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De Nieuwe Samenzweerders
Employees help their company in the shift to a circular business model
The project De Nieuwe Samenzweerders (The New Conspirators) supports employees who want to help their company or organisation make the transition to a more circular and ecological approach.
The New Conspirators is a pathway guidance that gives committed employees the necessary theory and personal coaching to turn them into true social intrapreneurs, so they can create social and ecological added value within their company in an economically responsible way. Participants are supported for a year to develop their idea, during which time they develop the necessary skills, strategies and attitude to start the change process from the bottom.
The project took place in several steps. First, we developed a theoretical framework for social and circular intrapreneurship and an innovative coaching methodology. Then, we set up a pilot project for coaching a first number of intrapreneurs. Various company visits and events took place throughout the project and extra efforts were made to provide the necessary communication on the theme of social and circular intrapreneurship.
Arbeid & Milieu
Partners HOWEST, de Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen
Sectors
Themes
Organisations
Website
MOST IMPORTANT
RESULTS
- We have developed a highly innovative coaching methodology for social and circular intrapreneurship. The methodology focuses on the intrapreneur as a person and on various levers that are present to 'remove' certain barriers.
- During the pilot project, 8 intrapreneurs from 3 organisations have already been coached. As the coaching is mainly long-term, it is still too early to measure the exact impact. Yet, the participants already speak of a great added value.
- We have put a lot of effort into dissemination. In addition to several company visits, events and communication via social media, we also developed a folder, video material, a blog, newsletters, etc.
- Our methodology is still being used for at least four different follow-up projects and will continue to grow. The social and economic added value will therefore become tangible, especially since we mainly work on the level of awareness and leverage effects.
MOST IMPORTANT
LESSONS LEARNED
- Social & circular intrapreneurship is a new term in Flanders and does not yet have a clear theoretical and practical framework. That is what makes our methodology so innovative. Intrapreneurs do not stand out that much and do not immediately identify themselves as such, which makes it difficult to find potential candidates and good practices.
- The exchange of knowledge and experience between intrapreneurs has great added value. However different the sector, intrapreneurs encounter the same barriers, which are more often social than technical in nature. That is why we gradually decided to organise more sessions together, in addition to the guidance at the workplace.
- In the future, we want to focus on a more flexible way of working together. After all, our partnership was built on a classic model of predetermined roles, and therefore did not always respond well to changes. This sometimes led to a lack of clarity and tension.
WHAT DOES
THE FUTURE HOLD?
The innovative methodology developed in this project has opened several doors for both Reset.Vlaanderen and HOWEST. For example, the coaching methodology was tested with students of HOWEST, and is now still being used within the Network Economics course in order to develop sustainability and entrepreneurship/intrapreneurship in a more substantiated way.
Reset.Flanders received 25,000 euros from the ING Fund to set up a new coaching programme in 2020. In order to provide participants with extra tools on stakeholder management and colleague participation, this is done in collaboration with Levuur.
To adapt the course to the specific context of trade unions, a project grant of 125,000 euros was approved from the European Social Fund.
In addition, the methodology will be made available under a Creative Commons licence, so that other organisations can use it and in turn share it with the rest of the world.
