35 research outputs found
Sturen op haalbaarheid en relatie: Interventies om disfunctionele conflicten bij Publiek Private Samenwerking in ruimtelijke ontwikkelingsprojecten te voorkomen
No full textIntroduction Conflicts are fascinating. Two urban development projects on which I was involved as a manager both entailed a close working partnership between a local authority and a project developer. Conflicts arose on a regular basis. Following a conflict, a period of mistrust and non-communication would ensue – a form of ceasefire that did nothing to promote the quality of the project's results. Consequently, I asked myself whether this occurred more frequently as part of this type of project and what could be done to prevent this from occurring, thus prompting the start of my research. Problem Formulation Various problem areas can arise during urban development-related Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) that directly affect the partnership. Literature searches revealed that the specific characteristics of such a PPP are more prone to result in socio-emotional conflicts and that under certain circumstances can even escalate to become dysfunctional conflicts. These are conflicts in which mutual goals are no longer being achieved, unwanted delays occur, working relationships deteriorate, and winning or losing becomes the key issue, despite the fact that neither party wants any of these outcomes. Dysfunctional conflicts can be detrimental to the project. Research Question The question at the centre of this study can be formulated as follows. What interventions can be taken in practice at an operational level to prevent dysfunctional conflicts from arising as part of urban development-related PPPs? Research Boundaries This research was limited to urban development-related PPPs in which both parties shared the investment risk and a non-hierarchical relationship existed between both parties in the phase prior to signing the implementation contract. Research Structure The research was split into five components in order to find an answer to the central research question: - first case study investigation into research subject - literature search for interventions - experiment to test hypotheses about interventions described in literature by means of simulation - expert research into questions arising from closer analysis of simulation findings - second case study investigation into practical interventions including those measures proposed in hypotheses First Case Studies Two cases were investigated. One case involved a dysfunctional conflict between a local authority and a project developer. In contrast, the second case involved no such conflict. By virtue of the exploratory nature of this part of the research, open interviews were held with key figures for data collection purposes. Interview transcripts were analysed in three stages using ATLAS.ti software: - Stage 1: Data Coding - Stage 2: Comparison & Recoding - Stage 3: Linking Analysis revealed that in the two cases investigated the term feasibility and various other terms relating to relationship seemed to play a role in specifying the causes of and the solutions to dysfunctional conflicts. These terms formed clues for finding interventions in literature searches. Literature Research Research was conducted in literature relating to project management, process management and urban development, as well as negotiation and conflict management. The literature was evaluated using three criteria: - Does it explain how dysfunctional conflicts arise? - Does it provide any perspective on preventing such conflicts at an operational level? - Is it relevant to urban development PPPs? Starting with the last question, project and urban development literature is by definition applicable to urban development PPPs. In relation to the second criterion, the literature revealed that it was useful to describe PPP interactions from an economic and sociological perspective and that it provided a promising basis with respect to concepts of framing and reframing. It also provided strategies for resolving existing conflicts or preventing future conflicts by identifying and discussing potential intrinsic areas of conflict in advance. It did not however offer any perspective on how to act at the negotiating table. Literature failed to provide any answer to the first question, which is why further research was conducted in literature relating to negotiation and conflict management. An explanation as to how dysfunctional conflicts arise was found in negotiation and conflict management literature Describing how we represent the world and ourselves within a Belief System (De Moor, 1991, p. 29), which in turn acts as a cognitive filter. This literature develops several perspectives on how to approach matters in the form of negotiating styles, general rules of thumb and strategies. However, it fails to address these issues sufficiently at an operational level and did not confirm whether they were applicable to urban development PPPs. It may be concluded from literature searches that although project management, process management and urban development literature is relevant to urban development PPPs, it fails to provide any operational perspective as how to act at the negotiating table. Negotiation and conflict management literature also failed to provide such a perspective. For this reason, it was decided to develop a perspective that took into account relevant findings from literature searches. Based primarily on Bult Spiering (2003) and Schulz von Thun (2003), and supported by findings from the first case study, it may be postulated that a perspective in which interventions are taken is made up of two complementary dimensions – feasibility and relationship. Based on other literature, including Schön et al (1994), Prein (1996), Van Eeten (1999), Conklin (2006) and Evers & Susskind (2009), it may be postulated that reframing forms the basis for interventions intended to prevent dysfunctional conflicts from arising. Reframing is thereby defined as an adjustment of the way in which problem and solution are perceived. Support for the following successful interventions based on reframing was principally found in literature by Rubin, Pruitt & Kim (1994), Tjosvold (1998), Prein (2004) and De Dreu (2005): Conflict intervention: - confronting differences in perception about feasibility - determining assumptions underlying differences in perception - exploring options for mutual problem resolution Climate intervention: - establishing a cooperative climate Hypothesis Hence, the perspective was formulated as a hypothesis relating to potentially promising interventions. Dysfunctional conflicts can be prevented by confronting, identifying and exploring the differences in perceptions of feasibility. This contributes towards establishing a more cooperative working climate, as they defuse the conflict. Two research strategies were adopted in order to examine the hypothesis. One strategy involved an experiment conducted in a simulated environment. As the experiment had little external validity, as second strategy was also employed --, the other a multi-case practical investigation. The research question for examining the hypothesis by means of experiment was: are conflict levels reduced as a result of interventions confronting, identifying and exploring differences in perception about feasibility. The research question for examining the hypothesis by means of practical investigation was two-fold: - What happens in practice to prevent dysfunctional conflicts from arising? - Do the interventions confronting, identifying and exploring differences in perceptions of feasibility play a role in this process? Experiment The experiment was set up as a pure experiment taking measurements before and after, and carried out in three rounds – two with naive participants and one with professional participants. In the last round, nine runs were held with eighteen professional participants – ten in the experimental group and eight in the control group. Based on frequency analysis of the results, runs were differentiated in terms of their cooperative climate or competitive climate. Only one run involved a cooperative climate thus generating too little data to proceed with its analysis. Runs involving a competitive climate revealed a reduction in the conflict level of 6.13 within the experimental group (based on the t test of the average differential score per group of participants) and an increase in the control group of 2.17 – a net reduction of 3.96 for a theoretical maximum difference of 70 (over 5%). This reduction was significant – p < 0.001 for df = 5. The conclusion to be drawn was that the hypothesis was confirmed in the experiment, at least insofar as a competitive climate was involved and insofar as the simulation involved two professionals. Additional Expert Research During the simulations involving professionals, it was sometimes observed that if they had been introduced prior to the simulation, then the simulation initially progressed in a cooperative climate, whereas if this were not the case, then the simulation progressed in a competitive climate. This observation led to the hypothesis that the cooperative climate of urban development PPPs can be positively influenced by first getting to know one another's backgrounds before making any demands. The hypothesis was tested using the following research questions: - To what extent does this hypothesis manifest itself in practice? - What are the essential elements for maintaining long-term relation-ships? Expert research was chosen as the method by which to find an answer to both these questions. Eighteen experts were interviewed – nine project developers and nine key local authority officials. Interviews revealed that the hypothesis could neither be confirmed nor disproved, but most responses indicated that the climate of cooperation could be positively influenced by the following: - getting to know one another's motives for the project - getting to know one another professionally Interviews also revealed that most participants thought that trust was the most important element for maintaining long-term relationships. These results reflected literature search findings. This led to the following conclusions: - Regardless of the character of the partnership, this could be positively influenced by getting to know (K) one another professionally and one another's motivations (M) for the project. By doing so, they contributed towards preventing dysfunctional conflicts. - Literature confirms that relationships can be maintained in the long term by working on trust, but because trust is based on preceding deeds additional research into these deeds is required in order to be able to crystallize these in the form of interventions relevant to urban development PPPs Second Case Study The hypothesis from the literature research was tested further in the second case study. As stated above in the 'Literature Research' section, the hypothesis led to the following two-fold research question for the case study: - What happens in practice to prevent dysfunctional conflicts from arising? - Do interventions confronting, identifying and exploring differences in perception about feasibility play a role in this process? The cases were selected as follows. Based on their CVs, it was anticipated that the eighteen professionals participating in the expert research would have sufficient knowledge of PPPs throughout the country to ask them – and two additional experts – about any cases that they knew to involve: - a PPP - a conflict about feasibility - a near-miss dysfunctional conflict Several cases were sought in order to be able to determine whether results repeated themselves under similar conditions and to be able to compare results under given conditions with those under contrasting conditions. These cases included several in which a cooperative climate existed during the conflict (Subgroup 1) and several in which a competitive climate existed (Subgroup 2) – Yin (2003, p. 47, p. 51). According to Yin, the minimum number of cases required is two, but a target of five is optimal per subgroup in order to obtain a higher degree of certainty. Questioning the twenty experts helped identify twelve cases. Further questioning of other experts referred by the participants revealed no additional cases. Two cases were rejected following an initial interview, as they did not meet the required profile. Ten cases remained for which it was then necessary to determine whether a competitive or cooperative climate existed during the conflict. The cases were investigated based on interviews with the project developers and the key local authority officials involved. Interviews consisted of both open and closed questioning. The first step involved analysing the answers to open questions for each case as to whether intervention had played any role. This was performed as follows: - by identifying the essence underlying the answers to open questions - by summarizing this essence - by determining what form of intervention had been used based on this summary The answers to the closed questions were then analysed. In order to be able to compare case study results, answers for each case were qualified in terms of Yes, No, +, +/ and . Finally, in the cross-case analysis, the interventions identified and the closed-question answers were consolidated and correlated with the participants' qualification of the working climate. The second case study investigation revealed that the following feasibility-related interventions helped prevent dysfunctional conflicts in a cooperative climate: - risk response - plan modification - return and cash flow planning - best alternative without agreement (BAWA) - alternatives - cost reallocation - confronting, identifying and exploring differences in perception (CIE) The following relationship-related interventions helped prevent dysfunctional conflicts in a cooperative climate: - personal contact/preliminary discussion - collaboration - partner elimination - threats - senior management intervention - submission - time-out - third-party mediation - larger mandate - informal relationship management It was found that the following feasibility-related interventions could also help prevent dysfunctional conflicts in a competitive climate: - confronting differences in perception The following relationship-related interventions helped prevent dysfunctional conflicts in a competitive climate: - personal discussion - threats - submission - senior management intervention - partner elimination These interventions provide an answer to the first question in this part of the research, i.e. what happens in practice to prevent dysfunctional conflict? CIE is one of the interventions identified, and as such, the second question can also be answered affirmatively, i.e. is confronting, identifying and exploring (CIE) differences in perception about feasibility an intervention measure that is encountered in practice? It may be concluded that it contributes towards a reduced level of conflict by virtue of its use in cooperative climates only. The hypothesis is thereby confirmed in practice. Final Conclusion The hypothesis developed based on literature searches was confirmed by experiment within a simulated environment, at least insofar as a competitive climate was involved and insofar as the simulation involved two professionals. Expert research revealed two interventions that contributed towards preventing dysfunctional conflicts. The second case study investigation ultimately confirmed that interventions postulated in the hypothesis had been found to contribute towards preventing dysfunctional conflicts in practice, but that additional interventions existed that also contributed towards preventing dysfunctional conflicts. The following picture thus emerges if all interventions uncovered throughout the entire study are consolidated. Partnership Climate Cooperative Feasibility Getting to know one another's motivations (M) (T) Taking intrinsic measures = risk measures, plan modifications, return/cash flow calculations, Best Alternative Without Agreement (BAWA), alternatives and cost reallocation. (CIE) Confronting, identifying and exploring differences in perception ________________________________________ Relationship Getting to know one another professionally (K) Personal contact/preliminary discussions (P), working together (W), taking a stance (S) = Removal, threatening, intervention from above, submission, time out, third-party involvement and increase mandate. (I) Informally managing relationship-related aspects. Feasibility Getting to know one another's motivations (M) (C) Confronting differences in perception Competitive Relationship Getting to know one another professionally (K) Personal discussions (D), taking a stance (S) = Threatening, submission, intervention from above and removal Summary of interventions uncovered throughout the entire study that contributed towards preventing dysfunctional conflicts from arising as part of urban development-related PPPs. These interventions address aspects of feasibility and relationship in cooperative and competitive climates. The final conclusion is that dysfunctional conflicts arising as part of urban development-related PPPs can be prevented by managing feasibility- and relationship- Recommendations Practical recommendations follow the final conclusion. These have been summarized below. It is recommended that interventions be taken if the initial negotiation phase starts out in a competitive fashion by allowing both parties to get to know one another professionally. If the climate is cautiously cooperative in the initial phase, then this climate should be nurtured by allowing both parties to get to know one another's motivations for the project. During intermediate phases of negotiation being held in a cooperative climate, it is recommended that both parties confront, identify and explore any differences in perception concerning feasibility in order to prevent the process from stalling or deteriorating. In order to maintain a cooperative climate, it is recommended that interventions be taken involving personal contact, meeting for preliminary discussions, working together or informally managing relationship-related aspects. If intermediate phases are being held in a structurally competitive climate, then it is recommended that interventions be taken involving personal discussions. Lastly, if final phases of negotiation are being held in a cooperative climate, then intrinsic measures should be taken, whereas if the climate is competitive, then interventions should be taken by explicitly adopting a stance. In Conclusion The study ends with a reflection on the research conducted, as well as recommendations for further investigation, these being the role of assumptions in establishing and preventing dysfunctional conflicts, and the correlation between social motivation and contract quality.Real Estate & HousingArchitectur
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No full textMathilde Jansen, Nicoline van der Sijs, Fike Van der Gucht, Johan De Caluwe: Atlas van de Nederlandse taal. Editie Nederland – Editie Vlaanderen. (Heinz Eickmans) S. 187
Theo Janssen / Ann Marynissen: Het Narrenschip in de Lage Landen. (KarlHeinz Hennen) S. 190
Koock Boeck voor Juffer Anna ter Braeck van Opgandt Anno 1656: Den 27 Julius. (Hans Beelen) S. 192
Nicole Lücke / Digna Hobbelink: Lernaufgaben für den Niederländischunterricht. – Digna Hobbelink / Nicole Lücke: Diagnostizieren, Fördern und Evaluieren im kompetenzorientierten Niederländischunterricht. (Stefan Ulrichs) S. 195
Welkom in de klas! (Laura Thölking, Martin Krol) S. 197
Foekje Reitsma: 77 kommunikative Spiele – Wortschatz und Grammatik Niederländisch (Sven Naujokat) S. 20
The role of the board of directors in governing digital transformation
No full textAbstract: Digitalization has a profound impact on organizational strategy and risk exposures. As both strategy and risk are key concerns of the board of directors, researchers are increasingly calling for boards to be more involved in IT governance. Indeed, studies show that board-level IT governance is positively related to organizational performance and IT risk management. However, figures from practice indicate a lack of board attention to IT-related topics as well as a lack of board IT competence to adequately carry out IT governance duties. This research focusses on this knowing-doing gap by investigating how boards of directors can take up accountability and responsibility for governing digital transformation. We examine the current state of board-level IT governance literature and practice, gain a better understanding of board roles when IT governance is exercised as part of corporate governance, and focus on the board's IT strategic roles. Our findings suggest that, in order for boards to truly assume responsibility for governing digital technologies, IT governance should be regarded as an essential component of corporate governance. Furthermore, the board's IT expertise is a critical mechanism for carrying out IT governance responsibilities. Finally, the CIO plays an important role in increasing board involvement in IT governance. Showing that IT governance should be an integral part of corporate governance is critical to move the board-level IT governance literature forward. Second, we lay the groundwork for future research by presenting a conceptual model for board-level IT governance, as well as a research agenda. Furthermore, we demonstrate the utility of various theoretical perspectives in addressing governance issues. Third, we open up the black box of board-level IT governance in practice through case study research. Finally, we add to the corporate governance literature by providing insights on digitalization, which creates both strategic and risk-related challenges for governing organizations. For practice, our findings demonstrate the value of the board\u2019s contribution in governing IT. Furthermore, we detail six roles that boards can take up to perform their IT governance duties and outline various governance mechanisms to implement them. We take a deep dive into one of these mechanisms, i.e., board-level IT governance committees, and a subset of these roles, i.e., the board\u2019s IT strategic roles. In doing so, we hope to inspire boards of directors on how to shape their involvement in digitalization
Board level IT governance : a scoping review to set the research agenda
No full textAbstract: Digital transformation is becoming pervasive, resulting in the intertwine of organizational strategy with IT strategy and increasing importance of IT risk. This falls into the domain of the board of directors, who are ultimately accountable for strategy and control. Yet, research shows that the involvement of boards in governing digital assets is low. In order to address this topic, this paper summarizes the state-of-the-art of this research domain and identifies an agenda for future research
Board Engagement in IT Governance: Opening Up the Black Box of IT Oversight Committees at Board Level
No full textResearchers and practitioners seem to agree on the importance of boards of directors engaging in IT governance. Yet, only a minority of boards around the globe are taking up accountability for governing IT, pointing towards a knowing-doing gap. Efforts have been made to close this gap by creating implementation guidelines for this type of engagement. One of the most frequently mentioned guidelines is the implementation of an IT oversight or similar committee at board level. However, research shows that few boards have established such a committee, which might be caused by the lack of detailed guidance on the workings and role of such committees. This paper discusses the case of the University of Antwerp that has established two IT oversight committees at board level. We demonstrate how IT oversight committees can be established and how they fit into the role of the board with regard to IT governance
Improvement of digital service platform business models to enter new markets: A case study analysis of digital service platforms in the have it done professional paint industry
No full textAkzoNobel wants to explore new business models to anticipate on the ever-changing market needs of customers by integrated digital service platforms in their business. AkzoNobel invested in a new Joint Venture business entity Zervices (ZRVCS) to develop a service platform for the Have It Done paint service. The first market entry selected by this concept was in Belgium, which has currently not reached the predicted business KPI’s. The order intake has not reached the break-even point yet. Many suggestions were given for this slow start, but a concrete problem identification lacks. This led to the following question: “How can we improve service platform business models to enter new markets in the have it done professional paint industry?” In order to identify the problem for the slow start in Belgium and to propose future strategies for ZRVCS, a theoretical framework was made based on business model innovation, important factors for developing competitive advantage and market entry methods. This was used to analyse three case studies with interviews: Uw Schilderwerk, ZRVCS Belgium and ZRVCS the Netherlands. The first case, was the proof of concept Uw Schilderwerk in the Netherlands, which had problems during the start-up period. By resetting the business from year one with a good internal organization, improved platform and financial resources they became the biggest painting company in the Netherlands. This shows that the three factors from the framework are important for their success. Building on this knowledge the case of ZRVCS Belgium was analysed. Different reasons were given during the interviews and the target group of ZRVCS Belgium and Uw Schilderwerk was compared. All these things showed that the business model missed all three factors from the framework, showing the problems of the market entry in Belgium. The last case was the entry in the Dutch market ZRVCS together with de Consumentenbond using a market penetration strategy. The Dutch market is considered an attractive market due to the success of Uw Schilderwerk. During this entry the important aspects for market entry were shown, such as the importance of an attractive market and good collaboration with partners, such as established brands, de Consumentenbond and Sikkens/AkzoNobel.Management of Technology (MoT
Managing economic feasibility and social relationships: interventions to prevent dysfunctional conflict in public–private partnerships
No full textLarge engineering projects such as urban development projects that are organised as public–private partnerships (PPPs) often encounter critical problems that directly affect the partnerships. Literature indicates that characteristics specific to PPPs contribute to these critical problems becoming dysfunctional conflicts. Consequently, objectives are no longer met and projects suffer. This study identified interventions that prevent these dysfunctional conflicts. In the literature, no interventions at an operational level that are suitable for use ‘at the negotiating table’ and are also applicable for urban development PPP projects were found. Hence, based on a review of literature on interventions, a perspective for action was developed on interventions that are likely to succeed. Subsequently, in a study of 10 cases of urban development PPP projects, these (and other) interventions were found. All interventions can be categorised under economic feasibility or social relationship. We conclude that dysfunctional conflicts in urban development PPP projects can be prevented by managing economic feasibility and social relationships. Under certain conditions, this also seems applicable to other PPPs
Beweging in de perceptie van Standaardnederlands en tussentaal?
No full textIn de Nederlandse taalkunde heerst debat over de status van de zogenaamde tussentaal ten opzichte van het Standaardnederlands in Vlaanderen. Die tussentaal is een erg variabele en moeilijk af te bakenen taalvariëteit die de afstand tussen de traditionele dialecten en de standaardtaal overbrugt. Deze variëteit verspreidt zich snel en volgens sommige taalkundigen zou zij zelfs kandidaat zijn om een nieuwe vitale standaardvariëteit te vormen (De Caluwe 2009; Grondelaers et al. 2011). In dat geval kan men spreken van een scenario van destandaardisering en endogene restandaardisering. Aangezien standaardtaal in sterke mate een ideologisch construct is, nl. een variëteit met hoog maatschappelijk prestige, verdient dit vraagstuk niet enkel onderzoek vanuit een taalproductieperspectief, maar ook vanuit het oogpunt van taalperceptie (Milroy & Milroy 1985). Wij onderzoeken de status van beide variëteiten vanuit dat laatste perspectief.
In een reeks experimentele studies werden bij Vlamingen uit verschillende regio’s zowel impliciete als expliciete attitudes gemeten met uiteenlopende methodes, van innovatieve sociaalpsychologische attitudemeettechnieken tot traditionele vragenlijsten. In een eventueel destandaardiseringsscenario, verwachten we resultaten die aantonen dat het aanzien van de standaardvariëteit taant, terwijl de prestige van tussentaal stijgt. De resultaten van onze experimenten wijzen echter niet in die richting. Respondenten staan positiever t.o. de standaardvariëteit dan t.o. regionaal getinte tussentaal, zelfs t.o. tussentaal uit de eigen regio. Verder associëren ze Standaardnederlands met een hoge socio-economische status en formele situaties, al kan deze variëteit ook in informele contexten op een positieve evaluatie rekenen. Hoewel tussentaal minder positief beoordeeld wordt dan Standaardnederlands, kan de variëteit wel op appreciatie rekenen in informele contexten. Sprekers die zich bedienen van tussentaal worden gezien als hip en entertainend, maar niet als prestigieus. Op basis van deze resultaten besluiten we met enige voorzichtigheid dat op dit moment in het hoofd van de Vlaamse taalgebruiker Standaardnederlands nog steeds de enige prestigevariant is in formele situaties en dat in deze context (nog) geen plaats is voor tussentaal.
De Caluwe, J. (2009). Tussentaal wordt omgangstaal in Vlaanderen. Nederlandse Taalkunde, 14(1), 8–25.
Grondelaers, S., Hout, R. Van, & Speelman, D. (2011). A perceptual typology of standard language situations in the Low Countries. In N. Coupland & T. Kristiansen (Eds.), Standard Languages and Language Standards in a Changing Europe (pp. 199–222). Oslo: Novus Press.
Milroy, J. & Milroy, L. (1985). Authority in Language: Investigating Language Prescription and Standardisation. London: Routledge.status: Publishe
Sociolinguïstiek op de speelplaats. Een methodologische exploratie toegespitst op het lexicon
No full textstatus: Publishe
How boards of directors can contribute to governing IT
No full textAbstract: Digital transformation is becoming ubiquitous as organizations increasingly rely on IT to create business value. As a result, IT strategy is increasingly intertwined with organizational strategy, with risks as IT becomes progressively more important, requiring both management and governance. Given boards of directors are ultimately accountable for strategic decision-making and control, these changes charge boards with accountability for governing digital assets. Whilst board-level IT governance should enable better organizational performance, research suggests that the value created by the board in governing IT depends on the roles they play. In exploring these roles, we use the more mature research domain of corporate governance to develop improved understanding of the type of board roles and the importance assigned by a board to governing IT
