The key role of Restructing Agencies in achieving high private investments and creating employment. Effective revitalization leads to economically vital and future proof industrial parks. This short paper tells how revitalization can be effectively performed. Preliminary results are presented of a four year study of the Restructuring Agency of Overijssel, active in revitalization in the Province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. The study identifies, presents and reflects on the effectiveness of working methods used by the restructuring agency in seven revitalization projects of industrial parks. The value of continuously focusing on willingness to invest is identified as a key working method and success factor. Other working methods illustrate the importance and effectiveness of goal-oriented choices that aim at snowball effects, the use of dynamic opportunity maps, choosing own role based on complementarity, always developing business cases that contribute to value cases, and managing the important relationship between effective working methods and capability of individuals and organizations. Ongoing research aims at further underpinning provisional conclusions about the use and effectiveness of working methods, and the development of a toolbox for practitioners that will contain and integrate capability profiles, working methods, and the related change management approach.
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Probation and after-care service is of great social importance and you want to do a proper job. ‘Doing a proper job’ tends to revolve around effective interventions or instruments. Which is important, but doing a proper and effective job involves more than that. We distinguish three forms of effectiveness: -Effective methods: what works? For example, working according to the principles of Risk, Needs and Responsivity6. Or structured behavioural training according to the cognitive-behavioural model. Or working according to the Good Lives Model7. Or the network approach. Methods are referred to as ‘effective’ if there is scientific evidence that they increase the chances of achieving the probation objectives. The risk of recidivism decreases if you work according to these methods. Proper coordination of the working method with specific clients is always part of an effective methodology. -Effective professionals: who works? Methodologies do not lead a life of their own, they only become effective in the hands of professionals8. Effective professionals are rooted in professional values, work with theoretically consistent methods, stand behind their working methods, are able to interact with different types of people (also with people who find this difficult) and systematically provide specific feedback on their actions and results. The importance of effective and open client feedback is important in this. Furthermore, an effective professional attempts to connect his own experiential knowledge to scientific knowledge to the best of his ability. A professional who meets these characteristics is in a better position than other professionals to ‘ensure the effectiveness’ of the method. -Effective interactions: the working alliance (how does it work?) Methodologies and professionals gain meaning in proper interaction with clients and other stakeholders (for example, social network and volunteers). A proper quality of the working alliance increases the chance of successful completion of a probation programme. The risk of problems within the process is reduced and the risk of dropout (no-show or a negative report) decreases.
Outsourcing of business processes and information technology (IT) operations is an important trend in large and middle-sized organizations. However, outsourcing could affect the organization’s ability to align its IT with business strategy and operations. This article reports a qualitative study into the relationship between IT outsourcing (ITO) and business and IT alignment. It aims to provide recommendations for outsourcers and service providers on how outsourcing relationships should develop in order to support business and IT alignment. The research question of the study is “What is the effect of IT outsourcing on the business and IT alignment of companies that have outsourced their IT?”After a review of relevant literature and concepts, four cases are reported. The study revealed that a higher level of motivation for outsourcing paired with a higher level of the relationship between outsourcer and service provider and with a higher level of alignment maturity of the outsourcer. The study also showed that the ITO relationship is influenced by organizational turbulence on one or either side of the relationship and that the service providers tend to assess the relationship on a higher level than the outsourcers. These conclusions provide relevant directions for both outsourcers and service providers for improvement of the their relationship
