Time for Change: how will things continue after 1 January 2024?

It is almost 1 January and that means that Damen Naval will start with the new organisational structure determined during the Time for Change project. A lot of hard work has been put in over the past year and a half towards this deadline and certainly the past few months have been intense. During the last Time for Change session of 2023, the Quartermasters and the project groups met to take stock of where the project now stands and what the next steps are. Because, as Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene pointed out, the real work starts in the new year.

“We now have the organisational structure in place, but even more important is how we are going to shape our organisation in terms of corporate culture, leadership and behaviour. This question has come up again and again during the talks and meetings over the past 18 months and we will start working on it after 1 January. My main goal is to create a safe working environment where people can grow. I want to unleash the potential of the whole company.”

Over the past few weeks, the Quartermasters have been busy with those preparations and their task is almost complete. During the morning session at ‘Het Topshuis’ on Neeltje Jans, the Quartermasters took stock of what is already in place and what still needs to be done during the implementation phase to go live with the new organisation by 1 January. This includes items such as ICT supplies like workstations and licences, or administrative matters such as cost centres.

The afternoon was all about looking ahead to 2024. The employees who developed the detailed structure for the organisation at the time met with the MT and the Quartermasters to discuss the five guiding principles. The aim is that soon every employee will know what the guiding principles mean and how they will be used in their daily work.

After 27 November, letters were distributed by all managers to their teams and all employees know what their new position will be, in which department they will work and who their supervisor will be (unless there is still a vacancy for that role). From 1 January, all employees at Damen Naval will be able to apply for vacancies in the company. If they are not filled internally, they will be posted publicly and can be applied for externally.

In the hall between buildings 32 and 36 at the head office, a special Time for Change Christmas tree has been in place since 7 December. Hanging in this tree are wooden baubles bearing the intentions of the Time for Change team on how they will contribute to the renewed organisation in the new year. Roland: “Of course, we are also curious about what other employees will do in the new year to make our organisation even better. I would therefore like to invite everyone to also share their resolutions by writing them on a ball and hanging them in the Christmas tree.”