“We believe it is important to identify the root of a problem if we are to

come to an effective solution. For us, it is crucial to find a solution that is

sustainable, and not one made at the expense of people and important

natural resources. We also want to make a valuable contribution to society-

strengthening and revitalizing the Dutch economy.”

Collaborating on solutions to water problems

Water Governance

“Technically the possibilities are many, but how do we get water governance on an

operational level?” This is, in our view, the main issue in modern water management.

Moreover, it’s one we can tackle, considering our extensive experience in leading

projects where we help respected clients to resolve complex problems in water safety,

water quality and water management.

Our approach is called Water Governance, a term referring to the embedding of social

measures, linking tasks, ensuring support and structuring the decision-making process.

Water Governance also has to do with organizational design and the practical imple-

mentation of different programs and projects. This is based on the realization that

knowledge of content alone is not enough, but that other external factors, such as

politics, culture and organization play a crucial role in the success or failure of a project.

The complexity of our environment and the diversity of tasks demand inclusion of

situational awareness, structuring power and connecting interests. Our distinguished

consultants and managers are well-known for their general knowledge of the water

sector combined with their organizational and process skills - a powerful combination

essential for complex water management issues.

Twynstra Gudde is a member of Highland Worldwide, a strategic alliance of consultancy

firms in Europe, the USA, China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Brazil and the United

Arab Emirates (54 offices in total). The expertise of over 2,500 consultants and

managers gives us a solid base to help support you on a local level.

Have we aroused your curiosity? If so, take a look at our website on water issues

(www.tg.nl/water) or contact one of our advisors at +31 33 467 77 56.

Water Governance, the Twynstra Gudde point of view

“The complexity of our environment and the diversity of tasks demand inclusion of situational awareness, structuring power and connecting interests.”

Room for the River Nijmegen Stakeholder and alliance management

To ensure the safety of the Nijmegen region against

flooding due to climate changes, there needs to be a solid

water plan. By shifting the Waaldijk 350 meters inland

and digging a new secondary channel, we have ‘made’

more space for the River Waal. An elongated peninsula

will be created between the new secondary channel and

the Waal. Integrated into the new urban development

of the city, this new urban river park creates space for

living, recreation and nature.

Through a transparent process, open communication,

clear agreements and attention for the ‘soft’ side of

the ‘Room for the River’ project at Nijmegen, Twynstra

Gudde has helped to create a water management plan

that can meet the approval of almost all the parties

involved.

Role of Twynstra GuddePim Nijssen of Twynstra Gudde was asked to take on

the role of stakeholder and alliance manager for this

project. In this role, he was responsible for building a

coalition between public administrations and public

support bodies for the plan. Trust and transparency

formed the base. Openness about the steps in the

project and the moments of influence created a

strong work ethic. Keeping promises and taking oth-

ers’ interests seriously lent support to the project.

Where possible, these aspects were integrated into

the overall plan.

‘Openness about the steps in the project and the moments of influence created a strong work ethic ’

Delta Plan BangladeshAn entirely new approach to water management

The Netherlands and Bangladesh are about to col-

laborate on the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. It is very

important for Bangladesh to create a solid strategy to

tackle safety issues and structure the available water

in relation to sudden climate changes and economic

developments.

The knowledge and principles developed in the

Netherlands in the Dutch Delta Program will also be

used by Bangladesh to create a long-term strategy

linked to the existing water policy. The objective is

to work together on sustainable delta management,

integrate activities on water tasks and manage crisis

situations. Water management in Bangladesh can

then be revitalized, particularly by applying a holistic

approach, thus creating understanding of the water

system as a whole.

Role of Twynstra GuddeTwynstra Gudde was a partner in the consortium

of Euroconsult-Mott MacDonald, Deltares, Alterra,

Unesco-IHE, which have explored the main charac-

teristics and challenges of the Bangladesh water sec-

tor. Twynstra Gudde played an important role in the

institutional and policy aspects involved, and in strat-

egy development and organizational issues related

to good water governance. The consortium’s explo-

rations and preparations also provided the input and

basis for an agreement between the two countries.

‘ Our contribution lies in organizing the institutional aspects and deepening and coordinating strategic policies’

Mainport RotterdamAn integrated approach with both economic and environmental objectives

The port of Rotterdam is by far the largest and most

important port in Europe. However, after decades

of growth, the existing port area had reached its

spatial limits. If Rotterdam was to continue fulfilling

its meaning ful role in Europe, it would be necessary to

expand. And this is exactly what happened, resulting

in Maasvlakte 2, now the expanded port of Rotterdam.

A new European location for port activities and in-

dustry was created directly west of the existing port

and industrial area on the North Sea.

The future of the port is, of course, not only important

for its market position, but also for the quality of life

and the environment in the respective area. Consul-

tations to further develop Maasvlakte 2 sustainably,

including the environment and quality of life, were

started up with neighboring communities and interest

groups.

Role of Twynstra GuddeEver since 2008, Twynstra Gudde has supported

Rijkswaterstaat in various ways, for instance, by coordi-

nating the establishment of monitoring and evaluation

programs, and advising on the implementation and

operationalization of the organization. An important

role was the support given to the decision-making

process through Strategic Alliance Management, a

project management method based on the Mutual

Gains Approach.

‘ An important role was the support given to the decision-making process’

Mainport RotterdamProactive Issues and Strategic Stakeholder Management

The Rotterdam harbor is one of the most important

harbors in the world and by far the largest in Europe.

If the harbor is to maintain its position, expansion is

needed, requiring the construction of the extended

harbor, ‘Maasvlakte 2’, at a cost of 3 billion euro. It is

for the government of the Netherlands important to

develop Maasvlakte 2 with respect for both nature

and the environment, and for the preservation of

the quality of life in the Rotterdam region. Efforts to

achieve this goal in combination with a large num-

ber of stakeholders and interests make this project

extremely complex.

Experience with similar projects has taught the pro-

ject developers to expect considerable resistance,

endless procedures and substantial overstepping of

deadlines and budgets. The project director wanted

to prevent this happening, so asked Twynstra Gudde

to consider applying stakeholder management. The

approach had to be more proactive; the project direc-

tor no longer wanted to have to deal with surprises.

So we introduced Strategic Stakeholder Manage-

ment, a special type of project management based

on the Mutual Gains Approach of Fisher & Ury.

Twynstra Gudde’s Strategic Stakeholder Management In essence, the SOM approach is a proactive inter-

vention strategy based on a sincere concern for the

interests of the stakeholders. The principle of SOM is

that the interests of other stakeholders are discussed

at an early stage in the project so that it can still be

adjusted. This approach arises from the conviction

that the solution to your problem may sometimes

lie with the other partners, and that constructive col-

laboration leads to better, faster and cheaper plans.

Joining interests and cooperating with supposed op-

ponents does, by no means, have to lead to more

complexity – on the contrary.

The SOM approach does place demands on mem-

bers of staff, since the approach is only effective if

staff behavior complies with it. SOM requires trans-

parency in one’s own interests and methods, sincere

concern for others and a flexible attitude.

I-STORM Building a network for knowledge exchange

The I-STORM network unites public administrations

of countries that build, manage, operate and main-

tain moveable storm surge barriers. The network

aims to share and exchange experiences and knowl-

edge on operations and maintenance of large mov-

able storm surge barriers so as to optimize the man-

agement of barriers in an innovative way. I-STORM

helps its members to accomplish the highest levels

of operational safety and reliability to protect people

and property against severe floods.

The I-STORM network works according to the princi-

ples of a Community of Practice, cutting across political

barriers and interests. The members of I-STORM are

collectively responsible for the storm surge barriers.

Based on this mutual interest, they share and ex-

change concerns, problems, successes and lessons

learned, seeking ways to enhance their knowledge.

Role of Twynstra GuddeTwynstra Gudde assists the I-STORM network in

developing its activities and strategy by advising,

coordinating, facilitating, stimulating and organiz-

ing, both on strategic and operational levels. It is a

highly valued network for and by the members, so

most of the work is done by employees of the mem-

ber organizations. Roles fulfilled by Twynstra Gudde

are the organizing of steering committee meetings,

setting out the program, facilitating annual confer-

ence, and starting up and implementing new activi-

ties (team-coaching).

‘ It is a highly valued network for and by the members’

Water Management and Flood Protection Alliance Table for the National Governance Agreement on Water

The national government, provinces and municipal

authorities of the Netherlands work closely together

with regional water authorities and drinking water

companies on sustainable water policy. Each organ-

ization has its own responsibilities. In the national

Governance Agreement on Water of 2011, agree-

ments for cooperation in realizing more efficient wa-

ter management were made between the national,

provincial, and municipal authorities, and the re-

gional water authorities (boards) and the drink-

ing water companies. The agreement covers

the division of responsibilities for both the wa-

ter system and water use, with the objective of

enhancing water safety and the quality of water man-

agement with minimal costs to society.

Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Ministry of Infrastruc-

ture and the Environment, and the 25 regional wa-

ter boards are inter-dependent in carrying out their

tasks of water system management and image

building of the (public) water sector in the Nether-

lands. This makes collaboration both necessary and

challenging. These organizations want to collabo-

rate in giving further substance to promising areas

of interest in the national Governance Agreement

on Water. Collaboration implies attention for goals,

interests, relationships, organization and process,

reason enough for the collective water authori-

ties to ask Twynstra Gudde –with a view to their

expertise on collaboration combined with their expe-

rience in the water sector – to form an alliance table.

Focusing on relationships and interests, this alliance

has formulated collective ambitions for water man-

agement. Several interest areas proved to be promis-

ing themes for collaboration in various regions:

- Freshwater supply

- Investments within the new Flood protection

program (nHWBP) and the Delta program

- Permit authorization and control

- Management and maintenance

- Human Resources Management (HRM)

These themes have been taken up in the collabora-

tion agendas for both national and regional cooper-

ation, with the alliance table giving substance to the

ambitions and trust built up between the collabora-

tion partners.

Prof, Jaap de Heer Partnerjhr@tg.nl+31 33 467 77 56

Pim Nijssen, M.A.Consultant Water Governancepns@tg.nl Twitter: @pimnijssen+31 33 467 77 56

We trust that collaboration is the key to successful project outcomes.

This is why we motivate our clients to realize collaboration on strategies,

organization, governance, and project and program management. The

result is thinking more strategically, taking quicker and smarter decisi-

ons, and organizing projects more efficiently.

More information?

Member of the Highland Worldwide

partnership

Member of quality register

consultancy firms

Twynstra GuddeStationsplein 1

P.O. Box 9073800 AX Amersfoort

The Netherlands

+31 33 467 77 77www.twynstragudde.com