KVK Embeds Agility in Organizational DNA

For years, impactful changes have been taking place at KVK, and this is expected to continue. Rieneke Zijlstra, Strategic Business Partner for Leadership and Talent, emphasizes the necessity for the organization to quickly adapt to trends and developments to meet customer expectations. This strategic focus is essential for KVK to remain agile and responsive.

Within KVK, Zijlstra is responsible for leadership and talent, focusing strongly on the adaptability of talents and teams. Using strategic personnel management, various development programs and pilot projects are conducted to map the organization's agility, enabling targeted interventions.

“I wish all my colleagues would come to work energized.” –
Rieneke Zijlstra, Strategic Business Partner for Leadership and Talent, KVK

The Challenge: Digital Transformation Requires Employee Agility

The ongoing digital transformation significantly impacts KVK employees. New roles are emerging, while others are disappearing, necessitating different competencies from everyone in the organization. Quickly adapting to work, continuously aligning with customer demands, and constantly validating developments with customers mark a substantial change.

In this transition, Zijlstra pays much attention to the individual. "We seek the best solution for everyone. I derive a lot of energy from my work, and I wish the same for all my colleagues—that they come to work energized and go home feeling the same." Employee agility is a crucial factor here. Zijlstra states, "It’s no guarantee that someone who fits perfectly now will continue to do so in the future. However, insights into someone’s agility can increase the chances of success."

To better meet the rapidly changing customer demands, employees must possess the competencies and attributes to adapt quickly. Therefore, Zijlstra's mission is clear: agility must become part of KVK's DNA.

The Solution: Insights into the Agility of Top Talent and Teams

To embed agility prominently in KVK's DNA, Zijlstra and her team have launched several initiatives. These initiatives map employees' agility at different organizational levels. They started with scanning the agility of top talent and conducted a pilot to map team agility.

Agility as an Attribute of Change-Oriented Top Talent

As part of strategic personnel planning, KVK has run a highly successful talent program for several years. Managers can nominate employees for this program. Zijlstra explains, "Using GITP’s tools, we validate whether a top talent is sufficiently agile to participate in this challenging and intensive program."

KVK has now completed two successful programs. A key objective is to identify change-oriented leaders who can play a pioneering role in the transformation. Therefore, the last program also evaluated adaptability, alongside talent performance and leadership qualities. Together with GITP, they assessed how agile someone is and how this behavior is demonstrated in practice. The results determine where a talent best fits within the organization.

Pilot: Agility for Sustainable Employability within Teams

As part of strategic personnel planning, KVK has long used GITP tools to map talent, motivations, and mobility. However, predicting future behavior based on these traits remained challenging. Zijlstra states, "Sustainable employability of employees is a significant theme within our organization. If we can accurately map both the ‘current’ and ‘desired’ situations of an employee, we can better offer suitable positions." Therefore, they decided to conduct a broader pilot with agility instruments.

Sixty employees from selected teams participated in the pilot. The pilot provided Zijlstra with insights into the tool's functionality, application, and effects on employees. The results were compiled into a so-called talent map, highlighting the participating teams' agility and identifying areas requiring action. Many participants discussed the findings with their managers and jointly determined follow-up actions.

The Result: Agility as a Predictor of Success

Adding agility as a dimension to predict future success has been very well received by KVK. Both as a validation of the top talent program and during the pilot, GITP’s instruments proved to be a valuable addition. Zijlstra notes, "We can now create a complete picture with the employee, gaining insights into current talent, motivations, and behavior, as well as adaptability and development potential."

The agility tools have also been crucial in understanding teams' and leaders' agility. These tools will become a standard part of top talent selection. The pilot on sustainable employability will also continue. KVK is taking its first steps towards embedding agility in its desired DNA.

The tools and reports from GITP are used by KVK as the basis for Personal Development Plans (PDPs). Zijlstra says, "Managers, employees, and we in HRM are enthusiastic about the reports. They don’t pigeonhole employees and serve as a good foundation for discussions about the future and potential prospects. The focus is strongly on personal development."

For employees facing role changes or redundancy, the reports provide valuable insights. Zijlstra explains, "Our principle is to find a suitable solution for the employee, whether within or outside KVK. With insights into motivations, development potential, and agility, we offer everyone more perspective."

The instruments KVK uses to understand organizational talent include the Reflector 360, Agility Talent Match, Agility, and the Talent Map. These tools provide insights into team agility relative to other teams within KVK and on an individual (personal) level.

• Talent Match Agility
• Talent Map