Eric Brands (Gasunie): “Getting more in-depth more quickly”

N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie is a European gas infrastructure company. The company organises the transport of natural gas in the Netherlands and North-Germany. For this purpose the approximately 1500 employees manage the gas transport network and make sure the gas gets to the end user. A huge responsibility, because without gas our homes would remain unheated and most of us wouldn’t be able to cook.

 Gasunie has been using the Management Drives software since 2010 to improve the functioning of the entire organisation. Eric Brands, organisational consultant at Gasunie, explains the practical results. “What we notice very specifically is the fact that the Management Drives software gives people an understanding of each other”, explains Brands. “And we use those insights a lot. What I like about it is that it’s completely value-free. It creates a kind of language, as it were, in which you can discuss things without judging or being judged.

 “It creates a kind of language, as it were, in which you can discuss things without judging or being judged.”

The level playing field this creates is subsequently used to make it easier to articulate and discuss things within teams. “It’s very good for teams to be able to see, for example, that ‘this is green behaviour’ and to be able to give it a name. This makes it easier to articulate things between people and discuss them immediately. This results in greater mutual understanding and, ultimately, improved collaboration. That makes Management Drives a very powerful tool.”

Around two-thirds of the Gasunie employees now have a profile. For Brands it’s quite a job to discuss the profile – and the strong points and pitfalls in relation to functioning within the team – with everyone individually. “For me the app has been a great addition for that purpose.” For example, he will start by asking new colleagues to carefully read the summary of their profiles in the app. “After all, they have instant access to the app and I notice that the follow-up discussion is more comfortable. That allows you to get more in-depth more quickly. It’s a lot quicker for people to understand what they can do with it and what they need to be aware of.”