The Human Advantage: Bertelsmann University’s innovative approach to building trusting relationships at work
The need for meaningful relationships at work is clear. But most employees feel they don’t have enough of them. And they often don’t have good ways to build them.
More than 80% of professionals feel work friendships help them feel more engaged, satisfied on the job, and connected to their workplace, according to a KPMG survey.
Yet Gallup reports one in five employees report experiencing loneliness “a lot.” And loneliness, in addition to affecting productivity, is about as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
So when a team from Bertelsmann University had an idea for a new program, I was interested but also skeptical.
From idea to concept to pilot
The need they were trying to address was to complement the organization's strong focus on technological advancement with an equally deliberate focus on human capabilities.
“Something around building trustful relations, self-reflection, sharing knowledge and collaboration, psychological safety, develop Win-Win solutions…Only a very vague idea now….”
The underlying belief was that strengthening interpersonal and adaptive skills would not only improve relationships at work (and beyond) but also help people navigate and thrive in the face of AI, growing uncertainty, and accelerating change.
We talked, drafted one-pagers, and talked some more. Eventually, the idea for a peer-to-peer development program took shape. And also a name: The Human Advantage.
What is the Human Advantage?
Trust in a company is often compared to oil because it acts as a crucial lubricant for the organization, smoothing interactions, reducing friction, and allowing the "machine" of the business to run smoothly. Without this lubricant, organizational, team, and customer relationships can overheat, leading to inefficiency, conflict, and potential breakdown.
But trust takes time. It necessarily involves exchanges between people that demonstrate accountability and reliability, vulnerability and safety.
We live and work in an era where it’s harder and harder to build trust.
Technological advances are rapidly accelerating, and artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the way we operate. While technology and AI excel at processing information and automating tasks, they cannot replicate one essential human strength: our capacity for trust, empathy, and sincere connection.
These human capabilities are vital for intentionally building and nurturing relationships. They help us foster collaboration and creativity, navi gate conflict and lead with compassion. Strong, healthy relationships not only enhance our sense of belonging, but also reduce stress and provide crucial support in times of change or challenge.
In hybrid work environments, digital tools can keep us connected—but they also make forming genuine relationships more difficult. Yet it is precisely these interpersonal connections that drive innovation and help us tackle the complex challenges of our time. That’s why investing in relational skills isn’t just about being a “people person.” It’s a strategic and future-oriented choice.
How the program works
In The Human Advantage, people are put together in groups of 4 or 5, and they meet 8 times with a simple goal:
Improve the health of your relationships at work by at least 10%.
That’s enough to be significant but not so much as a be daunting or impractical.
The goal is the same for everyone in the group, but it means something different to each individual, and achieving it will have different benefits. Even as their practice and paths throughout the 8 weeks are different, they work together and support each other. They build trust within the Circle as they learn to build it with others outside.
The 8 weeks are divided into two modules. Module 1 focuses on foundational skills such as such as active listening, emotional regulation, giving and receiving feedback. Module 2 focuses on applying those skills in everyday work situations ranging from cross-functional relationship building to handling conflicts. Groups completing Module 1 could choose to continue or stop.
The first pilots, at the end of 2025, were promising. Most participants were grateful that such a program even existed. We also learned from them how we could improve the program. Simplifying the agendas. Switching to a more flexible cadence of meetings. Replacing one of the weeks.
What’s next?
We just finished “Version 2” and are ready to expand the program. The internal Bertelsmann University intends to offer the program to the entire group.
For me, two quotes we use in Weeks 1 and 8 summarize why this program is important.
"Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.“ — Ben Stein
"Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period.“ — Robert Waldinger, psychiatrist and Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development
Simply put, healthy relationships make for better work and a better, longer life. That the Bertelsmann team dared to invest in such a program is remarkable. I hope their examples inspires other to do the same.
