Damien Versele

learning architect 

deep change contractor


Veranderen begint met het leren op een nieuwe manier 

samen te werken en de bereidheid om bestaande manieren van doen af te 

leren, want hierin zit de echte moeilijkheid. (Wierdsma en Swieringa)

introduction

“The only constant in life is change,” said Heraclitus 2,500 years ago.  That is no different today.  And yet, it seems as if many change initiatives in companies, non-profit organizations, government agencies and communities are stillborn, fail along the way, or produce unexpected results. Why?

Change takes place on 2 levels: there is the part of the organization that changes (e.g. a relocation, the introduction of new software, a restructuring, etc.) and there is the acceptance of the change, the process that people have to go through to commit to it.  Deep change not only requires questioning and adapting the existing structures and systems within which we work.  It is so important to question the old (stuck) thinking patterns and the sources of inspiration that support this thinking.  If we don't do this, we continue repeating the same patterns and nothing changes at the end.  Human behaviour does not change as a result of a tightly directed and  accurately planned process from above.  Rather, it is a matter of trying to realize new behaviour within the margins of the existing culture, in a process of co-creation with the various stakeholders.  And through a collective learning process possible adjustments will emerge.

1. your challenge

  • From your own perspective or at the request of the directors or your employees, you are considering examining the entire approach of your company / organization or specific structures and systems and you don't know where to start.
  • You are looking for support in devising and implementing a plan to set up a change process on a large or small scale within your team or company, organization or community.
  • You experience various problems in the rollout and implementation of the reorganization in your company or organization and more specifically with regard to its acceptance by your employees.
  • You want to start a citizens' initiative at a local, regional or national level around climate crisis or any other problem and are looking for support in the participatory involvement of many people.

2. offer

Damien hosts the process of deep change in teams, companies, non-profit organizations,  government institutions, communities, etc. He focuses his support on the following points:


  • recognizing the need for change and understanding the 'sense of urgency',
  • gaining insight into the expectations of the various stakeholders,
  • obtaining commitment to the change, creating co-ownership, installing a change team,
  • drawing up the roadmap and the guiding principles of the change,
  • setting up communication with all employees with feedback loops,
  • defining interim results ('sprints'),
  • supporting the change team and managers in the process,
  • monitoring the step-by-step realization,
  • delivering possible reports.