A BUNDLE OF COMPLEXITY - Perspectivity
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A BUNDLE OF COMPLEXITY Stories from the field
EDITORIAL 5 THE COMPLEXITY NAVIGATOR 7 STORYTELLERS 8 STORIES FROM THE FIELD Maurice van Hoek 9 ‘Kill your darlings’ Loeki Schaeffers 14 Dancing with complexity Larissa Wladimiroff 21 Donder en bliksem Stig Zandrén 24 Hard and soft Martine Verweij 37 Who will dominate the digital energy system? Arjan Spit 43 Plan A Elien Rogaar 49 Van strijden naar bouwen Hellie van Hout 59 Mens in de zorg Anonymous 64 Burning man or burning streets Tereza Herodková 68 Getting out, in order to get in Henk vanApeldoorn 76 B&B Janneke van Eijk 79 Jonathan en Latifa blijven thuis Marcel Vijn 86 Twee verschillende tafels Petra de Boer 89 A small breakthrough LEARN TO WRITE AND WRITE TO LEARN 93
BUILDING BLOCKS URGENCY FOR CHANGE 31
Reflections How does urgency feel?
Lisette Gast
READ THE STORIES
Dancing with complexity 14
Donder en bliksem 21
Hard and soft 24
Who will dominate the digital 37
energy system?
Plan A 43
Van strijden naar bouwen 49
Mens in de zorg 59
Burning man or burning streets 64
Getting out, in order to get in 68
JOKER 55
De bril van (in)congruentie
Larissa Wladimiroff
READ THE STORIES
‘Kill your darlings’ 9
Donder en bliksem 21
Hard and soft 24
Burning man or burning streets 64
B&B 76
JOKER
INVOLVEMENT OF ALL 73
The minority voice
Marjolein Kok
INVOLVEMENT URGENCY FOR
OF ALL CHANGE
READ THE STORIES
Plan A 43
Van strijden naar bouwen 49
Mens in de zorg 59
Burning man or burning streets 64
B&B 76
A small breakthrough 89EDITORIAL 5 ‘Complexity’ is everywhere, or at least that is how it feels. The concept pops up in the news, at conventions, during coffee breaks… Everywhere. Has complexity become the new buzzword of the 21st century? In reality, complexity itself is nothing new. Look at nature, for example. Nature is a connected system of many different organisms and activities – ranging from microbes to climate change – that are mutually interdependent and constantly on the move. Nature is complex in its very nature. What appears to be novel is that complexity has entered into the workplace and into our daily lives. The exponential growth of knowledge, technology, social diversity and global interdependence has led to a dramatic increase in systemic complications. We are facing more and more questions that can no longer be tackled by experts alone, no matter how smart they might be. To navigate complexity, we need each other, like ants building an anthill. Isn’t it miraculous how much you can learn from listening to the words of others? That is why we have gathered a bunch of ‘complexity lovers’ to share stories about how they navigate complexity. Stories about the challenges they encounter, the things that work and the lessons they learned. We organised a writeshop to learn to write and to write to learn; to arrive at deeper insights and embark on a journey of learning together. With this publication, we offer you the opportunity to join us on our learning journey. We invite you to dive into complex situations from different sectors and settings, at different
6 EDITORIAL levels, told from different perspectives; shared by facilitators, initiators, managers and citizens. We sensed that the first step towards understanding and loving complexity must come from the real world. It begins with our daily practices, filled with struggles, questions, delight, and fulfilment. These personal experiences and reflections are what you can feel and recognise while reading the stories. For us – the writeshop team – it was a privilege to harvest so many stories simultaneously. After the writeshop, we read and reread the stories and explored recurring themes in more depth. Based on our insights, we wrote three reflection pieces on some of the building blocks of our complexity navigator: #urgencyforchange, #involvementofall and the #joker. This gave us new understandings regarding aspects of complexity that we had not been so conscious of before. The path we took was not a straight one. We wandered, meandered and enjoyed; we ran and fell. Read more about how this bundle came about at the back of this collection of stories. During the entire process, we maintained a spirit of co-creating, as a small team, with the authors of the stories and with the people who are eager to join our next writeshop round. We hope that you’ll enjoy the read, as well as the bumpy ride. The writeshop team
THE NAVIGATOR 7
BACKBONE JOKER
RESPONSIVE REINFORCING
LEADERSHIP ACTIONS
INVOLVEMENT URGENCY FOR
OF ALL CHANGE
VITAL
CONNECTIONS
ADAPTIVE SHARED
LEARNING AMBITIONS8 STORYTELLERS EIGHTEEN COMPLEXITY LOVERS PARTICIPATED IN THE WRITESHOP: ANNE VAN MARWIJK LOEKI SCHAEFFERS Facilitator & story expert Strategy & progamme manager @Perspectivity @PanaceAR ARJAN SPIT MARCEL VIJN Programmamanager Onderzoeker stad-land relaties @Gemeente Amsterdam @Wageningen University and Research ELIEN ROGAAR MARJOLEIN KOK Procesfacilitator International development consultant & facilitator @Perspectivity @Perspectivity HELLIE VAN HOUT MARTINE VERWEIJ Procesbegeleider Design, facilitation & training in systems change @Publieke Versnellers @Green Bridges HENK VAN APELDOORN MAURICE VAN HOEK Development expert Procesfacilitator, interim manager & trainer @Nedworc Foundation @Stepwise JACQUELINE VROLIJK PETRA DE BOER Adviseur governance en sturing Process designer & facilitator @Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken @Perspectivity JANNEKE VAN EIJK STIG ZANDRÉN Management, coaching & consulting Senior advisor @Van Eijk Management @Specialist & Mentor AB LARISSA WLADIMIROFF TEREZA HERODKOVÁ Programmamanager Young Enterpriser @Gemeente Amsterdam, @Perspectivity Coach & change facilitator @Wladimiroff Mens & Organisatie LISETTE GAST Facilitator of change @Perspectivity
MAURICE VAN HOEK 9 ‘KILL YOUR DARLINGS’ Een proces is geen project
10 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
APRIL 2018 Deze gelegenheidsgroep wil het op econo-
POST-VERKIEZINGEN misch gebied anders doen. De acties van
De gemeenteraadsverkiezingen zijn alweer de gemeente zijn tot nu toe meer een schot
een aantal weken achter de rug. De coali- hagel geweest dan dat ze elkaar verster-
tieonderhandelingen zijn in volle gang. Vol ken. Dit komt mede doordat het perspec-
trots deelt de burgemeester zelf een stuk tief te beperkt is: vooral gericht op het
uit over de economische situatie en mogelij- ondersteunen van werkzoekenden. On-
ke acties. Het plan is, zo legt hij uit, samen derwerpen als ‘bedrijven’, ‘acquisitie’ en
met externe partijen gemaakt, waaronder ‘vestigingsklimaat’ worden door de amb-
lokale werkgevers, WERKbedrijf en het tenaren als ‘vies’ beschouwd.
UWV. Een unicum, omdat meerdere ge- Caroline, de programmamanager Eco-
meentelijke afdelingen gelijkwaardig wa- nomie, zegt: “We hebben een gedeeld
ren betrokken én omdat er extern is samen- beeld van de situatie nodig én van moge-
gewerkt, nog voordat de gemeente zelf een lijke oplossingen. Dit beeld moet, met de
mening had gevormd. verkiezingen in aantocht, door de politiek
De nieuwe coalitiepartijen nemen het worden omarmd. We moeten een onont-
plan integraal over. Dit is nog nooit eer- koombaar voorstel neerleggen bij de coali-
der gebeurd. Maar het had wel wat voeten tieonderhandelingen.”
in aarde. Naast het ‘wat’, praten we ook ver-
der over het ‘hoe’. Ik adviseer dat het
DECEMBER 2017 vroegtijdig betrekken van externe partij-
DE PERFECTE START en het voorstel pas echt onontkoombaar
We zijn drie maanden eerder gestart in een zal maken. Het is namelijk moeilijk om
iets te kleine vergaderzaal zonder ramen, als politiek ‘nee’ te zeggen als het plan
met rode stoelen, een witte tafel en een samen met vele maatschappelijke partijen
te grote flipover. We zitten dicht op el- is gemaakt. Ik heb geluk want sommige
kaar, bijna in elkaars comfortzone. Een collega’s hebben dit soort multi-stakehol-
viertal afdelingshoofden en programma- der processen al eens eerder meegemaakt.
managers – variërend van Economisch Ze zijn gelijk voor.
beleid, Onderwijs, Cultuur en Maatschap- Uit ervaring weet ik dat de snelheid van
pelijke ontwikkeling tot Omgevingsver- dit soort processen wordt bepaald door
gunning – voeren een stevig gesprek. Ik, de overvolle agenda’s van alle betrokke-
de procesbegeleider, faciliteer het ge- nen. In de praktijk ben je elkaar de hele tijd
sprek zoals ik dat altijd doe. “Waarover aan het bijpraten en lukt het niet om een
zijn we het eens? Waarover zijn we het gezamenlijk gedachtenproces op gang te
oneens? Wat verbindt ons?” zijn vragen krijgen. Daarom stel ik een werkweek
die ik voorleg. Het loopt lekker, denk ik. voor waarbij we de externe partijen
De groep wil echt iets voor elkaar krij- vragen om tweeënhalf dag met ons mee
gen, dat is voelbaar. De onhandige zaal te werken. “Zo’n werkweek versterkt
zit het gesprek niet in de weg, fijn! het onontkoombare karakter,” bena-
“DE WEERSTAND ZIT NIET IN HET TEAM MAAR IN MIJ.”MAURICE VAN HOEK ‘KILL YOUR DARLINGS’ 11
“OH, BEDOEL JE DAT, MAAR DAN HEBBEN WE HET
OVER HETZELFDE.”
druk ik. Iedereen stemt in. Zo gaan we om de verschillen te zien. Maar door goed
het doen! naar elkaar te luisteren en te herformule-
Na afloop van de vergadering ben ik ren hoorde je geregeld: “Oh, bedoel je dat,
buitengewoon tevreden met het resultaat, maar dan hebben we het over hetzelfde.”
en met mezelf. Het doel is helder geformu- Vele, soms moeizame gesprekken verder,
leerd, de manier van werken is besproken snapt men elkaar veel beter en weten we
en we hebben een strakke deadline: de waarover we het wel en niet met elkaar
gemeenteraadsverkiezingen op 21 maart. eens zijn. Standpunten zijn genuanceerd,
Heerlijk zo’n externe versneller! De be- perspectieven gewijzigd en medewerkers
trokken afdelingshoofden worden alvast zien dat ze elkaar ook kunnen versterken.
benaderd. Een ander pluspunt is dat ik Tot zover lijkt alles goed te gaan, maar
Caroline als opdrachtgever heb, die weer het wekelijkse overleg met het kernteam
van haar opdrachtgever, Louise, een MT- loopt op dit moment niet lekker. Het ge-
lid, mandaat heeft gekregen om besluiten sprek cirkelt nu al voor de derde keer, ter-
te nemen. Louise is begin december aan- wijl we een knoop moeten doorhakken,
wezig bij de kick-off. Kortom: alles, maar over de uitnodiging voor de werkweek
dan ook alles van mijn lijstje is geregeld om en de partijen die we erbij willen hebben.
soepeltjes een mooi resultaat te realiseren. Ernest, onze cijferman en statisticus,
Het is een perfecte start. neemt het woord: “Wat gaan we die
tweeënhalf dag dan doen met de externe
JANUARI 2018 stakeholders?”
VIER WEKEN LATER “Is het programma onduidelijk?” rea-
We zijn vier weken verder en de tijd geer ik. “Ik snap het gewoon niet en ik ken
dringt. De uitnodigingen voor de werk- al die werkvormen ook niet,” antwoordt
week moeten nu echt de deur uit. Daarna Ernest, “en los daarvan lukt het deze men-
zullen we het conceptplan nog moeten uit- sen – zeker mijn contacten bij het UWV
werken, rondsturen en bijstellen. En dáár- – niet om tweeënhalf dag vrij te maken.”
na moeten we nog… Ik hoor het aan en antwoord: “We hebben
De afgelopen vier weken hebben we hun kennis en perspectieven nodig. Al-
behoorlijk wat voor elkaar gekregen. Elke leen dan kunnen we gezamenlijk denken
week zijn we meer dan twee uur met el- en bouwen, alleen dan wordt het dat on-
kaar in gesprek geweest. In dit kernteam ontkoombare resultaat.”
zitten mensen met kennis, mensen die we- “Ja, ja,” zegt Marco, de ingetogen be-
ten waar de informatie zit. Veel zaken zijn leidsmedewerker Onderwijs, “dat snap JOKER
door hen, soms samen met mij, ook in an- ik. In welke week was het ook alweer?”
dere overleggen besproken. Er is uitzoek- We zoeken de datum op. “Ach, dan kan ik
werk gedaan. Het viel op. Een veelheid aan sowieso niet de hele week,” geeft Marco
RESPONSIVE
LEADERSHIP
verwarrende begrippen, conflicterende daarop terug, “want er staat al een werk-
cijfers en verschillende visies werd uitge- bezoek met de wethouder gepland.”
breid besproken. Het kostte tijd en moeite Ik probeer helder na te denken. Over het
ADAPTIVE
LEARNING
VITAL
CONNECTIONS12 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
‘wat’ zijn we het eens. De weerstand zit Cultuur en Onderwijs, vormt deze bijeen-
‘m duidelijk naar het ‘hoe’. Maar iedereen komst een mooie afspiegeling van alle ar-
wilde dit toch? Ik weet het even niet en beidsmarktspelers in de stad.
sluit de bijeenkomst af. Misschien moet In interactieve sessies worden de fei-
ik vragen of de opdrachtgever bij het vol- ten gedeeld en definities van cijfers be-
gende overleg aanschuift. Dan kan zij nog sproken. Er zijn fronsende en nadenkende
eens uitleggen wat de bedoeling van die blikken, waarna vragen en uitleg volgen.
werkweek is. Het wordt duidelijk wat er al duidelijk
Dezelfde dag word ik gebeld door is, en wat nog onderzocht moet worden.
Jolanda, een teamlid. Ze is de energiek- Helder wordt ook waar de verschillen en
ste van het stel. Een razendsnelle den- overeenkomsten liggen. Op basis van deze
ker, kort van stof, aanjager van het team. uitkomsten bouwen we verder. We ver-
In de organisatie staat ze ook wel bekend zinnen gezamenlijk acties en prioriteren
als ‘de stormram’. Ze doet haar bijnaam ze vervolgens. Dan is dag voorbij en is het
eer aan en valt met de deur in huis. “Die tijd voor een borrel. Ik zie vermoeide maar
werkweek van je, die gaat niet werken. De ook tevreden gezichten, en stel vast dat
groep ziet het niet zitten. Mensen hebben we met elkaar iets moois hebben gemaakt.
niet alleen praktische bezwaren, ze snap-
pen ook niet wat er concreet gaat gebeu- JANUARI 2019
ren. Daarom durven ze hun netwerk niet REFLECTIES
uit te nodigen.” Bijna een jaar later kijk ik terug. Door het
In een flits dringt het tot me door: ik telefoontje van Jolanda, ‘de stormram’,
zit vast in mijn eigen perspectief. Ik geloof werd mij destijds ineens duidelijk waar mijn
erin dat je met deze manier van werken tot toegevoegde waarde lag. Die zat ‘m er niet
het beste resultaat komt. Die werkweek is in als een projectmanager de klus klaren en
mijn darling, bijna tot doel verheven, ter- een mooie werkweek organiseren, maar in
wijl het slechts een middel is. Ik breng het het als een procesbegeleider ervoor zorgen
resultaat juist in gevaar omdat het me niet dat de intentie van het proces overeind kon
lukt om mijn eigen perspectief los te laten, blijven. Dat we samen konden bouwen. Het
terwijl ik mijn collega’s dat voortdurend was mijn taak om alle partijen stap voor
vraag te doen. De weerstand zit niet in het stap mee te nemen in het proces en ervoor
team, maar in mij. Op dit moment ben ik te zorgen dat ze invloed zouden hebben op
het grootste obstakel. Let’s kill this darling: het eindresultaat, zodat het hun proces en
de werkweek moet dood. Leve het proces! daarmee hun resultaat zou worden.
Hoe dat is gelukt? Ik heb het proces op-
FEBRUARI 2018 nieuw met het team besproken. De onder-
DE GROTE DAG werpen voor de werkweek hebben we op-
De belangrijkste dag in het traject breekt geknipt en verdeeld over een aantal kleine
aan: de werkdag met de externe stakehol- sessies, waarin we werkvormen gebruik-
ders. De deelnemers stromen binnen. Be- ten die ik tijdens de werkweek had willen
stuurders, ambtenaren, beleidsmedewer- toepassen. Hierdoor kon men zelf proe-
kers van uiteenlopende afdelingen. Met ven, voelen en ervaren dat deze andere
de aanwezigheid van het UWV, onderne- werkvormen, een open gesprek en ruim-
mers, de hogeschool, vertegenwoordigers te voor inbreng van de deelnemers, leidt
van bedrijven, de Provincie, de afdelingen tot breder gedragen resultaten. De kleine
Economie, Fysiek Domein, Maatschappe- sessies waren eigenlijk een soort veilige
lijke Ontwikkeling en programma’s zoals experimenten. Ze vergrootten het draag-MAURICE VAN HOEK ‘KILL YOUR DARLINGS’ 13
“LEVE HET PROCES!”
vlak voor de sessie met externe partijen, Een concreet eindproduct en een échte
die uiteindelijk werd teruggebracht tot deadline werken als katalysator voor
één dag. het proces.
Terugkijkend zie ik nog een aantal za-
ken die je als procesbegeleider volgens mij Probeer nieuwe dingen op een kleine
scherp in de gaten moet houden. Zaken schaal uit, zodat mensen het kunnen
waarop je het zicht verliest als je er teveel voelen, proeven en ervaren, zonder
in zit: dat ze er meteen volledig in moeten
stappen.
Een heldere opdracht is nog geen
gezamenlijk gedragen ambitie. En het allerbelangrijkste: ga conse-
quent om met de kernwaarden van
De opdrachtgever moet zichtbaar en het proces. In dit geval: luisteren,
voelbaar aanwezig zijn als het ‘wat’ gezamenlijkheid en durven aanpassen
en het ‘hoe’ wezenlijk anders is dan van je perspectief. En borg dit niet
iedereen gewend is. alleen bij anderen, maar ook bij jezelf.
Mensen komen pas in beweging als
een zinvolle bijdrage kunnen leveren
en dit ook terugzien.14 LOEKI SCHAEFFERS
DANCING WITH
COMPLEXITYLOEKI SCHAEFFERS DANCING WITH COMPLEXITY 15
It was the coldest month of April in 16 years. On previous
nights we had still witnessed winter frost, but now spring
was in the air and eagerly showing itself. In some areas of the
Netherlands, day temperatures were even hitting the tropical
bar of 25 degrees Celsius. This combination of hot and cold
was exactly how I felt when I first heard about Rana Plaza on
the 24th of April, 2013.
The news did not shock just me. The en- us already, can you imagine what a brave
tire world woke up to an ensuing drama step it was for the Ministry of Foreign Af-
taking place in Bangladesh, where an fairs to support such a programme? Only
eight-storey commercial building called a few weeks ago, we had received their
Rana Plaza had collapsed. The search to formal ‘Go’ for the four-year programme.
rescue survivors and retrieve the dead This had taken considerable time and ef-
lasted until mid-May. Because of the col- fort. My programme team and I were still
lapse, 1,134 persons died and over 2,500 buzzing with excitement that we could fi-
people were injured. nally kick off.
We were about to select our focus sec-
TRANSITION PROGRAMME tors, which had to meet quite a number of
At the time, I was responsible for the first criteria to be eligible. Aside from obvious
international transition programme of ones such as having international sustain-
CSR Netherlands. Our aim was to stimu- ability challenges and being ‘relevant for
late and inspire small- and medium-sized SMEs’, another key criterion was that a
enterprises (SMEs) to develop more ‘sense of urgency’ had to be felt within the
sustainable trade relations with emerg- sector. Fashion had been on the shortlist,
ing economies. It was my dream job – one but had not been selected yet. After the
in which I could combine my passion for news about Rana Plaza, my colleague,
sustainable business with my expertise Michiel van Yperen, and I got together
in programme management. It was quite and exclaimed, “We HAVE TO do some-
an innovative undertaking, a so-called thing about this!”
‘transition programme’ aiming to acceler- It was no longer difficult to get com-
ate sustainability in six sectors, working mitments from stakeholders to start with
with SMEs as our main target group, and fashion (garments and textile) as one of
not only looking at mitigating value chain our key sectors. Rana Plaza had created a
URGENCY FOR
CHANGE
risks but also at creating concrete business compelling sense of urgency. It made it pain-
opportunities. fully clear that, despite huge amounts al-
Within the programme team, we ready being spent on standards and audit
SHARED
AMBITIONS
already knew a bit about transition systems, this approach was blatantly in-
management. Fortunately, experienced sufficient to prevent such a disaster.
knowledge institutions and market trans- We had to find another way to help
REINFORCING
ACTIONS
formation consultancy firms, such as accelerate transitions in inherently un-
DRIFT and NewForesight, provided in- sustainable sectors. And we only had a
valuable support. If this was so novel for few years to do it. But how? “How are we
VITAL
CONNECTIONS
ADAPTIVE
LEARNING16 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
going to be different from all those wonder, “When the rules of the game are
other initiatives that have preceded us?” grounded in distrust, isn’t this exactly the
and, “How will we accelerate an ever- kind of behaviour that we bring upon our-
broadening movement and actually make selves?” Based on my previous work expe-
an impact?” rience, I knew that efforts in international
development, while embracing sustaina-
OUR STRATEGY bility ambitions and investing in trust, are
We were convinced that instead of work- often too small in scope or too difficult to
ing with predominantly big players and scale up, or both, to really make an impact.
their vested interests in the status quo, we So, what costly lesson has Rana Plaza
needed to focus on SMEs. Together with inadvertently taught us? Rana Plaza has
DRIFT we devised a three-step strategy. become the embodiment of ‘what can go
We started with analysing the context and wrong’ when a system is stuck in unsus-
forming a diverse coalition of frontrun- tainable behaviour. A grave example of
ners (‘change agents’): professionals from what happens when connections between
different types of organisations who were people and the ensuing ‘race to the bottom’
able and willing to think out of the box. literally end up in thousands of people be-
Jointly they created a shared vision for the coming injured, and even dying. “How did
sector. Secondly, together with the coali- we get so far removed from the ‘human di-
tion, we experimented in ‘safe spaces’, in mension?” and, “What is fundamental for
which we learnt by doing. We initiated change?” In the aftermath of Rana Plaza,
concrete projects that were in line with these existential questions kept me awake
the vision and thus inspired others that ‘it at night. But to move forward we had to
can be done’. Thirdly, we wanted to trig- go step by step, learn by doing, and get
ger a snowball effect to transform the val- better at understanding and influencing
ue chain and provide a framework for ac- the dynamics along the road.
tion in the chain, across the entire sector
and beyond. OUR AMBITION
Once established, the fashion team
“WE HAVE TO DO THIS DIFFERENTLY!” worked frantically to gather insights about
My colleague Michiel van Yperen had a the history, trends, key actors and sustain-
lot of experience in the sector, especially ability challenges of the sector. Attracting
with the abundant certification standards the right ‘blend’ of frontrunners that could
and auditing schemes. Michiel had wit- effectively lead the transition, with SMEs
nessed that compliance-based models ‘can in the driver’s seat, was also paramount.
only get us so far’. “We have to do this dif- This coalition of the willing formulated a
ferently!” he vehemently asserted. Other shared mission that served as an appealing
practitioners confirmed this. While the future perspective for a more sustaina-
use of standards was widespread in the ble Dutch fashion sector. They identified
value chain, there were many inefficien- the main sustainability problems, such
cies and there was too little impact on as unliveable wages, child labour, unsafe
the ground. working conditions, and excessive water
We asked ourselves, “How is it possi- and pesticide usage. They listed the main
ble that, despite considerable effort from barriers, including the lack of transpar-
a range of companies and stakeholders to ency, traditional linear business models,
make the sector more sustainable, the ef- the race for the lowest price, and the rap-
fects are still so little?” In retrospect, I id growth of fast fashion. And they high-LOEKI SCHAEFFERS DANCING WITH COMPLEXITY 17
“HOW DID WE GET SO FAR REMOVED FROM THE
‘HUMAN DIMENSION?”
lighted key enablers, including the intro- tive, responsive leadership over more an-
duction of circular business models. tagonistic approaches.
This led to a shared ambition: “Trans-
forming the Dutch fashion sector into ACTION AND DISSEMINATION THROUGH NEW
a sector that is circular, clean, fair and CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS
effective by 2025.” To implement this Complementary to the compliance-
shared ambition, we developed an action based approach, we decided to focus on
plan with a range of projects. Depending developing new circular business models.
on the particular challenges addressed We considered the circular economy a key en-
in a project, a ‘ring’ of interested compa- abler to address three of the sector’s main
nies and stakeholders gathered around it, challenges: lack of transparency, focus on
spreading out like ripples on a pond. lowest price, and linear business model.
Thinking ‘circular’ also stimulated supply
POLITICAL PRESSURE chain responsibility and led to increased
In the aftermath of Rana Plaza, height- insights into social and environmental im-
ened political pressure had mobilised pacts more upstream in the value chain.
fashion companies to come together and Equally important was that it opened up
address sustainability challenges in a many exciting opportunities, and our coa-
National Action Plan, called the ‘Dutch lition, especially the SMEs, couldn’t wait
Agreement on Sustainable Garments and to finally get into ‘action mode’.
Textile’. This plan mainly focused on
mitigating major risks in the sector. We TRANSITIONING THE WORKWEAR BRANCH
were happy with the active involvement Because we had limited time, we decided
of the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade to focus first on the business-to-business
and Development Cooperation, Lilianne (B2B) segment, namely workwear. Com-
Ploumen. She pushed things forward. But panies using corporate clothing, such as
she also named and shamed specific com- hospitals and the military, are more recep-
panies that didn’t sign the agreements. tive to sustainability demands than the
This in turn caused some heated dis- average consumer. They run a significant-
cussions within our team and in the media. ly higher reputation risk, and are there-
“One cannot do this!” exclaimed one of fore more willing to invest and, at least
my team members. “Inciting laggards to initially, pay a higher price for more sus-
step up their game might sometimes work tainable products.
though…?” hesitated another. “How can
you name only three companies in a whole MADE WITH PRIDE
system that is unsustainable?” CSR Netherlands already had a very ac-
Our conclusions: leadership is impor- tive (health-)care network with which
tant; dialogue works better than naming we teamed up in 2014 to develop ‘caring
and shaming. The same goes for construc- workwear’. A group of Dutch healthcare18 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
“DIALOGUE WORKS BETTER THAN NAMING
AND SHAMING.”
institutions, local textile producers and for the central government, played a cru-
various independent experts developed cial role. It was his forward thinking and
a prototype collection of supportive and daring to take a stand that really catalysed
sustainable workwear for healthcare demand for sustainable workwear.
professionals. On a Ministry of Defence Suppliers
The project is a beautiful example of day in 2015, in a room with over 100 work-
technological innovation (reuse of materi- wear producers, our circular healthcare
als; antibacterial coating; electronic wear- workwear and its unique qualities was
ables) and social innovation (process of demonstrated. People were impressed.
collaboration: co-creation). The workwear Then Rob stood up, his back straight and
was also ‘caring’ for its producers and the his voice carrying the weight of his an-
environment: “Made with Pride in Bang- nouncement: “In our upcoming procure-
ladesh and Tunisia.” Factory labourers ment, we will require up to 10% of recycled
were offered fair wages and a safe work materials in workwear for the army, police
environment. In addition, the garments’ and firefighters, with ever more ambitious
materials complied with the highest sus- targets in subsequent procurements!”
tainability standards. They were easily re- Some people cheered, others looked a bit
cyclable and could help diminish the waste shaken and clueless. “How am I going to
streams of the participating hospitals. translate this to my own business and re-
There were challenges, too. The par- main competitive?”
ticipating hospitals were, for example, By becoming the first launching
obligated by EU law to put out tenders customer of a substantial size, Rob van
against which at least three companies Arnhem and his team created a critical de-
should be able to bid. The ‘request’, how- mand for sustainable, recycled workwear
ever, was so innovative that no other within the government at large. In doing
consortia would be able to compete at the so, he sparked innovation, creativity and
time. EU competition law was constrict- urgency amongst suppliers to meet this
ing our innovative efforts. Though legis- demand. In parallel, by linking up with
lation can still be a major barrier, public famous Dutch designers such as Bas
servants seem more open nowadays to Kosters, we were able to generate media at-
discuss such restrictions and explore tention and broader awareness.
possible solutions. Looking back, one person’s commit-
ment and audacity were critical to tip the
FIRST LAUNCHING CUSTOMER sector towards more sustainable, circular
Based on the promising results of our workwear. In fact, by 2016 the workwear
workwear pilot in healthcare, the fashion purchased by the Dutch central govern-
coalition took things to yet another lev- ment for the army, police and firefighters
el in 2015 and beyond. Rob van Arnhem, exceeded all expectations – it already con-
from the Ministry of Defence, who was sisted of 20% recycled materials! Success
responsible for workwear procurement in this particular branch spilled over toLOEKI SCHAEFFERS DANCING WITH COMPLEXITY 19
various other branches in the workwear lenses: multilevel, multiphase and
industry, including the hospitality and multi-domain. Dealing with complex-
construction sectors. Within CSR Neth- ity is like a dance, you have to follow
erlands, fashion and chemistry ‘cross-pol- the rhythm and embrace uncertainty
linated’ to develop circular sports cloth- to make use of opportunities that arise
ing. And the demand for more sustainable unexpectedly. Let serendipity work
circular clothing has also taken a flight its charm.
amongst municipalities.
Rana Plaza ‘upped’ the urgency to
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS address sustainability in the fashion
Looking back at my role in the transition industry tremendously. At all levels
programme of CSR Netherlands, I almost and domains, it forced actors to move
smile when I remember how cautious forward to a new phase in which the
we were in the beginning, meticulously roots – not just the symptoms – of
trying to play ‘by the (transition man- sustainability issues would finally be
agement) book’. As a team we still had to addressed. To break deadlocks, a com-
learn how to ‘dance with complexity’. To pelling urgency for change is needed,
follow the rhythm to achieve better align- not only at the start but throughout
ment between various levels, actors and the transition process. During every
domains. And, similar to conductors of phase, leading actors develop ‘a stake’
an orchestra, it’s all about finding a deli- in the process and may resist the
cate balance between steering and leaving change needed to move on.
sufficient room for individual expression,
passion, serendipity, cross-pollination Solutions in one phase of a transition
and new realities to emerge. process often become barriers in the
In the end, trust and collaboration be- next. Different stakeholder composi-
tween each and every link in the value chain tions and strategies are needed.
was needed to make actual transforma- Careful stakeholder engagement is
tion happen; from ‘fibre to retail’ partner therefore critical throughout the
organisations in emerging economies, transition process.
to companies and institutes here in the
Netherlands. 1 It took relentless effort Trust requires time to be built and
and purpose, great openness, resilience needs to be nurtured; this goes for
to progress, and the willingness to make relationships at individual levels and
mistakes and learn together. At times, a also between organisations. At the
liberating sense of humour also proved start, approaches are often built around
critical to transcend those moments when ‘non-trust’ between actors in the sys-
everything we did seemed ‘up in the air’. tem, such as standards and audits and
Time and again, we took a deep breath, re- predominantly vertical supply chain
gained our step and restored the rhythm. relations. Later phases become more
representative of trust and collabora-
VALUABLE LESSONS FOR DANCING tion, including horizontal connections,
WITH COMPLEXITY even between competitors and be-
tween public, private and not-for-profit
Change processes are ‘messy’ by stakeholders. We cannot skip phases;
nature. They often go shock-wise and we have to go through the collective
need to be looked at through different learning process and are often only20 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
willing to move on when a new sense of al leadership development (inward
urgency is felt. looking) with making a positive im-
pact in the world (outward looking).
Working with companies, especially Transformational leadership may well
SMEs, taught us to get into ‘action prove to be the decisive ingredient in
mode’ to keep them on board. We effectuating change.
also learnt, though, that without in-
vesting sufficient time in really under- We tend to overestimate rational
standing the urgency for change and aspects and underestimate emotional
working towards a genuinely shared ones in change processes. Ineffective-
ambition, the underlying actions be- ly dealing with underlying emotions
come insufficiently aligned and during a change process may well
lack overall impact. prevent people and organisations from
really moving forward. So combine
‘People’ are often the greatest barriers hard data with heart data. Make sure
to change. So, let’s invest in people dissenting voices are safe to be ex-
and look at the mindsets, skillsets pressed. Incorporate the wisdom of
and toolsets that are needed to minorities to make both process and
effectuate transformational change. content more resilient.
Explore ways that combine person-
1 The success of this programme could not have been
achieved without the dedicated efforts of all parties
involved, to which I am very thankful. My programme
team members and the front-runners within the sector
coalitions, who ultimately made everything possible. The
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for having the guts
to support such an innovative undertaking. Knowledge
institutes DR IFT and NewForesight, who enabled us to
recognise patterns, make sense of complexity and develop
strategies, while also daring to follow the flow.LARISSA WLADIMIROFF 21
DONDER EN
BLIKSEM
Hoe een botsing van krachten tot
creatie kan leiden22 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Het is een regenachtige avond begin december 2014. Een
prachtige, lichte zaal is al twee dagen gevuld met een breed
scala aan spelers werkzaam in de schuldhulpverlening in een
grote stad in Nederland. We zijn vier dagen samen aan het
werk om, in opdracht van het gemeentebestuur, uit te denken
hoe de schuldhulpverlening in die stad beter kan.
In dit sociale laboratorium bundelen we de kennis en
wijsheid uit alle hoeken van het werkveld. Om alle relevante
data te verzamelen en te duiden, aandachtsgebieden te
definiëren, innovatieve ideeën te bedenken en uiteindelijk de
eerste concrete plannen te maken.
DWARSDENKERS zich open op. Maar dan verandert er iets.
Ter inspiratie is op de avond van de twee- Er is gemurmel hoorbaar, er wordt veront-
de dag een aantal ‘dwarsdenkers’ uitgeno- waardigd gezucht. Een vrouw staat op. Ze
digd om hun visie op dit complexe vraag- gaat vol in de aanval: “Dit klopt niet wat je
stuk te delen. Eén van hen is een bekende zegt.” Op behoorlijk agressieve toon legt
publicist die uitgebreid onderzoek heeft ze uit waarom. Ze heeft overduidelijk een
gedaan naar de belangrijkste knelpunten punt en krijgt bijval uit de zaal. De publi-
in de schuldhulpverlening en naar alter- cist valt even stil en slaat dan terug. Hij
natieve oplossingen hiervoor. De aanwe- probeert te weerleggen wat ze zegt. Het
zigen zijn merkbaar nieuwsgierig naar lukt niet. De dame is zeer deskundig en
zijn verhaal. fileert hem minutieus. Er staan anderen
In twee dagen tijd is er al een stevige op die haar argument met hun verhalen on-
band ontstaan tussen de deelnemers aan dersteunen. De publicist blijft eigenwijs,
het lab. We zijn elkaar gaan waarderen luistert niet meer en onderzoekt niet. Dan
en er is veel inzicht ontstaan in de schuld- ploft het. Er heerst woede in de zaal. “Wat
hulpverlening in de stad. Ik zou het zelf een onzin, dit verhaal. Zo worden we toch
best spannend vinden om nu als spreker niet serieus genomen. Ga eerst maar eens
binnen te stappen bij een groep die al een je huiswerk doen zodat je echt weet waar
paar dagen met elkaar aan de slag is. De je het over hebt.” De zaak escaleert.
publicist waait als een wervelwind vanuit
de regenachtige avond naar binnen. DONDER EN BLIKSEM
Hij begint zijn verhaal. Hij is als een Aan de rand van de zaal sta ik als verant-
ridder te paard, een man met een missie. woordelijk afdelingsmanager. Ik zie het
Het moet béter en dat kan alleen door het allemaal met gemengde gevoelens aan.
héél anders te doen. Hij legt uit waarom, Mijn rol is nog diffuus. Ik heb niet de leid-
geeft schrijnende voorbeelden en laat met ing over het proces in het vierdaagse lab,
gedetailleerde berekeningen en mooie maar ben wel inhoudelijk eigenaar. Ik zie
plaatjes zien waar zijn aanpak toe zal lei- een destructieve clash en maak me zorgen
den. De zaal luistert aandachtig en stelt over waar dit heengaat. Later die avondLARISSA WLADIMIROFF DONDER EN BLIKSEM 23
“HIJ IS ALS EEN RIDDER TE PAARD, EEN MAN
MET EEN MISSIE.”
reflecteer ik samen met een collega op het mom de wijsheid in pacht te hebben.
het voorval. Dit was de kans om alle ideeën in te bren-
“Ik vond het echt heftig. Ik voelde de gen en samen te onderzoeken. Om niet
pijn van de professionals die ogenschijnlijk in kritiek te blijven hangen, maar elkaar
door de publicist met een paar halen aan de uit te dagen en in dialoog te gaan, om zo
kant geschoven werden. Alsof wat zij naar samen tot nieuwe inzichten en oplossin-
eer en geweten en met ziel en zaligheid al gen te komen.”
jaren onder moeilijke omstandigheden en
onmogelijke wetgeving deden altijd ge- WRIJVING GEEFT GLANS
pruts geweest was. Maar ik voelde ook Zo geschiedde. De publicist bleef niet bij
het elan en de sprankelende energie van de borrel. Het was te pijnlijk. Hij vertrok,
de publicist. Ik zag een man met enorme terug de regen in. Die avond werd er veel
denkkracht en goede intenties die graag gemopperd over hem en zijn verhaal. Maar
wilde helpen verbeteren en die probeerde wát een productiviteit de dagen erna. De
innovaties in dit weerbarstige werkveld in groep greep haar kans en kwam met tien-
te brengen. tallen vernieuwende ideeën. De clash had
Ik voelde de clash die tussen hen een functie gehad. Het gevoel van urgen-
plaatsvond ook letterlijk in mij. Ik zag tie was gegroeid. De aanwezigen namen
twee partijen met dezelfde intenties die steeds meer verantwoordelijkheid voor
elkaar totaal niet verstonden. Wat een en- het proces en het resultaat. Het incident
ergie kwam daar met gedonder en bliksem bleek een cruciaal keerpunt tijdens deze
vrij! Ik kreeg het er letterlijk warm van. Ik vierdaagse. De bij de botsing vrijgekomen
ervoer ook het risico van afhaken van bei- energie werd ten goede gekeerd.
de partijen. Van vastlopen in elkaar disk- Als uitkomst van het lab zijn we een
walificeren. Wanneer dit zou gebeuren, meerjarig programma gestart met ruim
had ik een probleem. Hoe moesten we de 30 experimenten en projecten in de stad.
slag dan maken? Beide kwaliteiten waren Hierdoor is de hulpverlening aan mensen
keihard nodig om mensen in de schuld- met schulden enorm verbeterd. De deel-
hulpverlening echt goed te kunnen helpen. nemers aan het lab waren al die tijd nauw
En ik zag ook gedeelde goede intenties: verbonden met elkaar en vormden de mo-
iedereen wil hetzelfde. Het kan niet waar tor van het programma. En de publicist?
zijn dat een heel veld van hardwerkende Die gaat jaren na dato nog steeds het land
mensen als incapabel van tafel wordt rond, strijdend als een ridder te paard.
geveegd. Maar het kan toch ook niet zo zijn Hij inspireert en maakt energie los met
dat dat veld elk nieuw idee afketst onder zijn verhaal...
JOKER
URGENCY FOR
CHANGE
VITAL
CONNECTIONS24 STIG ZANDRÉN
HARD AND
SOFT
The successful drama of asset management
in SwedenSTIG ZANDRÉN HARD AND SOFT 25
We are sitting at a long table in the cellar of an apartment
building in Gothenburg. We are a group of ten young
consultants – all men – and our leader, our ‘guru’ Lars, is
the founder, owner and CEO of MYSIGMA, a Swedish
consulting company. Smoking is allowed, so we all share
the foggy and tiring air in the room. Under the table, Lucas,
Lars’s dog, is asleep.
Lars is a Norwegian guy in his 50s. He and feel privileged to be among the first to
came to Sweden to be the national manag- learn about this idea.
er for a Norwegian consulting firm, which Inspired by Japanese concepts, MYS-
he left to start his own business. He spe- IGMA develops a metaphor: a lake with
cialises in supply chain management and is shallows of different heights pushing up
convinced that reducing inventory could from the bottom. The water level rep-
be a driving force to raise profitability. He resents the stock level, the shallows are
designed his own innovative approach to problems pushing for more inventory, like
asset management to improve profitability. unexpected production stops, downtime
A senior consultant, Olof, sits next to for changing tools, long uncertain lead
Lars. He developed the algorithms for op- times, variable demand and bad forecasts.
timising inventories, which later became By lowering the water (stock) level, the
an important basis for our business. The consequences of these problems become
rest of us are young civil engineers, eager visible, such as late deliveries or dissatis-
to work hard and be part of these exciting fied customers. So the challenge is how get
developments. This particular day is our rid of the shallows (problems).
monthly meeting. These meetings were A few months later Lars invites anoth-
held once a month on Saturdays, when er Japanese engineer, Shiego Shingo, to
most of us would rather be free and be to- visit Sweden. Shingo is already in his 80s
gether with our families. This is one of my and has been developing the Toyota pro-
first Saturday meetings upon joining the duction principles since the 1950s. One of
company in 1978. his concepts is Single Minute Exchange
of Die (SMED). This is a lean production
JAPANESE WISDOM method that states that shifting tools in a
This morning we have a special guest. Ta- machine should never take more than nine
dashi Yamashina, from the Japanese Toy- minutes. Mr Shingo insists on visiting
ota car industry, is here. His approach to the factory floor. He sits there for hours,
stock management is very different from wearing white gloves and watching exact-
ours. Yamashina tells us that inventory is ly what is going on when the workers shift
VITAL
CONNECTIONS
a sin at Toyota. It is something that should tools in the production machines. At the
be eliminated. He recommends changing end of a session he presents his suggestions
the conditions for carrying inventory, for radical reduction of downtime needed
URGENCY FOR
CHANGE
rather than just accepting them as basis for for shifting tools. His solution: prepare for
optimisation. I understand that this is a to- shifting while the machine is still working.
tally new approach for Swedish industry, Think of a rotating theatre stage, on which
REINFORCING
ACTIONS
ADAPTIVE
LEARNING26 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
the actors act on one half while others pre- own model. In this model, profitability,
pare the next scene on the other half. Re- or return on capital, depends on two fac-
design critical components in the machines tors: profit margin and capital turnover
and in the tools to make the shifting easier rate. Profit margin is the difference be-
and faster. In this way, production down- tween revenues and costs in percentage
time could potentially be reduced from of revenues. Capital turnover rate is the
several hours to less than ten minutes. yearly revenue divided by the average
capital tied up. Profitability can be im-
URGENCY FOR CHANGE proved by increasing revenues, reducing
A few years later, in 1982, the new gov- costs and reducing assets. Now it was
ernment devaluates the Swedish crown time to focus on the assets.
and the interest rate rises from about 5 to During the following period, in the
15%. This means that the cost of carrying 1980s, asset management became a game
assets on the balance sheet, including in- changer in Swedish industry – shifting
ventory, suddenly becomes a heavy bur- the focus from costs to assets, and later
den. Interest can no longer be reduced in to both costs and assets. Within a period
the traditional way, by reducing costs for of 10 years, the average inventory rate
personnel or purchased goods. Something (inventory assets versus sales turnover)
else is needed to make the assets work went down, from 36 to 18%. Industrial
more efficiently. executives recognised the value of assets
To explain the theory behind reducing and inventory management, and learnt to
costs in this new setting, we develop our identify the problems in their ‘lakes’.
REDUCE STOCK AND SOLVE PROBLEMS!
STOCK
LEVEL
HIDDEN PROBLEMSSTIG ZANDRÉN HARD AND SOFT 27
THE ROAD TO PROFITABILITY
PROFITABILITY %
4 8 12 16 20 24
2,5
2,0
CAPITAL TURNOVER RATE
management
1,5
Asset
Pr mpr
of i ov
i
tab em
ili t en
y t
1,0
Cost reduction
0,5
5 10 15
PROFIT MARGIN %
REINFORCING ACTIONS board members pressed for asset manage-
The sudden increase of the interest rate in ment, many managers recalled Lars and
1982 created a sense of urgency for doing his lectures.
things differently. But other reinforce- Another reinforcement, a serious
ments contributed to make this happen. ‘kick in the ass’ for some, came from an
There were a few top executives in Swed- academic research project led by Lars.
ish industry who grasped the profitability It compared asset performance between
model at an early stage. One of them, Curt Swedish companies and their competitors
Nicolin, was a respected and trusted lead- abroad, especially in the United States and
er of a large industrial firm named ASEA Japan. The report showed that although
(later ABB). He was on the board of many most of them often worked with the same
industrial companies. When he suggested profit margins, the foreigners achieved a
asset management during board meetings, higher – and in some cases a much higher –
his recommendations were often support- capital turnover rate.
ed right away. When a company wanted to apply as-
Through training, networking and set management, MYSIGMA was often
shifting jobs, managers of these firms their first choice. We motivated them with
brought the message of asset management our model for profitability and we offered
from company to company. Support also a decade of practical experience, now also
came via the Institute for Corporate Lead- inspired by the Japanese way of thinking.
ership (IFL, today SSE Executive Educa- Because of the increased demand for our
tion), the standard school for management work, MYSIGMA grew from 10 to more
training in Sweden at the time. Lars had than 30 consultants in just a few years. We
been lecturing there on profitability and opened another Swedish office in Stock-
asset management for many years. When holm, and subsidiaries in Norway, Fin-28 STORIES FROM THE FIELD
land and the United Kingdom. My person- fessional development. But Lars was sen-
al challenge was to build up the business sitive to the criticism and invited us to an
and a group of consultants during two internal process. We reorganised the com-
years in Norway. pany into two groups, and later more. Ex-
perienced consultants were offered part-
SOFT ASSETS nership, and the company was renamed
Because the company was expanding so MYSIGMA Södahl & Partners. Lars
fast, the focus was outwards, towards the wanted to hand over responsibilities but
market, on hiring and training new con- keep working as consultant and as mem-
sultants and on setting up new sites. Less ber of the board. We agreed to let the CEO
attention was paid to individual develop- responsibility rotate among group lead-
ment needs and to the changing company ers, with an elected CEO to start. A new
culture. chairman of the board was recruited ex-
Lars wanted MYSIGMA to be very ternally. All group leaders received lead-
serious and professional. We, the con- ership training via external programmes.
sultants, were the ‘assets’, and we were However, Lars continued acting as leader
selected with great care. At the same in the background, and finally returned as
time we were supposed to be like a fam- CEO. The CEO rotation never happened.
ily. Our team of secretaries – our ‘back- Levels of frustration remained high
bone’ – were like caretakers, serving us among many of us. We desperately want-
with memos, coffee and personal conver- ed more professional development and
sations. Lars expected consultants to be sensed so much more potential, both in
professional, creative and willing to go the asset management approach and in our
beyond the expected to reach and exceed individual competencies. Some started
client expectations. Argumentation had to bring our ideas to other branches, like
to be strictly logical and based on quan- construction, banking and public service.
titative analysis. Intellectual honesty Some of us wanted to develop the human
was key. The ‘family’ part, on the other potential in the supply chain, and tried
hand, was more fragile, and rarely open- out new methods that involve people and
ly discussed. Personal conflicts within build trust throughout the chain. Lars was
the company were often swept under sceptical about many of these initiatives
the carpet. and wanted us to continue being ‘the first
and foremost’ asset management partner
SHIFTING LEADERSHIP in the industrial sector.
Initially, Lars made all the contacts with Money was another issue. We used an
clients and was responsible for acquisi- algorithm linking individual salaries to
tion. He was admired but also criticised – the fee charged to the client. This meant
initially in silence, but soon in more open that you could raise your salary as long as
confrontation. We became increasingly you made chargeable contributions. Con-
frustrated about not having room for pro- sultants could join a bonus system based
“YOU ALSO NEED TO TAKE THE HUMAN FACTOR
INTO ACCOUNT.”STIG ZANDRÉN HARD AND SOFT 29
on the yearly profit. This was an advan- company. They continued developing the
tage as long as the company was profitable, asset management business together with
but when we started losing money due to a new generation of consultants. In 2020
the fast expansion, the bonus system also the company will have been around for
required paybacks from us. 50 years.
STUCK WAKE-UP CALL
The company had serious social and eco- Looking back, years later, to that Satur-
nomic problems. We were good at helping day meeting filled with smoke and with
other companies, but stuck in handling Lucas the dog under the table, I feel proud
our internal problems and relations. In re- of having been part of an essential tran-
sponse to this situation, in 1985, Lars sug- sition process in Swedish industry. We
gested a conference named ‘high roof’ and were pioneers paving the way towards
asked me to help him organise it. Our aim modern logistics, supply chain manage-
was to discuss the soft side of the business ment and lean production. We made an im-
in an open atmosphere – to allow differ- pact on industrial practice in Sweden and
ent opinions to be heard on how to put the beyond. For my colleagues and I, it was an
business back on track again. In those days essential learning process for the rest of
we did not know anything about group our professional careers. And we continue
processes and the need for facilitation. getting together for the yearly golf game,
Shortly after this conference, a group the ‘Lucas Open’.
of consultants, including Olof, Lars’s However, the way we handled our
founding partner, decided to leave and human resources and internal relations
start their own business. They were fed turned out to be disastrous. In retrospect,
up with endless discussions and ready to I believe that the lack of attention for hu-
act on that. Towards the end of the 1980s man behaviour and relations prevented
more consultants left, including myself. I us from achieving the full potential of the
was close to a burnout and felt stuck in the transition, at least within the framework
field between Lars, the board and the oth- of MYSIGMA. For me, personally, it was
er partners. And I wanted to continue do- a wake-up call. Focusing on the technical
ing the asset management consulting that and economic logic alone is not enough.
I was considered good at. A competitor You also need to take the human factor
approached me and offered me a new start. into account. Feelings and emotions – es-
MYSIGMA merged with another pecially behind the scenes – are equally
consultancy company, and closed later important, and even more so when they
on. Some more years later, a group of the are being ignored.
old MYSIGMA consultants restarted theBUILDING BLOCK: URGENCY FOR CHANGE 31
How does
urgency feel?
Thinking about ‘urgency’, other words like ‘urgent’, ‘to urge’ and ‘an urge’
come up. I associate ‘urgent’ with something important, something that should
have been done yesterday rather than today. I write it in my email headings:
URGENT, meaning ‘read now’ and ‘act immediately’. When I urge somebody to
act now, I hope they understand how I feel and respond. That leads me to the
question: how does urgency feel?
This question fascinates me. How does urgency feel, physically? Simply
asking the question causes a response in my body already. My heart starts
beating faster and somehow expands a bit, and my stomach tightens. When
I ask others about this, they respond in a similar way: “It feels like the space
around me is expanding” or “I feel short of breath”.
SEE THE LIGHT OR FEEL THE HEAT
So what does this tell us? A first exploration reveals that urgency is something
you feel and that it has two sides to it. On the one hand, there is the feeling
of a promise or opportunity waiting out there and the awakening of creativity.
The feeling that you are seeing the light. On the other hand urgency can feel
daunting, the need to act now, without a second to lose. A feeling of impend-
ing disaster if we don’t act instantly. The moment when you feel the heat.
For some people, urgency is something that occurs from time to time.
Others don’t even remember having lived without it. They are the big and small
rebels, the artists, and the founders of tiny or giant movements. Like Elon
Musk, who powered electric vehicles, like the young Swedish climate activist
Greta Thunberg, or like you. The you who decides to start a social project,
movement or business, just because you care and think it is the right thing to
do. As an initiator and a leader you are trying to convince others to join you in
your cause to change something for the better. You feel excited about it, and
perhaps you are not alone.You can also read
