Culture at its core

Culture happens in real life.

Not in strategy, codes of conduct, or core values displayed on walls.

To take organizational culture seriously,
you first have to take people seriously.

Stephan Ummelen
Organizational advisor, speaker, and writer

Editorial portrait of Stephan Ummelen
Photo: Rosa van Ederen

The core of culture

From Human Resources to Human Relations

Culture emerges between people. In small, meaningful moments: when someone speaks up, when colleagues help each other, or when an experience challenges familiar assumptions.

Those moments reveal what people value. They nurture trust, a sense of belonging, and the willingness to take responsibility together.

Yet organizations often leave little room for these experiences. We write values down, but forget to explore what they mean in practice for the people who work with them.

Values Driven helps leaders make space for that conversation. To connect employees’ stories with the story of the organization — and discover and recognize together what truly matters.

Because people make sense of their organization together.

Working together

“Stephan truly sees people. He listens without judgment, asks questions that get to the heart of things, and makes room for conversations that really matter.

That combination of warmth, humanity, and intellectual clarity makes him an exceptionally valuable partner to work with.”

Laura BonManaging director · ICM Training

Clients

City of Eindhoven

Ministry of Justice and Security

ICM Training

Nespresso Netherlands

Province of Flevoland

Public Prosecution Service

FrieslandCampina

KPMG

ProRail

Mensa Netherlands

Dutch Tax and Customs Administration

Radboud University

Stephan Ummelen giving an interactive talk
Keynote and conversation · culture in real life

Keynote — City of Eindhoven

The sense and nonsense of values.

An honest story about values in organizations, helping leaders and their employees develop a shared language for talking about organizational culture.

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Workshop — organizational rituals

Learn to recognize the rituals within your organization.

Every organization is full of rituals. In my workshop, you’ll learn how to reconnect them with your organization’s culture.

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A temporary meeting space between institutional buildings
Making room for a different conversation
Employees in conversation during a program about leadership and trust
OFI · leadership and trust

Program — OFI

Leadership begins with trust.

During a 24-hour program, I help the management team understand how trust shows up in everyday collaboration—and what it takes to lead well and maintain strong relationships when tensions rise.

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Working together is about relationships.Relationships are about trust.Trust is about caring about the same things.

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