Performance Management Exchange Egypt - 04-11-10

At the end of September, VNG International hosted a delegation of 13 Egyptians. The aim of the visit was to strengthen the management capacity of 11 Egyptian chairpersons of water companies. By sharing knowledge and experiences between Dutch and Egyptian partners, both counterparts were in the position to learn from each other and strengthen corporate, performance-based management.

The chairpersons' was organised within the framework of the LOGO South Country Programme Egypt. The programme lasted 5 days. The first day started within a session at the VNG (Association of Netherlands Municipalities). A cultural intelligence session was organised so that the chairpersons would be able to put all the Dutch information in perspective. In the afternoon, Mr. Arjen Frentz of VEWIN elaborated on the Dutch water sector. In following three days, many excursions, workshops and presentations followed. The delegation went to Dutch water companies such as Dunea and Waternet to gain useful insights. 

On the last day of their visit, the delegation attended a workshop regarding motivational leadership by Mr. Erik van den Berg. He engaged his audience by asking them the question: "What would you wish for if you could change your employees?" It turned out that the Egyptian chairmen faced the same problems as managers in the Netherlands. The most important one being that it is hard to truly inspire and engage employees. In response, Mr. Van den Berg gave several examples on how to motivate employees. In the evening it was time to say goodbye and the particpants could look back at an inspiring exchange visit.