Flow in the Vecht valley The art of working together without borders

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Adventure is calling, we are

going hiking. A journey full of

new contacts, new roads, new

discoveries. The end goal has

been established, how we are

going to reach it, is not clear

yet. There are no maps or

directions for our journey.

We are pioneers. We trust

our common sense, our

experience and our intuition.

And of course our cooperation

with the people we meet.

We are in a flow.The flow of new challenges.

1 The reason for an advdventurous journeyNew role and position for the district water boardsIn the next 10 years, many things will change for

the district water boards. Climate changes, sea level

rising and changing legislation provide us with new

tasks and responsibilities. This also has consequen-

ces for our cooperation with other water controllers

and governing bodies. Not only in our own country,

but also internationally, due to the introduction of

the European Water Framework Directive (EWFD) and

other European agreements. What is comprised in all

this, is described in WaterWegen (Waterways), a vision

document that sketches a view of the desired role and

position of the district water boards 10 years from

now.

Flow in the Vecht valley; the art of working together without bordersTo make the transition from a paper vision to tangible

activities, in May 2008 the district water boards were

given the opportunity to submit a project proposal,

that either contributed to preparations for new tasks,

or to external profi ling in connection with future

cooperation.

The program proposal Flow in the Vecht valley; the

art of working together without borders, submitted

by Velt & Vecht, complies with both conditions. It is

one of the eight proposals that actually have been

selected (from 86 submissions) and will be applied.

An adventurous hiking journeyAn important characteristic of this program is that the

chosen paths and the experiences gained along the

way, are just as important as obtaining the ultimate

goal. Moreover, planning and the exact route which

will be followed during the program, are not precisely

known on forehand. Thus, the program is more of an

adventurous hiking journey than organized travel.

A journey which leads to new roads, new encounters,

new discoveries and new knowledge. In this docu-

ment, we want to take you along on that journey.

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2 The itinerary of the tThe objectives of the tripFlow in the Vecht valley has two closely

coherent objectives:

1. The development of a sustainable coope-

ration in the German-Dutch Vecht valley

Together with a number of regional partners on

German and Dutch sides, we want to establish a

thorough and permanent cooperation. This should

be the starting point of the process, which will

augment the beauty of the Vecht and Vecht valley,

and the water will become the axis of landscape,

agriculture, recreation and nature. A process that

leads to recreational and economic developments,

but at the same time to the realization of water

targets, such as water safety and the creation of a

semi-natural body of lowland river.

2. Acquiring knowledge concerning the best

way for this type of border-crossing coope-

ration to be developed and regarding the

organizational entities that would fit best

for this scenario.

From practice (the cooperation project, experiences of

third parties) and theory, we want to collect, develop

and expand knowledge. Knowledge on paths to be

taken when new collaboration is set up, knowledge on

sustaining this cooperation and knowledge on organi-

zational and other forms of government that will give

this cooperation a sustainable character.

We expect that this knowledge will not only be ap-

plied internal and by other district water boards, but

also by foreign water controllers. It even might be

useful for other forms of border-crossing cooperation,

such as wildlife management or in the care industry.

For each discovery voyage, the travelers have an objective they want to reach. All ac-tivities are directed to obtain that goal. How and when these objectives will be reached is not yet precisely clear. This is dependent, among other things, on the success of dif-ferent routes, of prosperity and setbacks along the way, of the length of unknown routes that will be taken and of assistance by others. It remains a matter of constantly making new estimates and adjusting them, in order to keep sight of the target.

tripActivities along the wayRoughly Flow in the Vecht valley encompasses

three types of activities.

A. Activities directed to the development of

cooperation

Partially these are conditional activities: activities

directed on acquaintance, a good atmosphere and

understanding, a better notion of each other’s culture

and methods and strengthening relationships. These

are important conditions for a sustainable coopera-

tion. Examples are: networking, sharing knowledge on

demand, organize personnel exchanges or participa-

tion in joint projects.

But this mainly applies to the activities that are con-

nected to the cooperation projects which we participa-

te in and which we execute as well as we can, in order

to become respected as cooperation partner. Those

activities may be directed to achieving our own tar-

gets, but also on (helping with) achieving the targets

of other participants.

The most important projects in this respect are the

German-Dutch Vecht vision, where Velt & Vecht is the

leading initiator, the provincial project Ruimte voor

de Vecht (Space for the Vecht), in which we cooperate

intensively, and the cooperation with the city of Har-

denberg, which we mean to intensify, so both parties

will have the advantages and will be able to execute

their tasks more eff ectively.

Indirectly, other projects by Velt & Vecht which have

border-crossing components also play an important

part. In that area we are also working on establishing

our reputation as a serious cooperation partner and

we are developing working relationships, which (in

part) can be used for the development of the German-

Dutch Vecht valley. The most prominent examples of

these are the Schoonebeekerdiep and GGOR Barger-

veen.

B. Activities directed on collecting knowledge

on border-crossing regional cooperation and

the organizational bodies that fit them best.

Flow in the Vecht valley provides us mainly with

learnings of daily practice. Learnings in terms of: how

does the ‘water realm’ on the German side operate,

how does public administration work there, how does

one go about culture diff erences, how is cooperation

established and can we recognize patterns in this mat-

ter?

During a hiking journey, one does not

always know precisely what will be

happening along the way. You are on

your way to the target and each situation

determines which activities are necessary

for that moment. These activities can the-

refore only be described in outlines.

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Nothing is more instructive than a journey along untreaded paths. One gains unique experiences during the trip, you prepare yourself well by reading existing information and by remaining up to speed on current news, and you exchange experiences with others who are going on similar trips.

Furthermore we, gratefully, take advantage

of theoretical knowledge. From organiza-

tional and change management and public

administration knowledge, for instance. In

those areas, we maintain contacts within

the SIOO and the Order of Organizational

Consultants, and we work closely together

with the University of Twente (UT) within

the framework of graduate research. This

will be completed in 2010. The intensive

link with science provides us with plenty:

stimuli, new insights, enrichment of exi-

sting insights and a continuous input of

information. Velt & Vecht is eager to secure

its contacts with the research industry.

This can be achieved by taking part in a

part time chair of ‘international coopera-

tion on practical scale’.

We are also eager to learn from other

organizations. Therefore, we will exchange

knowledge within the framework of Flow in

the Vecht valley with water controllers who

are involved in border-crossing activities,

just like us. The fi rst potential partner

organization is Inkomati CMA from South-

Africa, who wants to initiate cooperation

with Swaziland and Mozambique in

managing the Inkomati river. From the fi rst

exchange of contact we have gathered that

both organizations can off er each other

a great amount of value, when it comes

to knowledge exchange. At this moment

(2009) we are working on further eff ectua-

tion of this cooperation.

C. Activities directed on utilizing,

presenting and communicating the

results of the program.

The results of Flow in the Vecht valley can

provide useful contributions to the realizati-

on of WaterWegen. The knowledge and expe-

rience gained, leads to focus and deepening

on the subject of international cooperation

and contributes to further professionaliza-

tion of the district water boards.

Within the projects, the approach is pre-

eminently suitable to illustrate the desired

position and role of the district water boards

for external parties. This specifi cally applies

to the German-Dutch Vechtvisie and the

Schoonebeekerdiep. These projects tie in ex-

cellently to the desired image that has been

sketched in WaterWegen, not only because

of the orientation on cooperation, but also

because of the controlling role of the district

water board and the content of the projects.

During the project, there are diff erent ways

we want to communicate our progress in the

area of border-crossing water management

to the ‘outside world’. For instance, by recei-

ving visitors and informing them and trough

publications or by attending conferences.

This voyage of discovery should eventually

result in a practical theory for handling

regional international cooperation.

As a traveler, you have a lot to tell. About your preparation, the route you have taken and the obstacles that you met along the way. About people and their culture, about the contacts you acquired. Beautiful stories for those who are interested. Useful information for people who are taking a similar journey.

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Organization 3Planned travel timeThe planned course time of the program

Flow in the Vecht valley runs from 2008 until

2015.

The travel guidesThe core of the expedition team consists of

two people. They determine the course and

lead the trip:

• Hannah Ietswaart, project leader for the

district water board with a great deal of

experience in participation projects, inclu-

ding projects with involvement of German

authorities and land proprietors. She will

function as program leader.

• Jan van der Molen, consultant for

policy & strategy and networking for the

district water board, with a due amount of

(international) experience and knowledge

in the area of organization knowledge and

cooperation. He will handle the conceptual

aspects.

Depending on the situation along the way,

the colleagues at Velt & Vecht are willing

to contribute facilities such as communica-

tion, project planning and contacts with the

WaterWegen project. Furthermore we have

internal and external specialists available if

needed.

Communication with the outside worldShare knowledge with others

During Flow in the Vecht valley, Velt & Vecht

will acquire new knowledge on theory and

practice of cooperation across borders. We

gladly would like to share that knowledge

with other water organizations and autho-

rities, among other things through contri-

butions in professional magazines, study

groups, lectures and conferences. Educatio-

nal contributions through the part time chair

will also be one of the possibilities.

Presenting to people in the area

Along the way we come across all sorts of

people. Public administrators and water con-

trollers, but also many people from within

the area: local inhabitants, farmers, (recre-

ational) entrepreneurs, nature enthusiasts,

and so on. For them, we also want to present

ourselves properly. This requires appealing

project communication to clarify what our

objectives are and how we want to reach

them. Often this is done through projects.

If this interaction with local stakeholders is

presented as a special event, it should be

published in trade magazines.

Cooperation in communication

With this project as a backdrop, it is also

interesting to identify possibilities of joint

communication with our cooperating

partners. This begins with exploring joint

starting points for communication. What do

we want to achieve? With whom? What are

our core messages? Subsequently, we want

to work side by side in communications

where possible and desirable. In the long

term there might be more options for deeper

cooperation, by communicating from a joint

identity.

An adventurous trip requires particu-

lar organization. Only a few things are

known before you start: the objective

of the trip, people who travel and those

who lead them, the moment you want

to arrive home again. Many other

things cannot be planned exactly

or calculated up front: the situations

you encounter along the way or other

travelers who join you, and any need

for additional (auxiliary) resources.

A reliable planning for a long hiking journey cannot be made. But there are a few things one might want to consider beforehand: preparations that must be made, places where you want to do activities, events you want to participate in. These elements form the rough framework for the travel guides.

of the trip

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The itineraryThere is no operational planning possible for

Flow in the Vecht valley in which we could in-

dicate in which months or in which quarters

we want to do certain activities until 2015.

There is however a number of moments we

are taking into account in our activities.

For instance:

• preparation with regards to knowledge ex-

change with partner organizations, started

in 2008

• completion of the development of the

German-Dutch Vecht vision in 2009, the

border-crossing symposium at this comple-

tion in 2009,

• the completion of the graduate research in

2010 and regulation of continuing contact

with the scientifi c world,

• preparation of an end-symposium to the

conclusion of Flow in the Vecht valley in

2015.

What is the price of the journey?The expenses for Flow in the Vecht valley

are relatively limited, since the program has

been integrated in other projects, such as the

German-Dutch Vecht vision and the Schoone-

beekerdiep. These projects are executed and

fi nanced outside Flow in the Vecht valley.

By disconnecting the program, expenses for

Flow in the Vecht valley remain limited to

the expenses for knowledge extension and

communication.

Strategic considerat4A trip that leads to focus and deepeningWith Flow in the Vecht valley, we bring focus

and deepening together in our activities in

the area of border-crossing cooperation.

Focus, in the sense of directing our attention

quite consciously on sustainable cooperation

in the German-Dutch Vecht valley. Deepe-

ning, in the sense of including conceptual

framework behind this type of cooperation

in the program. Aided by these frameworks,

we can further professionalize our own orga-

nization and convey our knowledge to other

parties. To other district water boards, to

water controllers in the member countries of

the EU and elsewhere in the world, perhaps

even to other sectors than water.

Do not lose track of the ‘main land’Despite that focus, we demonstrate with

Flow in the Vecht valley that we are consci-

ous of the links to other projects as well: to

our projects with border-crossing compo-

nents, that do not take place in the German-

Dutch Vecht valley, to projects in the Vecht

valley by other organizations with whom we

work together and to the project WaterWe-

gen of the joint water boards and the Union

of Water Boards.

Pro-actively on our wayPrimarily Flow in the Vecht valley is a pro-

gram designed for Velt & Vecht, aimed at its

own growth. But it is also a program we wish

to share - among others through Water-

Wegen – in order to let others gain from it

as well. We set out our own course from it

and collect all knowledge we acquire along

the way. This way we want to give a pro-

active renewing impulse to border-crossing

cooperation. Thus, Flow in the Vecht valley

provides a contribution to further professio-

nalization of the district water boards and to

an optimal cooperation with other organiza-

tions.

With Flow in the Vecht valley, Velt & Vecht

wants to present itself as an innovating

authority, an authority in the area of coope-

ration across borders. We hope this allows

us to widen our possibilities as cooperation

partner within the public administrative and

water-related realm. And we hope to con-

tribute to a dynamic work environment for

present and future co-workers.

During a long voyage of discovery, the pleasures of traveling and the excitement of adventure are secondary to the real objectives: broadening ho-rizons, new roads to discover, fi nding new contacts, gaining new knowledge, both for personal growth and for enrichment of others. Obviously, the acknowledgement and the prestige that is connected with new discoveries are part of the gains. As well as the new possibilities that emerge from them.

ations

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OfficesBurgemeester Feithsingel 27742 BP Coevorden

Mail addressPostbus 3307740 AH Coevorden

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