How MDF walks the talk
MDF celebrated its 25th anniversary on July 2nd 2010. We seized this opportunity to exchange ideas about Rhineland entrepreneurship with our partners. Rhineland entrepreneurship focuses, among other things, also on long term results. It puts the professional at the centre of its activities and it vouches for innovation, for community involvement, and for respect for the environment. Trust is the underlying condition for performance! And it continues to drive the way we do business.
Day facilitator: Niek Bakker
Key speakers: Jaap Peters, author of the book ‘Intensieve Menshouderij’; Mike Jansen, Director of Fair Trade Original; Dirk Kam, entrepreneur, and Peter Knorringa, researcher at the Institute for Social Studies.
Following an internal celebration during the morning, guests of MDF were invited for lunch. After a warm welcome from the Directors of MDF, Hans Rijneveld and Herman Snelder, it was time for presentations and lively debates.
Jaap Peters kicked off with an opening movie and presentation about the Rhineland entrepreneurial model. He explained that Rhineland entrepreneurship is rooted in the countries through which the Rhine river flows. According to Peters, represents the Anglo-Saxon an artificial reality that is made up by people. In this context he referred to the shadows in Plato’s Cave. A Rhineland society is living the reality itself. Therefore Peters underlined that the two can never be mixed. As he illustrated: “Can you imagine a vegetarian restaurant serving meat?”
Next on stage was Mike Jansen, Director of Fair Trade Original. He expounded how his company embeds the Rhineland principles throughout the company and why it has been so successful.
Dirk Kam followed Mike Jansen with an openhearted anecdote about his entrepreneurial struggles in the Netherlands and in Africa. Kam emphasised that to him: “Rhineland entrepreneurship is not an ideology, religion, or dogma, but it is a set of axioms; open for discussion and a source of inspiration”.
Peter Knorringa drew attention to the Chinese model. According to Knorringa this has proven itself to be a very successful model in central Asia and India. In response, an MDF consultant pointed out the African model. Clearly enough experiences and ideas were present for a lively debate!
Director of MDF, Herman Snelder, expounded how MDF incorporates Rhineland entrepreneurship in its organisation, with the five focal points being:
• We aspire to strengthen organisations and networks for a more equitable world
• We care that our services are reflecting Rhineland principles and practices
• We value sustainable linkages with clients and con-colleagues
• We pursue spreading our wings to new and local markets
• We try to create a pleasant organisation in which staff are the main drivers of quality
Jaap Peters concluded the festivity by reading a passage from the book ‘Bij welke reorganisatie werk jij?’ (Which reorganisation do you work for?). With this he captured that ‘trust’ is not self-evident, but something that needs to be created and nurtured by each individual within the organisation.
Would you like to know more about how MDF is incorporating Rhineland entrepreneurship within its organisation or are you interested in working together with us? We welcome your feedback. Please contact us by sending an e-mail to mdf@mdf.nl
With kind regards,
Hans Rijneveld and Herman Snelder
Rhineland entrepreneurship in international collaboration
Announcement
Rhineland entrepreneurship is under renewed attention since the outbreak of the current financial economic crisis. A crisis that is the outcome of the extreme excesses in which the Anglo American way of thinking and acting is concealed. The spearhead of this approach has been to make money in the shortest possible time and manage on (financial) indicators mainly.
The Anglo-American wind has already been blowing accros Europe for almost three decades. It took off in the Netherlands during the 80s last century and it repressed the Rhineland thinking that previously had been characteristic for the European way of working in society and organisations.
Today, the Anglo American approach also reveals itself in international development collaboration. It appears to be that the aim is progressively more to achieve short-term results, preferably all measurable. Many substantive experts have given way to “control” professionals who put accountancy first. It seems that these days the focal point increasingly is to follow the procedures and the financial aspects of programmes, rather than to reach the (less) measurable successes.
Rhineland entrepreneurship focuses, among other things, also on long term results. It puts the professional at the centre of its activities and it vouches for innovation, for community involvement, and for respect for the environment. Trust is the underlying condition for performance!
The reimbursed devotion to the Rhineland model is currently unfolding itself in Dutch society, politics, health and education sector, companies and institutions alike. An illustration of this is the rising awareness that in addition to the role of the government and the civil society to advance development, there is also a vital and enduring role for businesses.
MDF is eager to underline the Rhineland way of doing business in international collaboration and to put it high on the agenda. Therefore MDF organises on July 2nd a “bazaar” to introduce curious visitors to the Rhineland thought and entrepreneurship in international collaboration.
The programme on Friday 2 July, from 12:00-16:00, is as follows:
- Lunch from 12:00 till 13:00
- Introduction to the Rhineland way of thinking and acting
With Jaap Peters: author of among others “Intensieve Menshouderij”
- Short stories about Rhineland companies in the South
- Bazaar to exchange opinions about Rhineland entrepreneurship in the South
Several questions will be displayed on large canvases and participants will be encouraged to debate on these questions in an informal setting. MDF will project a virtual wall poster to illustrate the responses of participants
- At the centre of the bazaar will be a stage, the so-called “zeepkist”
This will provide a platform to anyone who wants to share ideas and thoughts about the displayed questions. The facilitator will invite people to step up and will also challenge the announced speakers to amplify on their experiences
- Presentation about how MDF is planning to incorporate Rhineland entrepreneurship in its international activities
Together we will relish Fair Trade products : sandwiches, soup, coffee, tea, beer and wine
Meanwhile, from 4PM onwards, we will enjoy the semi-finals of the football World Championship on large screens...
News from MDF
Read our annual report 2009 on this page
Read our Annual Report 2008 on this page
About our representation in Latin America: read more
Managing for Development Results: a new trend ...
Singing a New Policy Tune
Publieke bijeenkomsten
In 2009 en 2010 zijn er een aantal bijeenkomsten georganiseerd door MDF Training & Consultancy samen met het Institute of Social Studies (ISS) en Vice Versa om een bijdrage te leveren aan de discussies voor de formulering van nieuwe beleidsstrategieën voor het Nederlands ontwikkelingsbeleid na 2010. Dit is een vervolg op de conferentie 'Understanding Development Better' van 2008 en sluit aan op het DPRN proces over de toekomstige architectuur van de Nederlandse ontwikkelingssamenwerking.
Verslagen van deze bijeenkomsten zijn terug te vinden op de volgende website: www.singinganewpolicytune.nl
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