How do you ensure that a stakeholder oriented practice truly becomes embedded in the organization? We're tackling this question at Gasunie. Not as yet another top-down program, but rather by connecting with existing developments and the pace of the organization. ‘If you want to be successful and future-proof, you really need your stakeholders.’

When you mention Gasunie, you immediately think of natural gas. But the state-owned company does much more than manage and maintain gas pipelines these days. As the Netherlands transitions to other forms of energy, Gasunie is being tasked by the Dutch government to develop major new infrastructures: from the national hydrogen network and heating networks to pipeline systems for CO2 storage.

If you want to develop, construct, or manage such large-scale energy infrastructure, you always have to deal with many stakeholders. From ministries, customers, and collaboration partners to landowners, local authorities, local residents, and environmental organizations.

‘Projects like these only succeed when all stakeholders cooperate,’ says Robin Schram, strategic stakeholder engagement (SSE) consultant at WesselinkVanZijst. ‘So it's important to engage in dialogue with all those parties. Most people at Gasunie are aware of this, but despite all good intentions, problems still arise regularly. This leads to delays, increasing costs, and frustration.’

To remain future-proof, it is crucial to be a reliable partner for your stakeholders. That is why Gasunie wants to embed working with the environment more firmly within the organization. Consultants Robin Schram and Bianca Boverhoff (associate partner) tackled this question. The duo previously conducted a similar embedment process at an energy company. Vattenfall. They complement each other well: Bianca brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of stakeholder oriented leadership and the energy transition, and Robin joins as a SSE expert.

Mixed signals

Step one was a baseline measurement: how is Gasunie working from a stakeholder oriented perspective? The experts examined this in an organizational scan. ‘During conversations with employees, we saw that they're already doing a lot,’ says Bianca. ‘From the top to the shop floor. The activities, however, occasionally were not yet well aligned.’

Robin adds: ‘One employee talks about community engagement, another calls it stakeholder management, yet another talks about environmental communication or customer-centric work. All words that are about how you involve stakeholders carefully. So, many employees were doing a good job, but they were doing it individually. They often didn't know what the other was doing – which meant the outside world received mixed signals.’

Speaking with one voice as an organization is also a challenge, Bianca nods. ‘We see that in many large organizations. Both from regular business activities and with complex projects, multiple employees often deal with the same stakeholder. Moreover, that stakeholder is often a large organization themselves, such as a ministry. So, if you don't coordinate your work internally, it gets confusing fast: ‘Oh, your colleague said this yesterday, that's different from what I'm hearing from you now.’’

Future-proof

If your organization wants to come across as trustworthy, it must be consistent in its external communication. ‘Working in an environmentally conscious way is done together. That's why we also call it an organizational competence.’ says Robin.

Even with the most skilled and ethical employees, all doing their utmost, an organization can still be incoherent. For example, because there are no clear agreements about how roles or tasks are divided among people. Or no systems that support the work activities. To develop that organizational competency, therefore, you need something different.‘

The change starts at the top, Bianca adds. ‘As long as a stakeholder oriented practice is not part of the strategy, it's very difficult to make it important at other levels. Not everyone needs to be able to do or know the same thing – as long as everyone is convinced of its importance. So that everyone can contribute from their own position.’

Robin: ‘Look at how the theme of ‘safety’ in the energy sector resonates. Everyone feels responsible for it and knows: whatever we do, safety comes first. In the same way, you can make a stakeholder oriented practice an organizational competence.’

Joining what is

How do you tackle such an embedment process smartly? ‘It's important to get to know the organization well first,’ says Bianca. ‘So you can connect with existing activities and initiatives. Not rolling out yet another new program from scratch, but strengthening what's already there.’

In the coming period, the Gasunie team will be guiding a variety of interventions and activities – from the shop floor to the boardroom. Robin lists: ‘For example, a stakeholder oriented practice is now part of the strategy. This is important because it can be translated into annual plans. Employees are receiving customized SSE training tailored to their work. We are also implementing systems that make stakeholder orientation easier: Dialog, for instance, a software platform for stakeholder management.’

Furthermore, together with the HR department, the consultants are investigating how Gasunie can integrate a stakeholder oriented practice into the leadership program and training offerings. ‘And we are in discussion with Gasunie's contract partners – because they also communicate a lot with stakeholders.’

Ultimately, Bianca says, it also makes financial sense to prioritize stakeholder orientation. ‘Investors want to see indicators that you are working on this. Think of the Sustainable Development Goals, ESG criteria and sustainability reporting such as the CSRD. They not only revolve around your CO2 emissions, but also around social themes, such as how you engage with stakeholders.’

Momentum and confidence

At Gasunie, they're already well on their way. ‘We're seeing momentum,’ says Robin enthusiastically. ‘I often hear: ‘Oh, this is relevant to my work too, can we discuss it further?’ Even at higher management levels, people are involved; all layers are represented in our advisory group. It's great.’

Bianca says that it helps to make things concrete and compact. ‘By breaking down long-term projects and providing regular feedback, we keep people engaged. We can show results quickly, which builds trust and motivates people to keep going, even if there are some bumps along the way.’

The intention is for more and more Gasunie employees to embrace the environment-focused approach, so that the organization itself will adopt the new mindset. Robin: ‘As experts, we can spark the fire and be the driving force, but ultimately, it's up to the organization itself. Such a cultural change naturally takes time – that's why we'll remain involved for the time being. Because what we're doing here goes beyond the existing frameworks of how most organizations currently operate. In that respect, Gasunie deserves credit: they are truly at the forefront.’

At WesselinkVanZijst, we support organizations with embedding a stakeholder orientated practice in their daily operations. Would you like to discuss this further? Contact Robin Schram (SSE consultant) via robin.schram@wesselinkvanzijst.nl.

Image: Vincent Basler, WarmtelinQ