Develor Georgia's secret to success lies in its values, the most vital foundation for any organization.

Develor entered the Georgian market at the height of corporate training popularity, seeking to challenge existing corporate training practices and establish the latest business development solutions.

Develor is an international consulting and training company offering services in 17 countries. Develor International has more than 30 years of experience in the global market, while the Georgian office already has eight years under its belt.

"When we opened here, the demand for corporate training was already fairly considerable in the country; however, our goal was to offer European standard training programs customised to the specific needs and requirements of Georgian companies, as well as offering certified hands-on trainers with international experience and expertise", says the managing director of Develor Georgia, Mariam Beridze.

Develor offers various programs to companies, including in leadership and management, sales and negotiation, personal growth and communication, team building and game-based training, assessment and diagnosis, consulting, and coaching.

At Develor, each program is designed based on market research and current and anticipated business challenges.

"The attitude towards corporate education in Europe differs significantly from that in Georgia," Mariam tells us. "This difference becomes apparent to me every time I meet my European colleagues and listen to their experiences. The primary objective of Develor Georgia eight years ago was to convince Georgian businesses about the need for workplace training programs designed to change employee behavior. Such programs should not only be enjoyable and inspiring experiences, but should also have a lasting effect on employees' behavior in the workplace. Develor's innovative programs address this challenge by helping teams and individuals grow in the workplace and change their behavior.

According to Mariam, the demand is buoyant – more companies are supporting their employees in their personal and professional development. Most importantly, the selection of the content of the courses, the preparation for the course, and post-training support are done according to the standards.

Mariam claims Develor Georgia is an outstanding organization in this field.

"Demand for corporate training and consulting services has increased significantly, especially in management, technology, and leadership. Develor, in addition to meeting the latest requirements, has the resources to offer completely new, diverse approaches to businesses, and to help leaders prepare to face the existing challenges," she says.

Devolor's goal is to change employee behavior in the workplace. As Mariam says, achieving this goal through training courses and programs launched in other countries but not adapted to the Georgian reality would be impossible. The company has developed innovative methods and tools that help groups and companies prepare, train and implement change to make the result tangible and visible.

"One of Develor's strengths is that we can offer individual, tailored training to teams of any background and experience, regardless of the challenges they might be facing. If the program is not adapted and does not respond to the specific challenges in their daily work, then there is no point in conducting the training".

According to Mariam, Develor Georgia is a mixture of international experience and local knowledge. They introduce Western standards to the Georgian management style, while adapting to the country's and organizations' existing challenges.

Develor Georgia cooperates and provides services to both local and international companies. Mariam says this is very important for the company's development and the country in general, seeing the Develor Georgia team striving to help individuals and teams reach their full potential within the workplace and to ultimately find their work fulfilling.

"After the training program is complete, employees must have support to apply the learned skills and knowledge to their daily work as quickly as possible. There are two ways we help companies provide support: One is to offer our resources, because we have many techniques and different products to regulate this process, or we make a recommendation, and then the HR department and immediate supervisors take on the responsibility to support them directly", Mariam explains.

The Develor team believes that their work style is one of the reasons why companies choose them. One of these distinguishing features is their honesty, which instils trust in their customers.

"Develor is focused on making behavioral changes in companies, but we never promise a client something we don't believe in or have not used in practice ourselves," Mariam says.

Mariam tells us that Develor starts cooperation with a new client only if the company shows signs of readiness for change. "If we see that the company is not ready to implement changes and modify its approach to work, we do not start the training sessions. We strive for long-lasting results for the organization and want teams to keep their achievements going for as long as possible. If the proper support and guidance are not provided to the employees, the positive employee behavior changes in their day-to-day work will be forgotten as soon as they move back to their routines," she notes.

The Develor trainers' practical experiences often become engaging, helpful course material for participants. Mariam emphasizes that their many years of experience have helped to enrich the training program with real-life stories, which have time and again supported the training participants to overcome numerous challenges.

The high qualification of Develor's trainers is also noted as an essential factor for clients choosing the company. Mariam states that more than 100 trainers from different countries gather at an international conference biannually to share experiences and discuss innovative practices in the industry. 2024, for example, kicked off with a gathering in Develor Slovakia.

Trainers of Develor Georgia hold senior positions in the international team. Therefore, they are involved not only in local but also in international projects in the European market.

"We returned from Slovakia with the latest training programs- game-based sales training, a unique course not seen anywhere else in the world. I'm glad we can offer our clients such innovative practices in this direction. We can use these new programs for leaders, alongside many other exciting techniques in various training sessions, like the new workshop Generation Diversity/Gen Z, offered by the Polish team," Mariam says.

Setting up in a completely new and unfamiliar market, they came up against a fair number of difficulties. Mariam recalls that the Covid pandemic was the most challenging period in this regard. However, despite all the obstacles, the company survived and grew.

Mariam says that in challenging times, she finds motivation and inspiration in the international team. Learning how different offices of the Develor team started operating in their own countries, seeing how successful they became, and how they helped businesses and individuals grow and develop, is genuinely inspiring, she tells us. "When I see such an attitude towards work, it is impossible to allow myself to become demotivated. I want the Georgian team to not only offer a high-quality service, but also to be worthy to stand with the international team."

Mariam notes that the support she gets at Develor Georgia is a significant factor in her life. In addition, great attention is paid to teamwork, individual personality traits and employee relationships.

"Otherwise, you're not being honest, and without that, it's impossible for to feel comfortable in the organization and talk about the business's values. I always wanted to work in a team that would allow me to develop and help me realize my full potential, inside and outside of Georgia. I'm exactly where I need to be," she says.

The head of the organization says that she found in the Develor team the characteristics most valuable to her: freedom, strength, acceptance and a sound work ethic, and adds that she believes even the toughest obstacles can be overcome, and even the most cherished dreams can be made to come true, with the right values in the team.

"Find out what you want, what makes you happy, then join a team and never give up. Always act responsibly, work diligently, and don't be afraid to make mistakes - on the contrary, this is the coolest way to learn and develop. All this will lead you to the results you seek," Mariam advises.

Mariam highlights that Develor Georgia is always open to cooperation, because the organization believes teamwork is essential to success.

"Develor Georgia is open to collaboration because we believe that we can grow only by supporting each other, sharing knowledge/experience, and collaboration," she says.

At this stage, Mariam says she cannot reveal much about the future plans. However, she tells us that international projects are in the pipeline with both foreign and Georgian trainers and consultants on the team, and that they will be hosting several exciting events throughout the year with the participation of those consultants/trainers. The team has been planning a series of masterclasses since February, and the trainers will gradually reveal more details in their physical meetings.