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Ministry of Economic Affairs – Directorate Energy and Environment
From Power to Energy – Preparing a Directorate General of a Ministry for Societal Dialogue

Location: Gravenhage, The Netherlands
Project Owner: Meindert Smallenbroek, Ministry of Economic Affairs – Directorate Energy and Environment
Facilitators: Jan Lelie and Judith de Bruijn

Client/sponsor

Meindert Smallenbroek
Ministry of Economic Affairs – Directorate Energy and Environment

Facilitators

Jan Lelie
mind @work

 

Judith de Bruijn
mind @work

From Power to Energy – Preparing a Directorate General of a Ministry for Societal Dialogue

Description

Global warming is the most pressing problem of our age. In preparing for the energy transition in The Netherlands the ministry of Economic Affairs decided, to engage in dialogue with the society.  Pressure from every side is building up at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs on the dossier of Energy and CO2-reduction. The Netherlands is lagging behind in CO2-reduction, as its lead in natural gas production has become a disadvantage and the cause of earthquakes. A number of very large infra-structural projects on energy with far reaching consequences has been initiated but has met with a lot of resistance from the general public.

Through a series of three facilitated meetings, staff members were trained in communication, storytelling and dialogue by a group of internal (governmental) and external, independent facilitators.

  • Past: Overcoming issues from the history an event finalizing a reorganization of one directorate, getting to know each other better, share histories and enact the future.
  • Present: Acquire insights in cooperation from Insights™ model improving co-operation between three directorates of the ministry.
  • Future: Applying dialogue preparing and training about 200 staff members in communicating and dialogue.

Key Results Achieved

The project achieved the following results:

  • Participants experienced personal growth, understood the shared history, understood how to present themselves better, found a renewed spirit in cooperating
  • Participants interacted gained confidence in using and adapting to differences in communications styles, giving and receiving feedback, internally as well as externally, strengthening of morale

Participants, civil servants from the ministry, were able to engage 130 dialogue tables with over 3000 transition partners and engaging with the Dutch Society to smoothen the Energy Transition