New roles, identities

System innovation creates new roles and identities for organisations. At some point, anchoring will depend on confirmation by management, director or principal. Here are some examples.

New role: recycler company  

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a response to developments in society: the recognition of environmental problems, intervention in companies by NGOs, the emergence of internet, which allows information about companies to find its way around the world, globalisation and liberalisation. CSR is an increasingly compelling driving force for the business community. As a result, concern for people and planet is gradually shifting from being a side issue to become part of the core business. The implementation of CSR affects the roles and identities of the companies concerned. For example, a company decides to start recycling, something it has never done before. Instead of a production company it then becomes a recycling company or a supplier of raw materials. Another example would be energy companies that, besides supplying energy, also provide advice about energy saving.

The government as sustainable consumer

Every year, public authorities together spend more than 60 billion euro on the purchase of goods, works and services. By imposing criteria of sustainability as a ‘consumer' the government has given a powerful boost to the market for sustainable products. However, it did not automatically assume this role as market actor. One of the obstacles was that EU rules provide that governments may not favour particular companies. Accordingly, it could not simply ignore companies with less sustainable products. The way around this was to prescribe criteria for the sustainability of products. These criteria are formulated in such a way that there is sufficient supply. In this way, in theory any interested supplier can supply to public authorities.

Water boards as spatial planners

In addition to the central government, provinces and municipalities, the Dutch water boards constitute a fourth tier of government and are responsible for preventing flooding in their region and guaranteeing the quality and safety of the water through proper management and maintenance of the dikes. They levy their own tax to finance their activities.

The water boards were used to facilitating agriculture and other land users, but sustainable water management cannot be accomplished solely by technical measures and within the water system. Water needs more space and water is also a factor in deciding what can be built and where. The water boards must therefore also be involved in planning decisions. Realising this, some innovative Dutch water boards concluded that in the interests of sustainable water management they should sometimes act as joint area developers. This was a controversial idea, however, because of the formal role of the water boards in public administration in the Netherlands and in the democratic system. The initial outcome of the political and public debate was that water boards should confine themselves to water management. In 2007, however, the government confirmed that it wanted to go further to assign them a greater role in area development (Water Vision, 2007). 

Sources

(in Dutch) Watervisie (2007) Nederland Veroveren op de Toekomst, Kabinetsvisie op het waterbeleid. Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat: Den Haag.