Looking back and ahead: Executive Board member Richard Wieringa takes stock at mid-year

“I am very happy here and I have no intention of leaving,” jokes Richard at the beginning of our conversation. He is, of course, referring to the upcoming departures of his Executive Board colleagues Timo Kos (late February) and Anka Mulder (mid-April). He tells us that these departures will definitely have an impact. On Saxion and on his own work for the Executive Board. We’ll come back to that later. Richard had already started to familiarise himself with our university quite some time before their departures were announced. What has struck him most since September? “Saxion is a great university of applied sciences,” he says. “I enjoy working for an organisation with an important social function and I like the dynamism of young people. It gives me energy. So, I really enjoy going to work. It was highly informative and interesting to talk to so many diverse types of colleagues at the various Saxion locations. I talked to groups of employees, sat in on weekly start-up meetings, visited teams, looked around all sorts of places in our buildings... All these things have helped me to get a good, clear picture of the whole organisation.”

Fast-tracking and strengthening

In all of these "getting to know you" meetings and sessions, what stood out was the enormous enthusiasm and commitment of Saxion’s staff, concludes Richard. He also praises the fine, pleasant atmosphere. “The organisation is in good shape: the basics are in place, there is a clear strategy and there are great developments, such as the strengthening of part-time education and the expansion of the Apeldoorn location. Financially, we are also healthy. We responded in good time to the decline in student numbers and the resulting drop in income. We have found ourselves in a slightly different situation because of these declining revenues - we must be more efficient with available resources, make sharper choices and accelerate and strengthen the development of our organisation.

During Richard’s first few months at Saxion, his focus was on the long-term budget but he now has more time to get a better picture of what is happening at Saxion. He says there are some special points of attention. But these points are not unique to Saxion. He also saw them crop up in other places where he worked before. “Ideally, you don’t want to waste energy on keeping an eye on each other. It’s better to put your energy into getting things done and on achieving goals,” says Richard. “The common thread in the conversations I have had is that employees see Saxion as an organisation where it takes a lot of energy and time to get things done and make changes.”

Development of professional culture

Richard believes that themes such as versatility, resilience, ability to change and deliver are important for organisations like Saxion that must fulfil a social function with a scarcity of resources. That is also where the urgency to act comes in," he says. It is needed for developing a working method which focuses on increasing Saxion’s ability to change and deliver. “It fits in with the ambition to develop a professional culture, but it also has to do with leadership, structure, systems... I find it enjoyable and interesting to help make this possible. With Operational Management as part of my portfolio, it is an important personal objective to contribute to increasing Saxion’s ability to change and deliver.”

The Four Bs Many of the organisational and operational management issues at Saxion are similar to those in other places where Richard has worked, he says. Of course, some aspects are new to him now that he is working in higher education. He mentions the primary education process, and the relationship between research and education, and how the two can be mutually reinforcing. He also cites as examples the need to ensure an excellent quality of education and the financing of education. “These are issues that I have been studying over the past few months. What I do find familiar, however, is this: Saxion is an organisation of professional people. People who excel in their work. People who should be given as much freedom and responsibility as possible. At the same time, you want to encourage these professionals to connect with each other and feel responsible for each other's work. Because we form one organisation together, although that, too, requires some balancing. [He laughs] Perhaps you’ve heard of it, professional people hate the four Bs: Bureaucracy, Bosses, Binding Policy and Budget.”

Fresh start

And finally, the intended departures of Timo Kos and Anka Mulder. How does Richard view the situation? “First and foremost, I chose to come and work for Saxion as an organisation, but I also made the choice to work with Timo and Anka. I very much enjoy collaborating with them. I bring my experience from the other organisations where I have worked. Anka and Timo bring their experience and knowledge from Saxion and from education and research. We reinforce and complement each other. So, their departure felt very sudden and unexpected to me, although... practically speaking... it is also just a combination of circumstances. I sincerely wish Anka and Timo all the best in the next stage of their careers. What it means for me is this: I must settle in a bit faster and my portfolio will be expanded.

New Executive Board members need time to settle in and it will take time to build a new team. It takes time to set up an external network and external connections. I am incredibly pleased that the Supervisory Board has moved so quickly to begin the process of recruiting a new President of the Executive Board. Hopefully, a new president can start before the summer and the other board member by the end of this year at the latest. Meanwhile, I have every confidence that we can keep Saxion on course. As said: Saxion is doing well. I am always willing to go the extra mile and I can see that School heads and other staff members feel the same way. The level of commitment is high and there is so much knowledge and experience within the organisation. I am confident about that.”