Leadership & Sustainable Employment

The professorship of Leadership & Sustainable Employment conducts research on how organisations can treat their people well, both now and in the future. The focus is on how HR policies can contribute to work that is fair, healthy, and future-proof for everyone.

At the professorship Leadership & Sustainable Employment, lecturers, students and researchers collaborate on practice-oriented research. They examine not only what happens within organisations but also what occurs externally, such as societal developments, technology, and the labor market.

Sustainable work encompasses more than just economic results. It also includes social aspects (such as inclusion and well-being) and technological developments (such as digitalisation).
The professorship considers various stakeholders: employees, but also customers, suppliers, and even former employees. All these groups play a role in how work is organized and experienced.

Together with other disciplines, such as ICT and the built environment, the professorship seeks solutions. For example, exploring how technology can contribute to healthier and more sustainable work.

Mental Health Platform

Mental health is an important part of healthy aging. ‘Healthy ageing’ is therefore high on the agenda of many organisations. Through the initiative ‘Mental Health in the Workplace,’ a collaboration has been established between large employers, SMEs, and researchers in Northern Netherlands. This collaboration, part of the Mental Health Northern Netherlands platform, aims to turn Northern Netherlands into a “man-made blue zone”: a happy and healthy region.

Chain Approach in Healthcare

In 2018, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport launched a multi-year program to prevent depression. This program focused on six groups at increased risk, including young people working in healthcare.

Together with various healthcare organisations and researchers, a preventive approach was developed. This approach helps to identify healthcare workers at an early stage who may be at increased risk of depressive symptoms, using a special questionnaire.

If the questionnaire indicates an elevated risk, a consultation with an occupational physician follows. During this consultation, a fixed procedure is applied for recognizing and guiding psychological complaints.
Research shows that this approach works well. Healthcare workers perform better in their jobs, and the approach is cost-effective. The research report describes how this collaboration and procedure work in practice, with special attention to preventing depression among young healthcare workers.

The Vitality Game

The Vitality Game was developed in collaboration with Univé Northern Netherlands. The game helps employees reflect on their own vitality and what they need to work healthily and enjoyably.
During the game, participants gain more insight into their own wishes and needs. They also get to know their colleagues better, making it easier to work together toward a healthy and energetic work environment.
The game was developed and tested step by step with different groups of employees to ensure it aligns well with practical realities.

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Leadership on the work floor

This research focuses on leadership in the workplace. We look at the actions of people in leadership positions as well as the leadership of other employees and teams. Leadership is not synonymous with “managers” or “management.”

Self-management in self-directed teams

In dit promotieonderzoek kijken we hoe zelfmanagement werkt binnen zelfsturende teams. We This PhD research examines how self-management functions within self-directed teams. We investigate which tasks best suit different personalities. The idea is that team members naturally choose tasks that match their traits.
For example, people who enjoy working hard and pursuing goals are more likely to take on tasks close to the team’s primary process. Team members who are open to new ideas often focus on developing new methods, services, or products.
We also investigate which combination of personalities works best for self-directed teams. We expect that teams with a mix of personalities make better decisions than teams composed primarily of one type.
For this research, we collect data from both student teams and practical teams with considerable autonomy in organising their work.

Social Safety

At a large Dutch university of applied sciences, we study Social Safety using Group Model Building. In sessions with employees, we discuss what Social Safety means to them and what a socially safe work environment looks like.
Together, we formulate agreements and norms for socially safe work. The principle is that these norms are developed collaboratively with employees rather than imposed from above.

Baanbrekend Perspectief

The labor market has been under considerable pressure for some time, with a prolonged shortage of workers in various sectors, affecting individuals, society, and organizations. This shortage has led to the loss of valuable experience due to redundancy schemes.
In response, the “Baanbrekend Perspectief” experiment was introduced. Under this initiative, employees aged 60 and above were given the opportunity to focus on personal development while retaining their salary and pension rights.
This experiment aims to create a win-win situation, allowing both individual employees and organisations to benefit from retaining experienced staff while simultaneously investing in the personal growth of participating employees.