Blauw Research believes in the power of enthusiasm

2016 – Blauw Research delivers market research services for organizations that want to explore new markets. The website www.nieuworganiseren.nu presents a description of the organizational innovations in this company: ‘Blauw Research gelooft in de kracht van enthousiasme’ (‘Blauw Research believes in the power of enthusiasm’). This case description is summarized below. 

Workplace Innovation
The company is now organized in five squads (teams) and one support team. The squads are client oriented; each team has the final responsibility for a customer group. In the support team there are the people who previously had a supporting job in finance, legal, IT or recruitment. The company also presents itself differently compared to colleagues. One example is how they present the results of a study to a customer, they put forward what is going well in the first place. That inspires. 

Drivers

Through technological developments, the economic crisis and the ample availability of data, the urgency of making the difference in the market grew. 

Lessons learned

The transition from having a steering boss to self-steering is more difficult for many people than thought previously.
You should address each other directly when something goes wrong. People must learn to give feedback; now there is paid much attention to that by Blauw Research. Openness and transparency is easier said than done. 

Reference

Cornelisse, Sjoske: ‘Blauw Research gelooft in de kracht van enthousiasme’ (‘Blauw Research beleaves in the power of enthusiasm’). Sept. 2016. Zie:

https://www.nieuworganiseren.nu/cases/blauw-research/