
The measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic are changing the way we work in a profound way. Some organisations have to reinvent their services and products in order to keep fulfilling their core purpose as a company or institution. Others are looking for new ways to work, lead and learn together long-distance. The crisis triggers reflections on how we want to work, live and do business in a way that is healthy and sustainable for people and planet. It is a time of worry, fear and confusion, and also of hope, creativity and new developments that people want to cherish.
Almost all of our clients find themselves faced with new challenges and questions. And like them, we are trying to find our place and role amidst these developments: how can we contribute and help find new answers? Like them we are learning and transforming on our way. On this page, we will share some stories and cases that we find inspiring and helpful - because they help us understand the new challenges and provide ideas. And because they show us how courage and creativity, long-term vision and practical common sense all help to create new possibilities.
Related cases
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(Learning and) leading in times of crisis
Attention for social, mental and physical well-beingLeading in times of crisis, how do you do that? Nobody knows. Never before have we seen so much work happening from home. So we are all, both employees, managers and organisations as a whole, learning and pioneering at full speed.
A major insurance company asked itself: how can we support and accelerate the learning process of our managers? Department A may learn from what is already working in department B. That would help all those involved and strengthen us as an organisation.
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Coordinating a flock of sparrows
Online organisational development in a consultancy firmAfter the departure of its owner-founder early in 2020, an ecological consultancy firm continued as an employee owned company. The approximately 25 consultants organise themselves like a 'flock of sparrows'. There is no hierarchical management and everyone is co-owner of the company. In addition to customer projects, employees also take on all management tasks - managing and building the organisation together. Whoever takes the lead on a particular subject varies from time to time. Everyone works from home and freedom is an important value.
A challenge lies in the area of coordination - essential in a flock of sparrows, and not so easy to achieve in practice. That is why the company sought support at the beginning of March for the question: 'how do we organise better coordination within our organisation?
Since the national covid-19 related regulations in themselves had little impact on their ecological field work and because the firm's workload always rises sharply during the summer season, the consultants wanted to get to work on this - despite the fact that it was no longer possible to get together physically. After all, the issue was still highly relevant, or perhaps even more so. But how?
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A start-up within a large organisation
Building a learning community onlineTwo years ago, a large multinational set up an entirely new service aimed at protecting our climate. A group of about 12 people from all over the world pioneered this unique task. The big question was how to build a learning, largely virtual, community that produces results and in which people can work safely and healthily - within a larger organisation with structures and protocols that are designed for a completely different type of work process. All this, in times of rapid growth.
We supported at the kickoff and then stayed on board one day a week to search and build from the inside out and on-the-go.
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Building a hospital's learning culture
The crisis as a catalyst?Creating a learning culture had been in the focus of a hospital's Academy for some time. Healthcare is a rapidly evolving field and learning is crucial to keep up with the latest developments in the profession and to stand out as an organisation. In order to gather new ideas for strengthening the learning culture, we conducted research on how learning in the organisation takes place. What works well? How can it be made even better?
When the project was almost finished, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out and the study came to a standstill. After the first intense crisis months, the organisation felt a need to give that period, and everything that had been learned and experienced in it, a place. This gave rise to an idea: wouldn't it be possible to use the research project precisely for this purpose?
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An online workshop on organisational change
How to 'flip' a successful off-line learning intervention?The Change Express is a tried and tested workshop in which participants are invited to reflect on their own perspective on organizational change. Advisors, managers, project leaders, L&D professionals - they can participate and discover their - often implicit - change philosophy.
With the new situation of working remotely, we were challenged to translate this formula into an online version.
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How could it be (even) better?
Research on future dreams in Covid 19 timesA national research institute in the Netherlands wanted to gain more insight into the public's aspirations and wishes with regards to the future. The research was part of a long-term study into the 'state of the country', in which a 'snapshot' is prepared every quarter. In addition to a survey and an online research community, the institute wanted to conduct a number of group interviews that specifically zoomed in on people's dreams and hopes. The institute's experience is that people often find it easier to indicate what they do not hope for, but more difficult to indicate what they do want to see more of. Especially in these special times of the covid 19 pandemic, they were particularly interested in getting a better sense of the public's ideas and dreams about the future.
Related blogs
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12-15-2021 / Blogs / View in DutchHoe moeten we nu terug verder zoveel mogelijk online? Hoe houden we energie in onze virtuele samenkomsten en leerevents? Wat houdt onze energie hoog tijdens online sessies en meeting? Iedereen is stil in de Teamsvergadering, hoe kan het anders? Vragen en verzuchtingen die we regelmatig krijgen. Niels Seresia en Annelies Wybo delen in een online video hun persoonlijke online energizer top 3.
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12-13-2021 / Blogs / By Saskia Tjepkema
Bridging bubbles with stories: strengthening weak ties in times of covid
I hadn't really considered that before," says the older man, visibly touched. He is responding to the story he has just heard from a young man. They have just been talking as a pair as part of a dialogue with eight other strangers from different parts of the Netherlands. It is March 2021 and the topic is: 'How have you experienced the covid-19 pandemic so far? And: what do you think will need to be restored once the crisis is over, and what should we keep from this whole situation?' -
07-01-2021 / News / View in Dutch
Nederland na Corona
Sinds 2008 voert het Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau het Continu Onderzoek Burgerperspectieven uit. Onze collega's Saskia Tjepkema, Joeri Kabalt, Martijn van Ooijen en Luc Verheijen verzorgden voor deze editie van het kwartaalrapport twaalf online groepsinterviews met uiteenlopende mensen uit het land. De centrale vraag: waar hopen zij in deze coronatijden op als het gaat om de toekomst van het land? -
06-24-2021 / News / View in Dutch
Werkplaats 'Praktijkleren post-corona' 1 juli
Hoe maken we praktijkonderwijs weer fit ten tijde van en na Corona? Tijdens onze werkplaats 'Praktijkleren post-corona' gaan we met jou en andere ervaringsdeskundigen of experts uit het mbo, hbo en wo (online) in gesprek. Werk je bij een onderwijsinstelling en draag je leren in de praktijk een warm hart toe? Meld je dan nu aan. -
03-22-2021 / News / View in Dutch
Wat verdient aandacht in de fase ‘na corona’?
Rond deze vraag begeleiden we in opdracht van de Rijksoverheid momenteel dialogen met burgers, middenveld en wetenschappers. We praten over wat er straks herstel verdient en waar kansen voor vernieuwing liggen. Daar komen goede ideeën uit, die inspiratie geven. Bovendien werken de gesprekken op zich al verbindend en energiegevend. -
01-07-2021 / Blogs / By Peter Beschuyt, Tina Gadow, Mark Turpin
Fear and Trust - An invitation to be courageous
People around the world have many reasons to be frightened in these times: the ongoing pandemic, climate change, racism on the rise… And yet living in fear is dangerous – people retreat from the world into bubbles of isolation in which the fear is stirred up even more. We see an increase of fear in families, companies and in society all around. -
07-10-2020 / Blogs / View in Dutch
Ziekenhuis Netwerk Antwerpen (ZNA) ontwikkelde toolbox om teams te ondersteunen bij de transitie naar een post-corona werking
De Corona-pandemie zette veel organisaties op hun kop, niet het minste in de zorg. Bij ZNA vroeg de quarantaine om een ingrijpende verandering in de manier waarop teams functioneerden. Teams werden tijdelijk versterkt met bijkomende medewerkers of net afgebouwd. Werken op afstand werd de norm voor ondersteunende diensten terwijl operationele zorg anders moest georganiseerd worden. -
05-14-2020 / Blogs / View in Dutch
Omgaan met niet-weten: over duidingsdrang en ‘proces-weten’
Waarom is het zo ongemakkelijk om ‘niet te weten’? Dit vroeg ik me af toen ik me de afgelopen tijd zo goed en zo kwaad als het ging door de corona-crisis worstelde. Ik ervoer allerlei tegenstellingen. Ik genoot van de tijd met mijn dochtertje. Ineens wandelde ik iedere dag met haar door het bos, leerde kijken door haar ogen, ervoer rust en aandacht. Maar moest ook ontzettend wennen aan het online werken. -
05-12-2020 / Blogs / By Annelies Wybo, Daniela Forster, Arne Gillert
Glimpses of Collateral Beauty
We believe that this is the time to act and shape the future – while we are still in the mode of finding new things out, while the current answers are not carved in stone yet. We believe there is a lot of power in starting the conversations right now – in contrast to waiting until people move back to their desks with the risk of falling back into old and well-known practices and habits. You can do that from any position in an organization, as an informal or formal process. -
04-10-2020 / Blogs / By Arne Gillert
Day 0: Building our Future after Corona
However long the lockdown lasts, the day will arrive when everyone will come back to the office, the factory, the shop. Day 0: this day decides whether the Corona crisis was just that for us, a crisis we want to get over with as quickly as possible. Or whether we have understood what an incredibly impactful transformation impulse can emerge from this period. -
04-09-2020 / Blogs / View in Dutch
De experimenteerdriehoek: hulpmiddel voor leren in de praktijk
Leren is proberen, zegt mijn collega Saskia altijd. Ik vind dit een inspirerende gedachte. Zeker aangezien ik ervan overtuigd ben dat leren uiteindelijk plaatsvindt op de werkplek. Hoe gezellig en effectief trainingsdagen, workshops of lunchsessies ook kunnen zijn, leren gebeurt pas als je vandaag iets anders doet dan je gisteren deed. Maar hoe kom je daartoe? De experimenteerdriehoek vind ik een bruikbaar hulpmiddel. -
04-04-2020 / Blogs / By Arne Gillert
The irresistible power of experimenting
We are in the middle of one great experiment, countless experiments. Work that has gone virtual, from everyone’s home office. Our limited motion range – we are more local than we have been in a long time. The new cohesion. The complete breakdown of business for some - what do I do now with my time? -
03-26-2020 / Blogs / View in Dutch
Leidinggeven in tijden van crisis
Als leidinggevende nu aandacht hebben voor de mentale, relationele, fysieke en existentiële energie van je werknemers, helpt ze door de crisis. En zo help je dus ook jouw bedrijf. Blog over leidinggeven in tijden van crisis. Hoe loods je jezelf en je mensen hier doorheen als leidinggevende? -
03-25-2020 / Blogs / By Peter Beschuyt
Taking care of yourself in a lockdown
How can you continue to take good care of yourself in these exceptional circumstances? With these 16 tips you can get started right away. -
03-24-2020 / Blogs / By Annelies Wybo, Joeri Kabalt
How are you? Connecting in times of corona
Last Friday, we came together with our international K&S company. We were supposed to spend two days together in Cologne, but instead, we met each other over Zoom. After a plenary start where we all waved to each other whilst listening to the same song, we split up in small groups for a check-in. How are you in the midst of all this? -
03-23-2020 / News / View in Dutch
Podcasts in organisaties
Een leuke mogelijkheid om de nabijheid van je collega’s te ervaren, is door gebruik te maken van podcasts. Wij maken deze voor allerlei organisaties met daarin favoriete muziek van teamcollega’s of deelnemers aan leertrajecten op afstand. Zo voel je je als team toch verbonden met elkaar en leer je elkaar weer net even anders kennen. -
03-17-2020 / News / View in Dutch
FCE Pop-up webinar ‘de online flip’
Omdat veel facilitators en procesbegeleiders momenteel voor de vraag staan hoe ze een live workshop, een (deel van een) leertraject of intervisiebijeenkomst kunnen ombouwen naar een online variant, organiseerde de FCE (Foundation for Corporate Education) op donderdag 19 maart een pop-up webinar dat precies hierover ging.