Business Agility

What Scaled Agile Frameworks Don’t Want You to Know

The Secret to True Agility

What Scaled Agile Frameworks Don’t Want You to Know: The Secret to True Agility

Imagine taking a ship out to sea. At first, adding more sails seems like the key to speed. The more sails you add, the faster you move, right? But eventually, the extra sails become a burden: more ropes to manage, more coordination needed, and suddenly, instead of speeding up, you’re slowed down by complexity. The ship becomes harder to maneuver in changing winds, and the crew spends more time managing the rigging than charting a course. 
This is what happens to many organizations when they scale Agile. Initially, scaling Agile seems to promise greater efficiency, better coordination, and increased control. But over time, those additional layers of governance, processes, and roles can create drag, slowing down decision-making, hindering innovation, and reducing the very agility that the organization set out to achieve.

Netherlands

Organizational

Applying Agile and Lean practices to Semiconductor Development

Applying Agile and Lean practices

The semiconductor industry is the cornerstone of modern technology, powering everything from smartphones and home appliances to automobiles and medical devices. Historically, semiconductor development has adhered to the waterfall model, characterized by sequential phases, rigid processes, extensive documentation, and prolonged lead times. While effective in certain contexts, this approach often struggles to keep pace with rapid technological advancements and dynamic market demands inherent to the modern semiconductor landscape.
Applying Agile and Lean principles and working methods to semiconductor development promises to address many challenges faced by traditional models, offering a pathway to more efficient, responsive, and innovative design processes.

Ralph Hofman

Davar Azarmi

Business Agility: Eight Key Market Developments

Eight Key Market Developments

Business agility has evolved far beyond its roots in software development. Today, it’s reshaping not only IT organizations but entire businesses and industries. As technology continues to influence business processes and more tech-savvy leaders rise through the ranks, agile principles are being applied in areas such as product development, marketing, sales, and strategy execution. The agility mindset, designed to manage uncertainty and complexity, is becoming essential across all business functions. In this article, we’ll explore eight key trends that are shaping the future of business agility.

Florian van Santen

Koen Harbers

The Practice of Applying a Customer-Centric Mindset

Applying a Customer-Centric Mindset

In today's competitive business landscape, adopting a customer-centric mindset is paramount for the success of any organization, especially those that are, or aim to be, <a href="https://highberg.com/nl/insights/product-led-impact">product-led</a>. This article explores the practice of applying a customer-centric mindset within such organizations, emphasizing the unique advantages of a network organizational structure over traditional hierarchical models.

Diederik Adema

Strategy & Change

Risk, Resilience & Compliance

Eight Things You Need to Know About NIS2

The European Union (EU) is deeply concerned about the cybersecurity of organizations within vital sectors. The EU has introduced the Network and Information Security 2 Directive (hereinafter: NIS2) to enhance the cyber resilience of these organizations. Organizations within vital sectors are obligated to comply with NIS2 from October 18, 2024. Organizations belong to the vital sector when their service provision (temporarily) disrupts and has a significant impact on the economy and society.
In this Insight, you will read about the eight things you absolutely need to know about NIS2.

Nino van Leeuwen

Shankar Sahtie

Digital

From HR Business Partner to Transformation Consultant

Highberger Philippine den Brave

Philippine den Brave

Before Transformation Consultant Philippine den Brave joined Highberg, she gained extensive experience in the HR field at Danone and ING. Why did she decided to make this switch and how did Highberg supported her? Read about it in the interview down below.

Highberger Philippine den Brave: From HR to Transformation Consultant

Build your own CIA

Portfolio Performance Measurement #3

Portfolio Performance Measurement #3: Build your own CIA

Many business school classrooms echo with lectures on the value of precise, analytic approaches to management. Yet when we look at what’s happening all around us, there is a big gap between what we are taught and what we do in our own organizations. 
Measuring the value of we are delivering, and how we are delivering it, is not always obvious to leadership teams. A reason can be found in the varying opinions on measurement effectiveness in the first place. Some organizations are doing just fine without too much measurement. To others, these systems might seem more like a luxury than a necessity given their day-to-day worries. It is not seen as critical for survival, yet.

Logic, Design and Implementation

Organizing around Value Streams

organizing-around-value-streams-in-product-and-service-development

One of the key challenges for optimal competitive performance of organizations in the digital age is ensuring high speed of value delivery in product and service development. Faster delivery in development processes not only enables earlier return on investments, but also allows faster validation of the real value of product and service innovation so that investments in unsuccessful initiatives can be minimized. Organizing around ‘Value Streams’ is a key step to optimal value delivery in the shortest sustainable lead time.
In this Insight, the logic of organizing around Value Streams is explained, guidelines are given on how to design Value Streams, and a five-step implementation approach is provided.

Niels Groen

Organizing around Value Streams in Product and Service Development

Government and Public Sector

Case study 'Redesign HR Operating Model' NS

Highberg collaborated in a transformation with the HR Department of Dutch railroads on improving the HR service delivery model. Subsequently the HR Target Operating Model was newly developed. Read below about the context, approach, and the results which were achieved.

Mariëlle van Tilburg

Heiko van Eldijk

Case study: Redesign HR Operating Model for NS

Kelly Hauwert on her journey from trainee to senior consultant

From trainee to senior consultant

Microsoft Teams image 2

In 2022 Kelly Hauwert enjoyed her second promotion at Highberg. As she prepares to take on the new role of Senior Consultant with the organizational transformation firm, Kelly spoke to Consultancy.eu about how the firm’s entrepreneurial and warm culture has helped her grow while feeling at home. 
When Kelly Hauwert initially trained in social sciences with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, she never imagined that she would become a consultant. However, after a brief stint in the world of public relations, she heard about a consultancy traineeship with Highberg that piqued her interest. 
After speaking with some of the firm’s colleagues and partners, and passing a capability assessment, Kelly soon found herself walking through Highberg’s doors as an employee.

Kelly Hauwert

Stop looking in the rearview mirror. A plea for actionable metrics

A plea for actionable metrics

Portfolio Performance Measurement #2: Stop looking in the rearview mirror. A plea for actionable metrics

There is nothing wrong with looking in the rearview mirror. It is necessary. The obvious nuance being it should not be the only thing you do as you drive your car down a busy road. In our previous blog ‘<a href="https://highberg.com/insights/are-project-metrics-dead-a-quick-guide-to-lean-portfolio-measurement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Are Project Metrics Dead?’</a>, we introduced two insights aimed at broadening our view of metrics. If we want to continue the car analogy; it is not just the roads, or the other cars around, but also the speedometer plus a mindful eye on any blinking red lights trying to warn you of a future car failure. We hope these first two insights will lead you to a more holistic understanding of ‘portfolio performance’. 

With such a wide set of metrics to choose from comes the next challenge: what should we focus on? How to use them to effect? Building on our first 2 insights, with Insight 3 we introduce the distinction between leading and lagging indicators. Insight 4 takes us to goal setting and one of the more popular tools in strategy-execution today, Objectives Key Results.

Portfolio Performance Measurement Continued: A Plea for Actionable Metrics

Are project metrics dead? A quick guide to Lean Portfolio Measurement

Are project metrics dead? 

Are-project-metrics-dead?

Do on-time, on-scope and on-budget metrics really have no place in modern, product-led, and agile-embracing organizations?

Gamification is a scalable change approach to achieve sustained desired behavior

Gamification for behavioural change

whitepaper-gamification-for-behavioural-change

Gamification is a scalable change approach to achieve sustained desired behavior and improve performance in the workplace.

Whitepaper: Gamification for behavioural change

Challenges around organizational transformation within large, Dutch organizations

Organizational transformation challenges

whitepaper-five-challenges-around-organizational-transformation

Five challenges around organizational transformation according to leaders within large, Dutch organizations and our reflections on them.

Whitepaper: Five challenges around organizational transformation

Innovative compliance therefore creates more ethical behavior.

Research compliance and innovation

white-paper-research-compliance-and-innovation

An innovative compliance program makes for an effective compliance program. Innovative compliance therefore creates more ethical behavior.

White paper: Research compliance and innovation

Exemplary behavior of leaders is crucial with integrity issues.

Moral leadership – the theme of this time

whitepaper-moral-leadership-the-crucial-theme-of-this-time

The exemplary behavior of leaders is crucial to reduce the reputational risk of integrity issues within your organization.

Whitepaper: Moral leadership – the crucial theme of this time

For an effective game fulfilling the conditions is crucial.

The 6 ingredients of an effective game

whitepaper-the-6-ingredients-of-an-effecitve-game

To ensure that a game is truly effective and contributes to the organizational objectives, fulfilling the conditions is crucial.

Whitepaper: The 6 ingredients of an effective game

Shadow IT, how do you deal with it?

Shadow IT appears unstoppable

shadow-it-appears-unstoppable-how-do-you-deal-with-it

Shadow IT is defined as the IT within an organization that does not fall under the responsibility and management of the organization's (central) IT department. There is an increasing presence of shadow IT in organizations, especially due to the wide range of cloud services available and the increasingly adopted bring-your-own-device policy. It seems to be an ever-growing challenge for IT departments to manage shadow IT. IT departments will need to let go of some responsibilities while setting clear boundaries for shadow IT.

Pim Schouten

Shadow IT appears unstoppable, how do you deal with it?

Balancing between innovation and stability

Is Agile working the end of ITIL?

Is-Agile-working-the-end-of-ITIL?

No more long queues at the town hall, you can simply arrange your parking permit from your couch. Or send a payment request via WhatsApp after a night out. Nowadays, we consider these things normal. Services are available everywhere and anytime. Additionally, customers and citizens are becoming increasingly central. This requires continuous innovation on the one hand and services that are always available everywhere on the other. Many organizations find themselves in a dilemma between quickly responding to changing needs and offering 24/7 services. Organizations are looking for ways to meet these demands, and sometimes it seems like these demands conflict with each other. Below, we look at two examples of common frameworks for continuous innovation and 24/7 services. We also explore how these frameworks can contribute to delivering business value.

Embracing Polysourcing: Hybrid IT governance for decentralized success

Polysourcing demands different IT governance

polysourcing-demands-radically-different-it-governance-2

In this second blog on the consequences of IT decentralization, I will address how organizations should reshape their IT governance.

Polysourcing demands radically different IT governance (2)

Polysourcing and decentralized IT governance: strategic responsibility balanced

Polysourcing demands for different governance

polysourcing-calls-for-radically-different-it-governance-1

IT is becoming increasingly decentralized. This leads to fragmentation of IT activities. To ensure that IT still contributes maximally to the organization's strategic objectives, you will also need to decentralize parts of your IT governance. In two blogs, I will explain the cause of decentralization, its impact on outsourcing, and how organizations should restructure their IT governance. This first blog focuses on the cause of decentralization and introduces polysourcing, a new sourcing form that goes beyond multisourcing.

Polysourcing demands radically different IT governance (1)

Media and entertainment

Effective growth strategies for media firms

Media growth: Organic or acquisitions?

organic-or-acquisitions-which-growth-is-more-effective-for-media-companies

"Anyone who does what they can already do, always remains what they already are." This quote from the American automotive pioneer Henry Ford is more relevant than ever. Today, innovation and investment are required. Growth is not just an option, but a necessity for media companies.

Hendrik Langen

Germany

Organic or acquisitions – which growth is more effective for media companies?

A Highberg customer story: European procurement through green glasses

European procurement through green glasses

Groene bril bud helisson kqguzgv Yrt M unsplash

Every four or five years it comes around again: procurement. The Dutch government constantly has to deal with contracts expiring that then have to be put out to tender again. So too do the Dutch provinces. Their telephony contracts expired in 2018, so in 2017 they joined forces (for the 3rd time) to jointly market their telephony with Provincial Telephony 2017 (PT2017). This is more efficient than each on their own and because of the size, they are an attractive party for the market. This allows them to make serious cost savings, both on the procedure (working together more efficiently) and on the contracts (buying larger). This involved fixed and mobile telephony connections, mobile devices and the construction and maintenance of indoor (in-house) coverage facilities for telephony, divided into five lots.
Cooperation with Highberg (fka VKA) was sought and found early in the process for the additional procurement and telephony expertise for the core team of provinces.

Rick de Rooij

Sustainability

The Next 5 years decide

Transformation endgame (part 1)

transformation-endgame-the-next-5-years-decide

Newspaper publishers are facing the biggest challenge they have ever faced in their history. The next few years demand radical action. Even if you only hear the wind rustling softly in the distance: the storm is coming, and it is brutal.

Christoph Mayer

Transformation endgame (part 1) - the next 5 years decide

A Highberg customer story: The Nutrition Center's new canteen scan

The Nutrition Center's new canteen scan

The Nutrition Center is the authority that gives consumers reliable and independent information about a healthy, safe and sustainable diet. The 'Disk of Five' is familiar to many people, but in addition the Nutrition Center also provides advice on 'eating environments' and how organizations can achieve a responsible food supply. The starting point is to let the healthy choice be the easy choice.

Wilbert Enserink

A Highberg customer story: Cals College Digital, Secure and Transparent

Cals College Digital, Secure and Transparent

Good ICT support as key to flexible education

Due to the increasing digitization of education and the introduction of the AVG, security and careful handling of (personal) data and supporting resources have become increasingly important. This is also observed by the Cals College, a secondary school community with two branches: one in Nieuwegein and one in IJsselstein. The Cals has recently taken a professionalization step in the field of information management, privacy and information security. In this process, Highberg advised and provided and implemented methods to get a better grip on the management of ICT, privacy and information security. In addition, Highberg fulfills the role of Data Protection Officer (FG) and Privacy Quartermaster.

Wim Kok

Technology and Telecommunications

The challenge for Philips is to involve all employees in the execution of commitments

The Philips Sustainability Challenge​

The philips sustainability challenge

In 2020, Philips announced its ESG commitments for 2025: a comprehensive set of key commitments and ambitious targets across all the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) dimensions. ​Currently, the main challenge for Philips is to involve all employees in the execution of these commitments. This requires employees to become aware of the ESG commitments and ambitions, understand how they can contribute from their own role and context, and requires them to adopt and execute new behaviors. ​

Jody Pietersz

The Philips sustainability challenge​

Retail and Consumer Goods

Ndugu Coffee's mission is to make agribusiness sustainable for all stakeholders involved

Dashboarding & business development

dashboarding-business-development-for-sustainable-growth

Ndugu Coffee is a social enterprise with a mission to make agribusiness sustainable for all stakeholders involved.

Dashboarding & business development for sustainable growth

Optimize IT governance: from central control to decentralized autonomy

IT Governance, can it be more decentralized?

it-governance-can-it-be-more-decentralized

Departmental applications have been replaced by large, cross-departmental applications. Registrations are reused. Underlying infrastructure has been standardized or moved to the cloud. The control of this IT is detailed and mostly centralized. This way, the current stability can be ensured, and changes can be controlled (and compliance checkboxes can be ticked!). But are the primary processes still adequately supported? Do we still know centrally for whom and why we do things? Or do we let things slide?

(High Tech) Manufacturing and Logistics

Pon had the need for support in initiating a group-wide digital transformation

Pon - Initiating digital transformation

Pon digitale transformatie opstarten

Pon is a global player in the field of mobility products, services, and solutions, also offering hundreds of industrial solutions. Within the Pon Equipment &amp; Pon Power (PEPP) division, discussions about the opportunities and possibilities of digitization had been ongoing for some time. However, the implementation of these digital opportunities faced challenges, and the desired results were not forthcoming. This led to the need for support in initiating a group-wide digital transformation to better leverage the opportunities offered by (further) digitization.

Financial Services

Ymere aims to become an efficient and results-oriented organization

Cost-effective through data-driven working

Ymere cost effective through data driven working

Ymere is driven by its mission to provide more people with modest incomes a good home in the Amsterdam metropolitan region and aims to become an efficient and results-oriented organization.

Ymere – Cost-effective through data-driven working

AFM is optimizing and digitizing its levy process

Establishment of the levy process at AFM

Establishment of chain collaboration and control of the levy process at afm

The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) is optimizing and digitizing its levy process. An advisory report has been developed by Highberg, and the next step is implementation. This involves setting up cross-departmental (chain) collaboration with effective governance and meeting structures, communicating the change, and involving the organization.

Establishment of chain collaboration and control of the levy process at AFM

Healthcare and Life Sciences

As the existing strategy was no longer current, Menzis aimed to establish a new vision

Customer service strategy development

Menzis strategieontwikkeling klantbediening

Menzis has the mission to strengthen the vitality of every individual by ensuring high-quality and affordable healthcare. Customer &amp; Operations (C&amp;O) is responsible for all operational insurance processes, customer interactions, and is the largest cluster within Menzis with 600 employees. As the existing strategy was no longer current, the director of C&amp;O, who took office in 2020, aimed to establish a new vision that transcends the cluster.

Menzis – Customer service strategy development

Energy and Utilities

After a long period of stability, Enexis is under pressure

Guiding year plan process for the BOD and EB

guiding-year-plan-process-for-the-board-of-directors-and-executive-board

After a long period of stability, Enexis is under pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs to accelerate the energy transition

Guiding year plan process for the board of directors and executive board

UNICEF has the ambition to be as agile as possible to help more children, faster

Leadership development UNICEF

leadership-development-UNICEF

UNICEF provides assistance to children worldwide and advocates for their rights. As the world's largest child rights organization, UNICEF reaches more children in more places than anyone else, with the ambition to be as agile as possible to help more children, faster.

A new service concept for the Homeless Desk of the Municipality of The Hague

From work pressure to work happiness

from-work-pressure-to-work-happiness

The Homeless Desk of the Municipality of The Hague provides assistance to the homeless, and due to the high urgency of their work, the team experiences high levels of work pressure. The goal was to establish a new service concept at a new location (driven by hospitality) with the aim of increasing the quality of service and improving the job satisfaction and working conditions of the employees. It is crucial that these improvements are sustainable and lead to lasting change.

To enhance debt relief an analysis was conducted and a game was created

Processing time debt settlement with a game

NVVK - debt settlement softened through game

The NVVK is the largest industry association for debt assistance and financial services. To enhance debt relief, Highberg conducted an analysis, implementing four interventions. The primary component was a game called the NVVK Expedition, co-created with the NVVK.

Elselieke van Aken

Processing time debt settlement phase sortened through use of game

We guided Ctac in their organizational transformation

Organizational transformation with CTAC

organizational-transformation-with-ctac

We guided Ctac in their organizational transformation focusing on the axes of processes, governance, behavior, and leadership, with the goal of achieving higher returns, increased employee satisfaction, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Manouk Hertogs

Marieke Fieten

Interim Manager

Capabilities

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