Recently, LQ and VINCI Energies NL marked a significant milestone by signing a partnership agreement, entering a new era in their cooperation to build cumulative impact and grow together on Leadership and Change, with the end goal to strengthen the business transformation capabilities of leaders.

LQ and VINCI Energies NL have a long-standing history. In 2015, as part of the Leadership Journey of Business and Functional leaders, Peter de Prins (co-founder of LQ) spoke about how to make something intangible as organisational culture tangible. From then on, the collaboration between VINCI Energies NL and LQ organically grew into a full-blown partnership, which was recently formalised during an off-site in Leuven.

On this busy day with mood boards and break-out sessions, the new collaboration was celebrated. Kim van Fraeyenhoven (Head of Client Success at LQ) reflected, “I’ve rarely experienced an atmosphere like this. It was so pleasant and open, without any of the reservations that could be present in a business setting.”

Leadership in a rapidly changing world

In a world characterized by rapid changes, VINCI Energies NL manages to keep a cool head. We help clients to implement energy and digital transformations with care for people and the planet. VINCI Energies NL has a strong presence in the Netherlands (65 business units). Having many employees in different locations, in a dynamic organisation, also requires good leadership – without losing sight of the human component.

With this perspective in mind, we started to search for a partner to make our organisation more adaptable to change. A partner who could understand our unique VINCI Energies Quartz philosophy, apply it in practice, and work with it in our network organisation. A partner who could be trusted and who shared the same values. LQ and The Six Batteries of Change turned out to be a perfect fit.

About Quartz: VINCI Energies management philosophy

Our management philosophy – Quartz – provides the answer to continuous change in the world, on the basis of several key principles.

These key principles include the way in which we build our organisation, the setup and working method of the business unit, the crucial role of the ‘responsable d’affaire’ in this process, our networks of cooperating business units, and the way in which we manage these networks. These key principles, the guidelines in the process and working on the basis of our shared values is the unique way how we are doing the things we do.

The five principles of Quartz ensure that decision-making is taking place in the business units (decentralisation), which simultaneously gives them a high level of responsibility. Business units are highly specialised, respond to local market demand, and bear responsibility for their own costs. As such, our organisation works as a human network, where business units act independently but can also interact with each other.

Change management in practice

The initial culture development support in 2015 provided eye-openers that simultaneously created a strong demand. “Managers returned with the question, ‘How do I work on charging my culture battery in the workplace?’”, says Eus de Haas, Country Director and General Counsel at VINCI Energies NL. “We’re talking about technical people. They sometimes struggle to put the human angle of business transformation into practice.”

Eus de Haas: “LQ recognized this challenge and accurately understood what VINCI Energies NL and its business leaders needed; working side-by-side to learn to charge the six batteries themselves. This can range from how to charge the Ambitious Top Team and Healthy Culture Batteries to charging the Action Planning and Implementation Battery with design sprints.

Our collaboration has grown organically, driven by mutual trust and shared values between the two organisations.” Chantal Poiesz (Business Transformation Architect LQ) agrees. “Both parties want to make a positive impact on the world, and practice what they preach.”

The right partner

However, this collaboration was not always a given. Eus de Haas: “When we first started talking, the Six Batteries model was presented as the end-all-be-all solution for sustained success. All I could think was: No Way,” he laughs. “We have our own core principles, and we don’t want to put them aside. Fortunately, this was not a problem. In fact, LQ demonstrated a profound understanding of our philosophy, objectives, and the direction we want to take.”

We also like to explore unknown territories, and LQ supports us in doing so. “LQ excels in giving business leaders the space and confidence to step outside their comfort zone. And with their combined emphasis on the human and business impact side of value, LQ proves to be the right partner for us,” says Nathaly van Asperen, Academy Director at VINCI Energies NL.

Eye-openers op alle niveaus

Eye-openers at all levels

Nathaly’s favorite part about working with LQ? “Acting with courage! During the leadership seminar, we did things that no one expected. This led to eye-opening moments, not only for the participants but also for the board and senior managers. By fostering open dialogue, we uncovered previously hidden insights, allowing us to move forward.”

So we are better able to identify potential changes, but can we also manage them? De Haas: “Yes, we use our own philosophy (QUARTZ) and values to manage change. The Six Batteries supports our model, as it includes the qualitative side of leadership.”

“LQ can serve on organisation and program level as well as individual level, eliminating the need to bring in different parties for each level.”

Investing in team results

According to Eus de Haas, business units struggle at times to see the ROI of consultants compared to – for example – machinery. “Those are tangible investments. But once you realise that success depends on your people, these discussions become pointless.”

“Getting your team on board is invaluable. You simply can’t achieve this with a team-building retreat or dinner. By partnering with LQ, we ensure the longevity of our models, objectives, and outcomes for the future by transferring them properly throughout the entire organisation.”