Transformative Area-oriented Management

Several conceptions can be seen in practice, including a goal-oriented (strategic) conception, a communicative conception, an organisational conception and a transformative conception. The transformative conception, or transformative area-oriented management, focuses on fundamental change and realizing the public gain. In practice, that means working across projects and focusing on an tranformational objective. The other conceptions in area-oriented management involve fundamentally different objectives. Identifying the conceptions adopted by different area-oriented managers helps drinking water utilities to consciously shape their area-oriented management practices.

Transformative action in the stakeholder context

Drinking water utilities in the Netherlands and Flanders increasingly operate in a world of transitions, such as the agricultural, energy or circular transitions. Drinking water professionals can shape their role in these transitions in several ways. Professionals who play a leading role in transitions and therefore act transformatively are agents of change. At drinking water utilities, there are professionals in a range of positions who can act as agents of change. Area-oriented management plays a central role here because it is the bridge between an organisation and the stakeholders with which it works. Yet in practice, not all area-oriented managers work transformatively. The exploration and definition of what constitutes ‘transformative area-oriented management’ are needed, as is greater clarity about the meaning of terms such as ‘agent of change’ and ‘policy entrepreneur’ in the field of water management.

Conceptions in area-oriented management

Anexploratory study was conducted to provide guidance based on both theory and practice for the different interpretations of concepts such as ‘agent of change’ and ‘policy entrepreneur’ by linking them to the practical activities involved in area-oriented management. A grey-literature study was used to map out the conceptions in area-oriented management that can be seen at present in the water sector. On the basis of the scientific literature about agents of change, a fifth orientation was added to the four conceptions identified: the transformative conception. A structured literature study was used to establish a framework for the roles and activities involved in transformative area-oriented management. A questionnaire was then used to identify which conceptions in area-oriented management can currently be seen at drinking water utilities and to what extent the transformative conception of area-oriented management differs from other conceptions. This empirical exploration was accompanied by four interviews with transformative area-oriented managers.

Fundamental change and the public interest are central

The exploration in this study shows that stakeholder management at drinking water utilities can be, and is, implemented in different ways. A distinction is made between five conceptions in area-oriented management, with distinct objectives:

• Technical/substantive conception: fulfilling obligations;
• Goal-oriented conception: project completion;
• Communicative conception: win-win;
• Organisational conception: stakeholder-oriented organisation;
• Transformative conception: fundamental change and public gain.

These orientations represent different interpretations of stakeholder management that can exist alongside one another.

The empirical exploratory study shows that the proposed transformative conception can already be seen at drinking water utilities, albeit still to a limited extent. Transformative area-oriented managers say they work primarily across projects and focus on realizing public gain. The transformative conception appears to be distinct from the others primarily in terms of the objectives pursued, and less so in terms of the roles or activities. The transformative conception involves striving for fundamental change and realizing public gain.

Preventing conflicts in conceptions

The five conceptions in area-oriented management have different objectives that may conflict with each other. Identifying and recognising the different conceptions in an organisation helps to implement area-oriented management in a clear and deliberate way. This study suggests that the organisational conception is the only one that is compatible with the other conceptions. The approach in this conception would seem to enhance the effectiveness of the communicative or transformative conception.