Great collaboration doesn’t come from better tools. It comes from understanding. The Manual of Me is a practical first step toward achieving that – both internally and externally.

At 3kubik, there is an internal rule that we never formally agreed upon, but which has naturally become part of how we work over the years: We do not recommend ways of working or methods to our clients that we have not at least tested ourselves. It takes time, occasionally costs a few nerves, and sometimes reveals that a method sounds more convincing in theory than it proves to be in practice. But consulting that is not grounded in experience is simply well-researched theory – and that is not enough for us.

The Manual of Me was one of those experiments.

The idea did not emerge from a strategic initiative but from a simple observation: We noticed how quickly we misinterpret the behavior of our colleagues – even us, despite spending our professional lives helping others become more aware of exactly these dynamics.

A practical example: Imagine someone joins a call at five in the morning because they are working from a different time zone. They look tired, do not smile, and seem slightly irritated. It is easy to assume they are bringing a bad mood into the meeting or that they have an unspoken issue with someone in the group.

Most of the time, the reality is far more mundane: they simply hate 5:00 a.m. meetings (and who doesn’t?). Not the people. Not the topic. Just the time.

This is not a 3kubik-specific phenomenon. It is a well-documented concept in psychology known as the Fundamental Attribution Error. We tend to explain other people’s behavior through their personality rather than considering situational factors.

In practice, this means that teams often judge faster than they ask, and interpret faster than they clarify. Over time, this blind spot quietly erodes trust. Collaboration becomes more difficult, yet nobody can quite explain why.

The Manual of Me is an attempt to interrupt that pattern – without launching a major program and without bringing in external facilitators.

How Much Trust Is Too Much?

When we talk about modern working time models, one term almost always comes up: trust-based working hours. For many, it is considered the ultimate discipline because it combines freedom and responsibility. But what exactly does it mean, what are the opportunities and risks, and how do we live this model at 3kubik?

Unlike traditional models such as flextime or shift work, trust-based working hours mean:

It’s not about presence – it’s about results.

Employees organize their own workday, deciding when to start, take breaks, or finish work. Employers simply provide a framework, such as a weekly working hour target, and trust that tasks will be completed reliably.

Of course, this does not mean everyone answers emails in the middle of the night. Trust also means considering dependencies, meeting deadlines, and remaining available to colleagues and clients when needed. For this reason, some companies combine trust-based working hours with core working hours during which everyone must be available.

Trust-based working hours are not a one-size-fits-all solution, nor are they suitable for every industry. But where they fit, they unlock tremendous potential: greater motivation, stronger ownership, and a healthier work-life balance.

Perhaps they truly are the ultimate discipline of modern work—because they require the most valuable element of any professional relationship:

Mutual trust.

“Where is that again? On the drive! No, in the DMS… No, in Teams…”
Sound familiar? This is how conversations go in modern offices every day – and it’s no better in hybrid teams. Where yesterday an email would have been sent, today it’s “the info is in the channel.” But which channel? Teams? Slack? Project board?
The problem isn’t that there are too few digital tools – it’s that there are too many. And even more seriously:
👉 There is no common agreement on which tool is used for what.

Studies and recent analyses show that the flood of digital tools is slowing us down—often significantly.

📌 Switching costs and fragmentation:
According to an analysis by the Work Innovation Lab, employees lose an average of 57 minutes per day just switching between tools. In addition, they spend about 30 minutes deciding which tool to use. That adds up to over 1.5 hours per day that are not used productively – simply because systems are not clearly defined or are left to too many people. Asana

📌 Digital stress among employees:
Studies show that over 60% of employees feel exhausted by the multitude of digital tools – a phenomenon often referred to as digital tool fatigue. Forbes

📌 Tool overload is real:
More than 50% of organizations say they use too many tools, and teams with more than six tools are significantly more likely to report that their work has become complex and inefficient. Buddy Punch

The result: we waste time searching and switching between tools instead of investing it in real work. Information is scattered, our focus is fragmented – and productivity visibly suffers as a result.

The daily chaos surrounding tools costs us time, energy, and focus. Studies show that having too many tools does not make employees more productive, but rather overwhelms them. However, with clear tool guidance, this overhead can be reduced in the long term—and real productivity can be unleashed.

👉 Fewer tools + clear rules = greater efficiency.

And that’s not just nice to have—it’s a real foundation for good collaboration in the digital and hybrid age.

Practical tip: Display your values visibly in the virtual office. Slack channel, Teams pin, or Notion dashboard. That way, everyone will stumble across your culture without you having to mention it specifically.

Extra: Create little challenges around your values. For example, whoever collects the most examples of the values in action during the week gets a little surprise. This way, culture is actively experienced and not just read about.

Note: Culture does not happen automatically. But it can also rock from the home office—if you bring in a little fun, cultivate rituals, and use tools cleverly.

Imagine: Work is no longer a grueling eight-hour marathon, but a creative raft full of flexibility, personal responsibility, digital tools—and the occasional keen eye on the coffee mug.

New Work is not just buzzword ping-pong, but means: spaces (physical & digital), tools, knowledge transfer, coaching – and above all, people who have a say in when, where, and how they want to work.
At 3kubik, we firmly believe that good work is not just something that gets done – it should be fun, inspiring, and connect people.

1. Hybrid remains, but flexibility reigns supreme

Working from home isn’t dead, but a rigid “everyone comes to the office on Mondays” approach is no longer the norm. Hybrid working is becoming the standard, offering real flexibility and a human touch.
👉 Forbes – 8 workplace trends 2025, IMD – Future of Work

2. Upskilling is the new career supplement

If you stand still, you rust – and today, rust is online. Continuous learning remains the number one trend, especially in areas such as AI, digital working, and soft skills.
👉 Forbes

3. Artificial intelligence is not a hobby – it’s your new colleague

Agentic AI (yes, you read that right) will become a project assistant, idea generator, or memory aid in 2025 – and not just as a gimmick. Digitalization never sleeps – it works with you.
👉 CIO Dive, The Australian

4. Humanity beats algorithms

New work requires empathy, inclusion, and mindfulness: Good workplaces offer mental health, appreciation, and recognition on an equal footing – not robot dictionaries.
👉 BI Worldwide, News.com.au

5. Gig Economy 2.0: Skills are now your calling card

It’s no longer your degree that counts, but what you can do. Project ticket instead of permanent employment? Exactly. More and more high-skilled freelancers are rocking the business on their own.
👉 LinkedIn – Future of Work 2025

You know how it is: a meeting starts, someone seems irritable, the next person is quiet, and somehow there’s a “storm” hanging over the room—even though the agenda promised nothing but sunshine. Most of the time, we politely ignore it, but secretly everyone is wondering: what’s going on here?
That’s exactly why we have our “Weather Mood” check-in deck—a small set of cards with a big impact.

A quick check-in at the beginning makes the difference between a tedious “drizzly meeting” and a lively exchange.
• No more guesswork: Instead of speculating why your colleague is grumbling today, you know: He’s just having a “storm in his head.”
• More understanding: When someone says, “It’s cloudy in my head right now,” it gives everyone else the chance to respond with empathy.
• Focus instead of drama: A quick check-in about the weather situation – and suddenly it’s all about the matter at hand, not underlying tensions.

In short, the check-in deck is like an umbrella for meetings – it protects against small mood showers ruining the whole meeting.

If someone had told me a few years ago that I would one day be working with LEGO, I would have looked at my resume with great surprise. Sure, I grew up with LEGO, building castles and fantasy worlds, visiting LEGOLAND in Billund as a child, and somehow never really stopping. My key ring? A LEGO figure (first Gandalf, now Darth Vader). My office? Full of little LEGO setups. But it wasn’t clear to me for a long time that the colorful bricks would one day find their way into my work as a serious method for strategy development and teamwork.
Then came my first contact with LEGO in a design thinking workshop. There, it was used for prototyping. Exciting, but not yet what I pursue today with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. Because that’s something completely different: a well-thought-out, scientifically based method for taking creativity and communication to a new level.

The biggest difference to “normal” LEGO building? There are no instructions. No ‘right’ or “wrong.” Instead, it’s about making thoughts visible, shaping ideas, and developing a common language. This happens through metaphors—I build something and explain what it means.
With just six standard bricks, there are over 900 million possible combinations. That’s exactly what makes LSP so powerful: it brings diversity to thought patterns, breaks down mental blocks, and enables a change of perspective. Why does it work?
1. Hand-eye coordination & cognition When building with your hands, new connections are created in the brain. This promotes deeper insights and helps to better understand complex relationships. Studies show that we understand better when we physically design things instead of just talking about them or writing them down.
2. Metaphorical thinking & storytelling Instead of explaining abstract concepts in words, participants build models that make their thoughts and ideas visible. This creates a common understanding, even if there were previously different perspectives.
3. Equal communication Everyone builds and presents their model, which also helps introverts to express themselves. All ideas are valued, not just the loudest voices in the room.
4. Reduction of mental blocks The playful approach promotes open, creative thinking. While traditional meetings are often linear and restrictive, LSP enables a freer, more intuitive, and exploratory approach to problems.
5. Systemic thinking In addition to individual models, group models are also created in the workshops, bringing together different perspectives. This helps to understand complex challenges and develop strategies.

The Copetri Cocon 2024 was a dream! From the moment we arrived at the trade fair, the energy was simply infectious. We are particularly proud and grateful that we were able to give a great Solution Spotlight presentation on our joint project SharePa together with our customer AB Enzymes, followed by a great workshop!

The Solution Spotlight presentation was definitely a highlight. In this presentation, we presented our joint project SharePa together with AB Enzymes. It was great to see how interested and engaged the audience was. Not only were we able to present the benefits and successes of our project, but we were also able to share valuable insights and experiences with the participants. The enthusiasm and positive feedback showed us that we are on the right track.

“Business Development deals with the operational and strategic development of a company.” So they say!
At our company, the #BDev day is a special kind of team meeting.

But first the facts on the table, what were our contents:

• We reflect on the last few months of work to make the last months of business for 2023 more goal and profit oriented.
• We discuss necessary changes and welcome new faces to the company.
• We engage in business analysis of customers and competitors.
• We consciously embrace new marketing opportunities.
• We deal with new possible heart topics.

These important hours of coming together are marked by food and drink, humor and sarcasm, music and movement, sweating and complaining, getting to know each other and curiously questioning, rolling eyes and smiling – always more a feeling about us as a team.

The company comes first, but we the people who animate and inspire 3kubik must always face new challenges in order to consciously perceive every little nuance of the other.