Anja Doornbos
Netherlands
Take a closer look and discover the most beautiful things
Teamwork gets you further than working just by yourself. But teamwork can only be really successful when each team member does what they find important. That is only possible if people follow their hearts and keep asking themselves the question: what do I want? Wholeness is a word that is very important to me: in life, you need to use your brain, heart and hands as well. I try to employ this philosophy in my work as a researcher and consultant as well as a supervisor of the FCE Corporate Learning Course.
Learning processes in organisations inspire me, as my PhD thesis about on-the-job learning in the Dutch police force reflects. If I were to name the best ways of stimulating learning on the job, the following three working methods would be on the top of my list. Method number one: ‘Take a fresh look’. I would like to invite people to change their point of view from time to time and make discoveries in their familiar surroundings. Method number two: ’Make fresh connections'. This means joining with colleagues you do not usually spend time with, for example. My third method is: ‘Stop doing things that do not work'.
I especially enjoy working on projects that give a considered amount of attention to an urgent and intriguing issue, for example a learning trajectory that serves a higher organisational purpose or ambition. I am at my best designing something together with a team of people who do the work they love. The part I play in such processes is to convey calm as well as enthusiasm, to get the learning process started and to ensure we discuss what really matters.
I would like to intertwine my consultancy and research functions to dovetail more closely with one another in the future. This will enable me and my teams to take a fresh look (by posing unusual research questions) as well as make fresh connections (by discussing issues and providing each other with feedback). In addition, I would like my work to reflect my fascination with all things green and beautiful: the natural world.