Van Oord, an iconic Dutch family business with over 155 years of experience in international marine construction, is globally renowned for their hallmark ‘Marine ingenuity.’ This philosophy reflects their commitment to sustainable, innovative solutions for global challenges, such as creating space for the growing world population, building maritime infrastructure, protecting coastal areas against climate change and accelerating the energy transition. Active in projects ranging from ports to offshore wind farms, Van Oord strives to contribute to a better future for generations to come.

In a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, Van Oord faces the challenge of continually adapting its course. The largest Business Unit sought a partner to achieve breakthroughs in the next phase of their strategy. While steps had been taken, the impact was lacking; the strategy remained stuck on paper. According to the leadership, this was due to deeply ingrained behaviour patterns and ways of working. The biggest challenge? Achieving a cultural transformation where cross-functional collaboration, openness, and proactive client focus are central.

Our Approach

At &samhoud, we believe that real change comes from combining a focus on human behavior with substantive expertise. For a technically oriented company like Van Oord, where passion for technical knowledge dominates, behavioral change is a relatively new domain. Our role was to create an integrated approach encompassing both strategy and culture, aiming to make the desired behavior tangible and achievable.

After an in-depth assessment, we identified four core challenges: strengthening mutual trust, enhancing decision-making processes, developing stronger collaboration skills and fostering trust in a positive mindset toward change. Together with Van Oord, we formulated a clear change compass, focusing on urgency, ambition, strategic priorities, and desired behaviors. This compass served as the guiding framework for the change trajectory.

In close collaboration with leadership and frontrunners, concrete behavioral changes were translated into practice through team development programs, leadership days, and organization-wide interventions. Behavioral patterns were examined and addressed through a mix of inspiring events, observations in daily work processes, and practical simulations. Our focus was on trust, collaboration, and a culture where people dare to speak up and challenge one another.

Examples of Interventions:

• A compelling change narrative supported by visual tools such as films and cartoons;
• Building a high-performing leadership team focused on trust, performance, strategy execution, governance, and change management;
• Gamified simulations to break limiting behaviour patterns;
• Observing and improving daily collaboration through direct feedback on core processes;
• Translating the change compass to all teams, aligning strategic priorities and behaviour;
• Cross-functional scans to measure the Net Collaboration Score and initiate improvement actions;
• Leadership development days focusing on mindset, skills, and behaviour;
• “VO Speaks” events where lessons learned and next steps were shared.

Breakthrough Achievements

The result? The business unit not only significantly improved its business performance but also made major strides in leadership, collaboration, and culture:

• Significantly improved business results: Enhanced decision-making and more efficient core processes led to substantial financial and commercial growth.
• Improved cross-functional collaboration: Teams now operate as “one team with one mission,” breaking down silo cultures.
• Increased client focus: Employees demonstrate greater proactivity, listen better, and more effectively identify client needs.
• Higher engagement: Trust and psychological safety have been strengthened, contributing to an improved feedback culture and more coaching-oriented leadership.
• More effective change process: Leaders now understand the critical success factors for change, ensuring lasting impact.