Column Pieter Vos: a different route of thought

In our search for answers and smart solutions to today’s major challenges and transitions – the protein and energy transitions, climate change, the nitrogen issue and shortages of raw materials, to name just a few – we still tend to follow the familiar paths.

Take the nitrogen crisis. Farmers wanted clarity, and now they are getting it. After years of uncertainty, a decision has finally been made. Yet instead of bringing the expected relief, it has had the opposite effect. Resistance to the measures that need to be taken is greater than ever, and upside-down flags are once again appearing across the Netherlands. Apparently, ‘getting clarity’ was not the real issue in this crisis after all – a crisis that, incidentally, affects the entire chain, from farm to fork. The real cause of the frustration runs much deeper. It is about being seen and heard, and about sharing responsibility.

The government chose a solution that can be implemented efficiently and consistently across the country, fitting within existing legal and regulatory systems, complete with key figures and rules setting out who needs to take which actions and where responsibility for enforcement and monitoring lies. But approaching problems in this traditional, generic way no longer works, particularly when it comes to the major transition challenges we are facing.

Involve individual farmers in finding the right solution for their own businesses. There are not that many farmers left in the Netherlands; surely that should be manageable. A quick analysis shows that there are far more cows in the Netherlands than there were, say, twenty years ago. Yet ammonia emissions are considerably lower than they were then. Clearly, a great deal has already improved, partly as a result of previous policies.

Today’s major challenges require a different, new approach: taking another route. One in which participation is central. Involve the people on the shop floor in solving the challenges your company is facing.

Pieter Vos
Consultancy & Interim Management