The Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (CHE) wondered whether the current educational logistics support and organizational set-up still sufficiently matched the strategic ambitions in the field of Lifelong Development and Flex-study. The Board of Governors asked consultant Félice van Leeuwen to conduct an analysis and provide advice on possible optimizations: can the educational logistics support and organizational setup be smarter, more efficient and better aligned?
Aproach: from listening to advising
For this assignment, CHE sought a consultant with both educational knowledge and experience in complex change projects. Félice van Leeuwen brought exactly that combination. In her role as strategic consultant, she conducted in-depth interviews with CvB members, directors, planners, curriculum teams and other key people within CHE. In a structured manner, she gathered many insights and experiences from across the organization in order to map out the current operations.
Félice: “It is important that colleagues feel comfortable in order to (dare to) share valuable information. Because of the wide variety of answers and this openness of the colleagues, I also included recommendations that concern the entire institution and not just the methods and processes of the training offices. Talking to me means ‘thinking along with the organizational set-up’ and that's what people wanted. In this way it became clear what is really needed to improve processes and cooperation.”
Result: overview, direction and support
One thing stood out during the analysis: a lot of recognition, but also resistance to change. "There was a fear of centralization," says Félice. "Before, people could quickly adjust something. A more efficient, defined way of working felt less flexible. But precisely by listening carefully and thinking along, you can create support and make it clear that structure does not have to come at the expense of autonomy."
The result: A widely supported advisory report that provides both insight into the current situation and concrete tools to improve processes, strengthen cooperation and clarify responsibilities, while maintaining the engaged and people-oriented CHE culture.