Meulenkamp & Zo helps large (technical) enterprises with the initiation and implementation of development and change, including:
- Organisation and department-wide change management initiatives that apply to culture, organisational direction or other high-impact transitions
- Development of ownership and entrepreneurship in collaborative settings, for both leadership teams and teams of professionals
- Advancement of LEAN and AGILE working method initiatives to take the organisation beyond ‘Doing’ and ‘Becoming’ to ‘Being Agile/LEAN’
- Initiating, developing or strengthening internal and external collaborations and teams
- Mediating conflicts
- Initiatives whereby the engagement and participation among personnel is critical
- Developing and improving collaboration within teams or departments
Added Value
Meulenkamp & Zo has the background, expertise and experience on the ‘hard skills’ side of the technical organisation, organisational management and the LEAN/Agile methodologies. Meulenkamp & Zo’s added value lies in the ability to integrate those ‘hard skills’ with the ‘soft skills’ needed for teamwork in the organisation.
‘Being’ Agile / LEAN
When your organisation adopts the Agile and/or LEAN way of working, a lot of attention is given to the Agile/LEAN ‘best practices.’ Which is how they become imbedded in your work methods. This bring focus, structure and direction to ‘what we do.’ But what is the next step?
Agile/LEAN and self-steering
When Agile/LEAN is predominantly a methodology, there is a danger of falling back into old habits. This is because Agile/LEAN then still feel like some requirement to be met and then it’s on to the next hyped methodology. What is the real return on investment in autonomous and self-steering teams?
From self-steering to Entrepreneurship in Organisations
Industrious, entrepreneurial people feel connected to the organisation, and they have the drive to make a difference. They love to learn and to have the freedom to do whatever is needed. They are more willing to take risks. They have the courage to be transparent about what worked, and what didn’t. The courage to admit when they don’t know something. The courage to disagree with someone when they feel it is important.
Creativity is an extraordinary ‘byproduct’ of the drive that comes from inclusion and inspiration. Every person is creative in their own way. With every idea, big or small, comes more space to try new things. When that creativity has a chance to blossom within an organisation, it opens up real possibilities for the true agility that allows change and innovation to take place.
Getting to Entrepreneurship in your Organisation
‘Fractal Entrepreneurship in Organisations‘ gives insights into what is most critical in the development of entrepreneurship in organisations. In order to ensure the results are sustainable, we use a change approach that starts with potential, chances and possibilities, but without ignoring the problems. A part of this approach are the training and development programs.
Learning organisation
Learning, Changing and Improving
Once you understand how people learn, then you also understand what they need in order to be able to change. Learning in this case is not just about the mental ‘consumption’ of information; it is the kind of learning that means that what has just been learned is personally relevant.
The 5 Disciplines* of the Learning Organisation
Learning in an organisation is something different. In an organisation, there are dynamics at play in the team and organisation layers that make it necessary for learning to be about much more than just what is personally relevant for an individual.
It is essential that the following 5 disciplines are developed as a whole:
- Shared vision
Creating engagement and a feeling of responsibility at the individual level - Reflecting on the mental models that exist in an organisation
Actively examining the assumptions and generalisations behind people’s actions - Personal mastery
Making the individual relevant for one’s own craftsmanship – what is important for me - Team learning
Being open to diversity and opinions of others - Systems thinking – The -indispensable- 5th discipline
Being alert to, and studying, patterns from the perspective of the organisation as a single entity
* Peter M. Senge
Learning to learn
Our change management approach helps to create a sense of connection, and reflections on the mental models that exist in organisations. The ‘Craftsmanship in Action‘ and ‘Teamwork in Action‘ training programs are a part of this approach that help to permanently anchor the changes within the organisation. Our systems approach can be found in every aspect of what we do, as well as certain concrete systematic methods.
Mandate on the work floor
As a manager, you want your people to take ownership of their work. And that they can show entrepreneurship and solve problems without you having to intervene. Do conflicts or problems in your organisation regularly get escalated to higher management?
The most common reasons for escalation:
- It is unclear who is the decision-maker
- Professionals in the team can’t reach an agreement together
- Frustrations between departments
- There are no guidelines on what or how to escalate
- Individuals don’t feel safe making decisions themselves
Decisions in the ‘right’ place
What’s noticeable about the above list is that all of these reasons have nothing to do with the problem being escalated. They all stem from to how people relate to one another. One good rule of thumb is that decisions in the organisation should be made as ‘low’ as possible in the organisational structure and as close as possible to the person with the most extensive expertise in the matter. This serves to stimulate entrepreneurial behavior.
Craftsmanship x Leadership = ….
We work with teams, departments and entire organisations to maximise the strength of craftsmanship and leadership within the organisation, and to help them be more entrepreneurial.
‘Fractal Entrepreneurship in Organisations‘ gives insights into what is most important when developing more entrepreneurship in organisations. To ensure the results are sustainable, we use a change management approach that starts with potential, chances and possibilities, but without ignoring problems. A part of this approach are the training and development programs.
Sustainable employability
The dynamics all around us
The world around us is changing faster than ever before. The evolution of the internet, automation and robotics are creating things we never thought possible before. Both our clients and our community are also more demanding than ever before.
A short response time and a high quality of service, 24/7 digital self-service and a personalised approach for every client has become the norm rather than the exception. The ‘channels’ through which we communicate with clients are changing. Many organisations must now implement extensive digitisation to make all this happen. The challenge is to offer clients a consistent customer experience across all the various channels, both online and in person-to-person customer contact.
Growth and development from the inside out
This places considerable demands on people and the organisation. We work with organisations to align people, mindsets, habits and culture on all levels, to help realise the ambitions of the organisation. So they can continue to grow and offer clients and the community value in ways that set the organisation apart from the competition and best fits its brand and identity.
The ‘Craftsmanship in Action‘ training program helps professionals continue their development in a way that fits their needs, whether that is within or outside of their own organisation. ‘Coaching Leadership‘ helps leaders and managers to support employees more effectively during this development without taking charge of the initiative. ‘Leadership in Action‘ is the equivalent of ‘Craftsmanship in Action’ for leaders and managers. During the training, participating leaders and managers explore and analyse the foundation from which they lead as the starting point for further development.
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About…. Meulenkamp & Zo
Personal – Flexible – Pragmatic – Results
The Team
Meulenkamp & Zo works when appropriate with other coaches and change managers that each have their own qualifications and expertise in the areas of:
- Team coaching
- Changing the organisation (and environment) as a system
- Working to experience
In addition, we work with colleagues with highly specialised knowledge of Agile and LEAN.
Every team member has more experience in certain industries than others. This allows us to bring both sector experience and the insights, perspectives and best practices from other industries to the table.
Meulenkamp & Zo works in both Dutch and English.
Publications
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