“We believe it is important to identify the root of a problem if we are to
come to an effective solution. For us, it is crucial to find a solution that is
sustainable, and not one made at the expense of people and important
natural resources. We also want to make a valuable contribution to society-
strengthening and revitalizing the Dutch economy.”
Collaborating on solutions to water problems
Water Governance
“Technically the possibilities are many, but how do we get water governance on an
operational level?” This is, in our view, the main issue in modern water management.
Moreover, it’s one we can tackle, considering our extensive experience in leading
projects where we help respected clients to resolve complex problems in water safety,
water quality and water management.
Our approach is called Water Governance, a term referring to the embedding of social
measures, linking tasks, ensuring support and structuring the decision-making process.
Water Governance also has to do with organizational design and the practical imple-
mentation of different programs and projects. This is based on the realization that
knowledge of content alone is not enough, but that other external factors, such as
politics, culture and organization play a crucial role in the success or failure of a project.
The complexity of our environment and the diversity of tasks demand inclusion of
situational awareness, structuring power and connecting interests. Our distinguished
consultants and managers are well-known for their general knowledge of the water
sector combined with their organizational and process skills - a powerful combination
essential for complex water management issues.
Twynstra Gudde is a member of Highland Worldwide, a strategic alliance of consultancy
firms in Europe, the USA, China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Brazil and the United
Arab Emirates (54 offices in total). The expertise of over 2,500 consultants and
managers gives us a solid base to help support you on a local level.
Have we aroused your curiosity? If so, take a look at our website on water issues
(www.tg.nl/water) or contact one of our advisors at +31 33 467 77 56.
Water Governance, the Twynstra Gudde point of view
“The complexity of our environment and the diversity of tasks demand inclusion of situational awareness, structuring power and connecting interests.”
Room for the River Nijmegen Stakeholder and alliance management
To ensure the safety of the Nijmegen region against
flooding due to climate changes, there needs to be a solid
water plan. By shifting the Waaldijk 350 meters inland
and digging a new secondary channel, we have ‘made’
more space for the River Waal. An elongated peninsula
will be created between the new secondary channel and
the Waal. Integrated into the new urban development
of the city, this new urban river park creates space for
living, recreation and nature.
Through a transparent process, open communication,
clear agreements and attention for the ‘soft’ side of
the ‘Room for the River’ project at Nijmegen, Twynstra
Gudde has helped to create a water management plan
that can meet the approval of almost all the parties
involved.
Role of Twynstra GuddePim Nijssen of Twynstra Gudde was asked to take on
the role of stakeholder and alliance manager for this
project. In this role, he was responsible for building a
coalition between public administrations and public
support bodies for the plan. Trust and transparency
formed the base. Openness about the steps in the
project and the moments of influence created a
strong work ethic. Keeping promises and taking oth-
ers’ interests seriously lent support to the project.
Where possible, these aspects were integrated into
the overall plan.
‘Openness about the steps in the project and the moments of influence created a strong work ethic ’
Delta Plan BangladeshAn entirely new approach to water management
The Netherlands and Bangladesh are about to col-
laborate on the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. It is very
important for Bangladesh to create a solid strategy to
tackle safety issues and structure the available water
in relation to sudden climate changes and economic
developments.
The knowledge and principles developed in the
Netherlands in the Dutch Delta Program will also be
used by Bangladesh to create a long-term strategy
linked to the existing water policy. The objective is
to work together on sustainable delta management,
integrate activities on water tasks and manage crisis
situations. Water management in Bangladesh can
then be revitalized, particularly by applying a holistic
approach, thus creating understanding of the water
system as a whole.
Role of Twynstra GuddeTwynstra Gudde was a partner in the consortium
of Euroconsult-Mott MacDonald, Deltares, Alterra,
Unesco-IHE, which have explored the main charac-
teristics and challenges of the Bangladesh water sec-
tor. Twynstra Gudde played an important role in the
institutional and policy aspects involved, and in strat-
egy development and organizational issues related
to good water governance. The consortium’s explo-
rations and preparations also provided the input and
basis for an agreement between the two countries.
‘ Our contribution lies in organizing the institutional aspects and deepening and coordinating strategic policies’
Mainport RotterdamAn integrated approach with both economic and environmental objectives
The port of Rotterdam is by far the largest and most
important port in Europe. However, after decades
of growth, the existing port area had reached its
spatial limits. If Rotterdam was to continue fulfilling
its meaning ful role in Europe, it would be necessary to
expand. And this is exactly what happened, resulting
in Maasvlakte 2, now the expanded port of Rotterdam.
A new European location for port activities and in-
dustry was created directly west of the existing port
and industrial area on the North Sea.
The future of the port is, of course, not only important
for its market position, but also for the quality of life
and the environment in the respective area. Consul-
tations to further develop Maasvlakte 2 sustainably,
including the environment and quality of life, were
started up with neighboring communities and interest
groups.
Role of Twynstra GuddeEver since 2008, Twynstra Gudde has supported
Rijkswaterstaat in various ways, for instance, by coordi-
nating the establishment of monitoring and evaluation
programs, and advising on the implementation and
operationalization of the organization. An important
role was the support given to the decision-making
process through Strategic Alliance Management, a
project management method based on the Mutual
Gains Approach.
‘ An important role was the support given to the decision-making process’
Mainport RotterdamProactive Issues and Strategic Stakeholder Management
The Rotterdam harbor is one of the most important
harbors in the world and by far the largest in Europe.
If the harbor is to maintain its position, expansion is
needed, requiring the construction of the extended
harbor, ‘Maasvlakte 2’, at a cost of 3 billion euro. It is
for the government of the Netherlands important to
develop Maasvlakte 2 with respect for both nature
and the environment, and for the preservation of
the quality of life in the Rotterdam region. Efforts to
achieve this goal in combination with a large num-
ber of stakeholders and interests make this project
extremely complex.
Experience with similar projects has taught the pro-
ject developers to expect considerable resistance,
endless procedures and substantial overstepping of
deadlines and budgets. The project director wanted
to prevent this happening, so asked Twynstra Gudde
to consider applying stakeholder management. The
approach had to be more proactive; the project direc-
tor no longer wanted to have to deal with surprises.
So we introduced Strategic Stakeholder Manage-
ment, a special type of project management based
on the Mutual Gains Approach of Fisher & Ury.
Twynstra Gudde’s Strategic Stakeholder Management In essence, the SOM approach is a proactive inter-
vention strategy based on a sincere concern for the
interests of the stakeholders. The principle of SOM is
that the interests of other stakeholders are discussed
at an early stage in the project so that it can still be
adjusted. This approach arises from the conviction
that the solution to your problem may sometimes
lie with the other partners, and that constructive col-
laboration leads to better, faster and cheaper plans.
Joining interests and cooperating with supposed op-
ponents does, by no means, have to lead to more
complexity – on the contrary.
The SOM approach does place demands on mem-
bers of staff, since the approach is only effective if
staff behavior complies with it. SOM requires trans-
parency in one’s own interests and methods, sincere
concern for others and a flexible attitude.
I-STORM Building a network for knowledge exchange
The I-STORM network unites public administrations
of countries that build, manage, operate and main-
tain moveable storm surge barriers. The network
aims to share and exchange experiences and knowl-
edge on operations and maintenance of large mov-
able storm surge barriers so as to optimize the man-
agement of barriers in an innovative way. I-STORM
helps its members to accomplish the highest levels
of operational safety and reliability to protect people
and property against severe floods.
The I-STORM network works according to the princi-
ples of a Community of Practice, cutting across political
barriers and interests. The members of I-STORM are
collectively responsible for the storm surge barriers.
Based on this mutual interest, they share and ex-
change concerns, problems, successes and lessons
learned, seeking ways to enhance their knowledge.
Role of Twynstra GuddeTwynstra Gudde assists the I-STORM network in
developing its activities and strategy by advising,
coordinating, facilitating, stimulating and organiz-
ing, both on strategic and operational levels. It is a
highly valued network for and by the members, so
most of the work is done by employees of the mem-
ber organizations. Roles fulfilled by Twynstra Gudde
are the organizing of steering committee meetings,
setting out the program, facilitating annual confer-
ence, and starting up and implementing new activi-
ties (team-coaching).
‘ It is a highly valued network for and by the members’
Water Management and Flood Protection Alliance Table for the National Governance Agreement on Water
The national government, provinces and municipal
authorities of the Netherlands work closely together
with regional water authorities and drinking water
companies on sustainable water policy. Each organ-
ization has its own responsibilities. In the national
Governance Agreement on Water of 2011, agree-
ments for cooperation in realizing more efficient wa-
ter management were made between the national,
provincial, and municipal authorities, and the re-
gional water authorities (boards) and the drink-
ing water companies. The agreement covers
the division of responsibilities for both the wa-
ter system and water use, with the objective of
enhancing water safety and the quality of water man-
agement with minimal costs to society.
Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Ministry of Infrastruc-
ture and the Environment, and the 25 regional wa-
ter boards are inter-dependent in carrying out their
tasks of water system management and image
building of the (public) water sector in the Nether-
lands. This makes collaboration both necessary and
challenging. These organizations want to collabo-
rate in giving further substance to promising areas
of interest in the national Governance Agreement
on Water. Collaboration implies attention for goals,
interests, relationships, organization and process,
reason enough for the collective water authori-
ties to ask Twynstra Gudde –with a view to their
expertise on collaboration combined with their expe-
rience in the water sector – to form an alliance table.
Focusing on relationships and interests, this alliance
has formulated collective ambitions for water man-
agement. Several interest areas proved to be promis-
ing themes for collaboration in various regions:
- Freshwater supply
- Investments within the new Flood protection
program (nHWBP) and the Delta program
- Permit authorization and control
- Management and maintenance
- Human Resources Management (HRM)
These themes have been taken up in the collabora-
tion agendas for both national and regional cooper-
ation, with the alliance table giving substance to the
ambitions and trust built up between the collabora-
tion partners.
Prof, Jaap de Heer [email protected]+31 33 467 77 56
Pim Nijssen, M.A.Consultant Water [email protected] Twitter: @pimnijssen+31 33 467 77 56
We trust that collaboration is the key to successful project outcomes.
This is why we motivate our clients to realize collaboration on strategies,
organization, governance, and project and program management. The
result is thinking more strategically, taking quicker and smarter decisi-
ons, and organizing projects more efficiently.
More information?
Member of the Highland Worldwide
partnership
Member of quality register
consultancy firms
Twynstra GuddeStationsplein 1
P.O. Box 9073800 AX Amersfoort
The Netherlands
+31 33 467 77 77www.twynstragudde.com
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