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René de Baaij joined Boer & Croon as Associate Partner

'Organisational development and change management require a holistic approach addressing change's technical and human aspects. Leaders and organisations can achieve true transformation by focusing on learning and performance and facilitating deep dialogues. This is the core of my work and what drives me in my role as an organisational consultant.'
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A multi-faceted career: From ICT expert to leadership coach

Amsterdam, 21 January 2025—René de Baaij has joined Boer & Croon as an Associate Partner. René is an experienced organisational consultant and leadership coach who uses a psychodynamic approach in his work, focusing on individual development and group dynamics. An open and confidential relationship is crucial to understanding who people are and how they relate to their environment. This in-depth dialogue enables people to redefine themselves and perform better within their teams and organisations.

René has a business administration background with a strong focus on ICT and started his career at Hyster-Yale, a US multinational, where he dealt with global distribution and logistics. There, he quickly climbed to senior management and was involved in significant transformations following mergers and acquisitions, plant closures and implementing new ICT concepts.

Later, after moving to Capgemini Consulting, he decided to study organisational science and leadership development through a postgraduate programme at the Sioo. This study opened his eyes to organisations' social and psychological aspects, such as communication, power, cooperation, and the function of language and images. This insight helped him understand that many problems in organisations are not only technical in nature, but also need to be explained socio-psychologically. He emphasised the importance of both technical systems and social dynamics in the successful functioning of organisations. 2005 René left Capgemini to start his own agency: De Baaij, Verbeeten & Partners.

 


The human side of transformation

René: 'Gradually, I discovered that the real challenges in organisations often lie on the human plane. Managers and leaders must not only be able to perform well, but also to really learn and grow, together with their people.'

'Transformation processes often turn out to be difficult, and a major cause of this is the lack of attention to the human side of change. You regularly see organisations engaged in structural adjustments, while the old culture remains dominant, causing real change to stagnate. Successful transformation requires leaders and managers to focus not only on the technical aspects of change, but also on the learning process needed to change behavioural patterns. This learning process must take place at both individual and collective levels. It involves developing new behavioural patterns, ways of thinking and acting.'

'Leadership development plays a central role in the change process. An effective leader must be able to foster both learning and performance. Learning and performance are inextricably linked: to perform, you have to learn, and learning is done to perform. Organisations often pay insufficient attention to integrating learning processes within daily practice, which hinders true transformation.'
 


From international experience to intervention specialist

René's broad experience and expertise led to his being asked to become a guest lecturer at Sioo on 'strategic change in a complex and dynamic world'.

'In my career, I have contributed to developing management and leadership programmes within various organisations. I have trained young consultants in the soft side of organisational science, change management, and consultancy, which is often an underexposed area. I have also led international development programmes, working with local entrepreneurs in developing countries to build their capabilities to successfully do business successfully in Europe. This work has given me deep insights into cultural differences and the unique challenges entrepreneurs face worldwide.'

'I am 'o' a theorist, but an interventionist who enjoys working directly with people to create movement and improvement. My goal is to help leaders and organisations concretise their change ambitions, so that they can understand their current situation and set a clear direction for the future. In doing so, the client always remains at the wheel, which is essential for successfully implementing change processes.'