DEVELOPMENT IS CONTINUOUS | CASE STUDY SURPLUS

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The Situation

Frank tells about an employee of his, Annabel, who scored below average on a number of competencies. "She came in with a heavy heart, as if her last hour had come. Just because I started with 'here's what you're good at, this fits you very well', the conversation completely turned around and she left as light as a feather. The strength of what you can do well, and focusing on that, and putting aside what doesn't go so well. That gives a boost to everyone."

We asked Annabel for her reaction. She has been an operational Social Worker for 15 years within the municipality of Drimmelen, helping people in various areas, including relationships, parenting, housing, workplace conflicts, grief processing, and more.

"My very first introduction was through a department meeting," Annabel says, "and Frank mentioned the development program we were going to do. My first reaction was: Oh, here we go again. Because we've done something similar before, but it ended up shelved. I think this reaction applied to most colleagues. But well, I'm quite practical about it. If Surplus wants it, I'll just do it properly. So I was skeptical but compliant."

So she dutifully completed the Talent Scan online after receiving a test code. Quietly in her office. She later received her report by email from HR.

"I really enjoyed reading it at the time. It was also recognizable and I could relate to it. But I also had quite a few low scores. Then I thought, 'Oh no! I'm not doing well at all. I'm going to get fired!!'"

Annabel found it enjoyable because there were things in it that she recognized, and she found it remarkable based on the questions she had answered. However, on the other hand, she was confronted with her weaker points, and that shocked her.

"I mentioned that right away: I'm sitting here with a heavy heart. But then came the beautiful part, I think, that where I interpreted it negatively, Frank brought out the positive things. So during that conversation, I thought, 'It's not so bad, it's not negative.' It turned out to be a very pleasant conversation and I was completely reassured. It wasn't about ones and twos, but about fives and sixes. He put a positive spin on everything. That was nice." And she laughs. "I'm still here, I didn't have to leave... In hindsight, I say: it was a good start to a development journey for me."

Action Plan

Annabel says that she wrote a report of the conversation, in which she described the challenges she faced and wanted to work on. Frank then created an action plan based on that.

We ask her for an example.

"Okay," Annabel says, "I'll make it concrete. I scored low on entrepreneurship and I really wanted to do something about that myself. Then Frank made a proposal about 'bemoeizorg' (interference care). Surplus takes care of that in the municipality of Oosterhout, but not in the municipality of Drimmelen, where I work. Other organizations do that. See if it's worth it for Surplus to also implement it in the municipality of Drimmelen. Would I like to do some research on that: how many clients are there, which organization is currently responsible for that, how do they do it? And come up with a plan. Neighbors, family members, housing cooperatives. The municipality usually refers people to the Bemoeizorg team. I started working on that. Requested figures. I contacted other organizations about it. I had conversations with colleagues from Oosterhout: what does it involve? How do you do it?"

And how does that translate into personal development?

"It has brought me a lot. I find it difficult to call such an organization, for example. But because of that project, I did it. I've become much more aware through the Talent Scan. I'm not a networker, I don't easily approach things. I'm more reserved. But still, in the years I've been working here, I know I have to do it. I can't always stay in the background, I have to take those steps."

"So because my awareness has increased, I'm more alert and I handle things differently. Sometimes I consciously step out of my comfort zone. I have to pay attention to it. Encourage myself. I think it's part of my job. So promoting and making yourself heard too."

Through the experiences you gain, it becomes easier over time. Look at entrepreneurship, for example. Frank comes up with that proposal about 'bemoeizorg', and then you think: yes, you're absolutely right, I've been here for fifteen years, why didn't I think of that before? It makes you look more openly too."

Looking Broader

And there's something else. Namely, the question that now seems logical to me: why don't we do this here? That's something I'm much more open to now. I'm someone who's fine with things as they are, and I'd like to keep them that way. But now I know: sometimes you really have to look broader. Especially in social work. You have to continue to exist, continue to do our things well, change with the times. This has brought about that change. Opened my eyes. I might be perfectly fine with things as they are, but if the registrations decline, I can keep waiting or I can see what else we could do, what we could bring in or expand."

"I've started to enjoy it and I even find it fun! Very typical. Normally, I would never go down that path, but now I have to, I do it, and not only did it turn out better than expected, it also gave me a kick!"

"Now we've really looked at where my personal challenges lie. Where do I want to grow? But of course, there are areas where I already have my strengths. Perhaps I can complement someone else in those areas. Now I think it's important for the team to look at that. Where everyone's strengths lie and how we can make use of each other."

Continuous Development

"It remains on the agenda of our work meetings.

This project, this task is now complete, what would I like to take on now?

The next step is really in the synergy of the team. If I'm good at organizing, I can certainly organize something with a youth worker.

I think you individually look more at challenges, as a team you look at strengths.

As an individual, you seek challenges; as a team, you make use of each other's strengths. Combining those two things seems ideal to me."

From Score Reports to Daily Work, How Does That Happen?

It seems like a difficult step to actually turn the talent image into actions in terms of development.

Development Guide

Back to Frank. "I'm pulling out the development guide," he says. "In the field of Social Work, there are mostly helpers, and let them learn best with an on-the-job approach! So, we come up with something very practical that is immediately applied in the work, so 'for real'!

That development guide has a whole step-by-step plan to make it your own: look at the opportunities on the market, read articles, gather information, search online, choose something. We choose together."

About the 'Bemoeizorg' Example

We tell Frank about the example Annabel gave us, and he elaborates on it.

"Right, we do 'bemoeizorg' in Oosterhout and not in Drimmelen. 'Bemoeizorg' is a form of social work for people who neglect themselves. They don't ask for care themselves, don't want interference from others, but we visit them anyway. Often people with a history of addiction or mental health issues. This 'bemoeizorg' is carried out in Brabant by GGZ or Novadic Kentron. But in Oosterhout, it falls under the social work of Surplus Welzijn. So, we're not only focusing on addiction or mental limitations but, as social workers, we take a broader view, we look at the whole. We're achieving good results with this. We said, let's see if we can do that here in Drimmelen too.

Annabel needed to get out more, so go and talk there, drop by there. An email? No, not an email! Call and go there in person! Such an approach directly flows from the development guide. And so I translated them all into practical tasks for each employee, focusing on the competencies they want to work on."

Dynamics

"In Halderberge, we have centers that provide meals, among other things. I thought that too much thought was given from a care perspective: the intention is good, of course, but it's mainly technical action. Give an injection, administer a pill, put on a bandage. So even food was approached technically: those people can't cook anymore, so here's a steam meal, enjoy your meal!

I had an employee who needed to come out more, stimulate more people, had to do more pioneering and networking. Besides, she had to grow more in result orientation.

So, we took on this project. The idea was not to approach food as something technical but as a social activity. We'll find volunteers and those volunteers will go with people with early-stage dementia to get potatoes from the farm, ingredients from supermarkets, and so on. And the person who might not be able to walk can probably peel the beans."

A work plan was created, and they started with the implementation in a very practical way.

"That's going really well now, and it's so nice to see! The dynamics that arise!

I even had a conversation with someone from CZ, the Innovation department, and they're very interested, and now we're going to approach about 20-30 people insured by CZ. They're going to look at the medical costs of the past year and the costs of the coming year and see if there's a difference. Because we involve people. It turns out that 15% of the elderly people in the Netherlands who are admitted to a hospital are malnourished. Not because they don't eat enough but because they eat too one-sidedly. Especially in the villages, and that's our next step, we'll know quickly when someone passes away. Drop by or through the district nurse. Engage in a conversation: are you eating alone here? That also reinforces the feeling of loneliness!"

In the past, people in Halderberge were given a steam meal and a bib, and if they couldn't eat anymore, someone would bring the spoon to their mouth. Now, it's a delightful social scene, where volunteers go out with people to get ingredients, cook together, set the table with a flower on it. It has become an experience in which food has become a means by which people feel better and can continue to participate.

And the employee in question? "You can clearly see all of that with her. She used to be all about arranging things, structure, precision. Everything perfectly organized. She had to let go. I told her, 'You have to sit on your hands. Just make sure you have good volunteers. You need to support them.' Encouraged her to be entrepreneurial. You can see how it sets her free."

Like Oil in the Gears

This afternoon, Annabel will give her first session of an assertiveness training.

A few weeks ago, Frank asked her when she would consider this training successful. "Imagine you ask the participants, 'rate yourself on assertiveness on a scale of 1 to 10.' And everyone gives themselves a 4, because otherwise, they wouldn't sign up for it, of course. And 10 weeks later, after putting a lot of time and energy into it, you ask again, and everyone rates themselves a 5. Is it then successful or not?"

Annabel thinks the fact that everyone has grown from a 4 to a 5 is positive.

Frank continues. "Okay, the result is from 4 to 5, and there are 10 people on the waiting list again. After those 10 weeks, you come to me to start a new training. Then I say to you, we're not going to do that anymore because we're not getting anywhere with it at all. A 4 is nothing and a 5 is also nothing, except that it costs us a lot of energy and money. How are you going to convince me to start that new group anyway?"

And that's where we have one of those drops of talent development that flows into the gears of daily work. That makes an impact. "In this case, it forces you to think about the result," says Frank. "Don't get me wrong, they know I play that game and challenge them. It's not more important than that, if you think you're doing your job well in that way, then I can definitely agree that it's fine for those people. But we're gradually losing the taken-for-granted attitude we used to have, 'we had 10 sessions, we started with 10, we ended with 10, so it's successful'."