the hierarchy, but to learn, grow, and overcome obstacles. This approach bridges the gap between knowing what’s right for the world and acting on it in the workplace, aligning personal and professional values.
By encouraging inner development, we make our vision—a society where people thrive on a balanced planet—a collective effort. When we discovered the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) as a method to achieve global objectives, we saw it as a valuable approach worth testing.
We initially believed that inner development would not only build resilience but also inspire innovation, trust, a growth mindset, better decision-making, and greater engagement, amplifying our overall impact.
How?
Over a two-year period, we integrated inner development into our daily work at Icebug, involving everyone from employees to managers and CEOs, which fostered psychological safety and openness. We partnered with Charlotte Henschel, an expert psychologist and organizational developer, who facilitated the process. Instead of creating a separate system, we incorporated inner development themes into our existing 100-day cycle, aligning them with our agile, two-week sprint approach.
Each theme began with a kick-off session, encouraging personal connection and motivation. Employees joined small reflection groups, meeting bi-weekly to share their goals, experiences, and insights, while practicing listening skills and reflecting on their development. The process included an action-reflection loop for continuous growth, allowing for small, practical adjustments.
Ambassadors led these group meetings, promoting open dialogue, trust, and a sense of community. Additional formats, such as talk buddies and digital journaling, were also tested, but group reflections proved most impactful. We enriched the themes with expert speakers and internal knowledge-sharing sessions, building a collaborative digital toolbox with valuable resources for the future.
Evaluations and surveys after each theme refined the process, making it an exploratory and co-creative journey. This initiative strengthened our workplace culture, promoting satisfaction, belonging, and meaningful growth for everyone involved.
Learnings & results
Icebug's vision is to drive systemic and cultural change, promoting a society where people thrive and the planet is in balance. We aim for businesses to lead in improving living conditions and fostering a cultural shift towards consuming less while enhancing the quality of life through deeper connections and responsible resource use.
We believed that inner development would not only build resilience but also inspire innovation, trust, a growth mindset, better decision-making, and increased engagement, ultimately amplifying our positive influence.
Survey Statistics
– Increased trust within the organization
– Higher engagement and well-being
– Improved sense of community and collaboration
– Enhanced empathy, listening skills, innovation, and creativity
– Greater resilience, courage, and proactivity
– Stronger connection to purpose and vision
– 80% reflect more frequently
– 83% recognize personal growth and value from the initiative
– 88% see team development and value creation
– 82% believe Icebug is now a more attractive employer
– 91% feel their colleague relationships have strengthened
– 88% think the initiative positively aligns with our vision for impact
Challenges
Initially, we excluded top management from the first theme, assuming it would foster openness. However, we learned that having everyone participate equally was crucial for motivation and understanding the value of inner development. Additionally, we struggled to integrate colleagues from our US and German teams fully, showing a need for more cultural cohesion throughout the organization.
Going forward
We began this journey in April 2022 and concluded the final theme this June. However, this is just the beginning. As a deliberately developmental organization, we will continue to foster growth through reflection groups, benefiting individuals, teams, and Icebug as a whole, and furthering our mission to create a balanced society where people and the planet thrive.
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