Each summer, Devbridge Group sends its entire North American team to Lithuania to spend a week working alongside their Lithuanian colleagues. This culminates in a weekend known as Summer Camp, where we celebrate our accomplishments as a team.
It's a weekend filled with team activities, relaxation, and celebration. This year, nearly 300 team members met on the picturesque shores of the Baltic Sea for a weekend of camping near the resort town of Palanga, Lithuania.
Considering our North American team has nearly tripled over the past three years, this is a significant investment that many companies would not even entertain. However, our leadership team believes this to be one of the critical elements of the fabric that sets Devbridge apart—it’s a competitive differentiator. I couldn’t agree more.
Devbridge does not build, stock, and sell widgets. The creativity, ingenuity, and hard work of the team is what our clients buy. It’s our people. And if people are our biggest asset, why wouldn’t we do everything in our power to grow that asset?
That’s exactly what Summer Camp does. Throughout the week, I heard teams having candid discussions on process improvement, how to better serve clients, and work better together as a team. It’s a time for reflection and projection—not only in the office, but over dinner, a beer, or a fun team activity.
For instance, the North American team sang “Happy Birthday” to our Lithuanian colleagues during their monthly birthday celebration. Almost every night, combined project teams of Lithuanians, Canadians, and Americans informally gathered to tour local attractions and enjoy meals together, some even hosted at team members own homes.
A group in Chicago designed team stickers and t-shirts for their colleagues in Lithuania as a gift. Our Chicago and Lithuanian colleagues arranged a basketball tournament. The list of activities is long, but the friendships formed, laughs had, and memories created is much longer.
With so many people exploring and spending time with each other, our internal social sharing tool, called TeamApp, created a common canvas for everyone to share experiences, photos, and laughs. Hundreds of photos and comments were posted during the week.
By allowing employees from different countries to meet face to face, we are creating a richer environment for all. The ability to share experiences, blend cultures, and discuss business in an informal setting creates empathy and a strong sense of team. This, in turn, leads to a shared belief in our values and in each team pushing each other to be the best they can be for our clients.
We believe that to make great things, you must believe in greatness, want to be great, and do great work. By creating the right culture that embraces this belief, great things are made.
Of course, the right culture comes from hiring the right people. You can join our growing team by checking out our open positions here.
Want to learn more? On Sept. 21, we'll host an open house that will focus on how to "Defy Mediocrity," both in our work and individual careers. If you're in the Chicago area, we hope you'll join us!
