The Story Behind the Achievement
The Story of Turner and NHL Stenden
This year, we can call ourselves the number one strategy consulting firm and have the highest customer satisfaction rating of all consulting firms. What lies behind this achievement—both on our part and on the part of our clients? In the series “The Story Behind the Achievement,” we speak with Erica Schaper, chair of the Board of Directors at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. How does this top executive view the collaboration between Turner and NHL Stenden?
The Story of NHL Stenden
Erica and Turner’s story begins with the merger of NHL University of Applied Sciences and Stenden University of Applied Sciences in early 2018. Erica joined the new university as chair of the Board of Governors just before the merger. “I had previously served as chair of the Executive Board at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences and was general director of the FNV during the time when various labor unions were merging. So I’m no stranger to this,” Erica says with a laugh. “As an administrator, I find the period immediately following a merger to be an interesting phase. How do you ensure that the two thoroughbreds don’t end up as a motley horse together, but rather something much better: a flying horse, a Pegasus? We therefore immediately set out to develop a new vision for Education and to get people on board with it.”
A New Vision for Education
This new vision is based on Design-Based Education, which draws on design thinking. This means that NHL Stenden students work in a multidisciplinary manner through so-called “Ateliers,” engage in international and intercultural work, and gain a solid foundation in sustainability and personal leadership. Erica: “After three years, the results of this vision are evident. We’re achieving world-class knowledge through our applied research and have been ranked in the top 3 of the Keuzegids HBO for the third consecutive year. And just as important: we’re growing.”
Strategy Execution Phase
But after three years, NHL Stenden is also entering a new phase, one in which strategic decisions must be made and implemented. “We now have to face the consequences of our strategic decision to merge,” as Erica puts it. “It’s time to evaluate the organizational structure and reassess our program offerings. We offer a total of more than 200 programs, of which more than 100 are accredited by the CROHO (Central Register of Education Programs, ed.). That accreditation process is very time-consuming. Do all of these programs add sufficient value to our overall Portfolio when we consider demand from students and the job market for which we are preparing them?”
Eric Schaper, Chair of the Executive Board of NHL Stenden
Choices in the Educational Portfolio
Our organizational consultants Jop Gerkes, Martijn Babeliowsky, and Jeroen Visscher are currently leading a project to develop a new policy for this. “Turner is leading an initiative that truly lies at the ‘heart of Education.’ We chose you because Turner has a deep understanding of the context of educational organizations. But also because you’re skilled at guiding the process,” says Erica. “There will undoubtedly be changes for people who are fully committed to their programs. And in sensitive projects like this, the process itself plays a major role in determining the success of the implementation.”
The Right Chord
What makes Erica so confident in Turner? “We’d worked well with Turner before. What I like is your balanced team: a good mix of steadfastness and spark. You have to work closely together on an exciting project, so as a client, you also want to choose people you get along with,” Erica smiles. “Plus, you hit the right note right away. That sensitivity—that’s typical of Turner. And that’s exactly what we need.”
Trust
Now that we’re halfway through the process, we’re seeing that this is indeed the case, says Erica: “Turners are able to relate very well to the various groups within our organization. The tone in a board meeting is different from that in a presentation to the employee participation council or in a workshop with faculty members. And the content is sound as well: very thorough analyses are being conducted, which gives us the confidence to make well-informed decisions later on.”
Turner is number 1 on the MT1000 list. What’s the story behind this impressive achievement? We’d love to tell you more.
Strategy = Execution
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