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.