UWV: Inherently Diverse

Linda van de Riet is the Manager of Decision Support at the UWV. The interview quickly revealed why UWV is such a diverse organization. Linda explains, “As an organization, UWV is a reflection of our society, and that’s what we strive to be.” The organization is large (about 20,000 employees) and has a nationwide spread. It was formed in 2002 from the largest public merger ever in the Netherlands, combining entities such as the GAK, SUWI, and CWI into the UWV. This merger already laid a strong foundation for diversity. Additionally, UWV works daily towards a society where everyone can participate, and this societal role is clearly reflected in the organization. Linda states, “Our mission includes: ‘Within UWV, every employee contributes to achieving our goals according to their own strengths and abilities. Management provides space and attention for this.’”

Diversity is also a concrete agenda item in the organization's policy. UWV maintains target figures regarding diversity. Linda elaborates, “We have target figures for the male/female ratio, cultural diversity, age diversity, and the Job Agreement (providing opportunities for people with disabilities). We maintain diversity primarily through active recruitment in the mentioned categories. We focus more on competencies rather than origin or background and whether they match our needs.”

Challenges

“In working with diverse teams, it’s important to ask: Where does someone come from? What has made them who they are? And I’m not just talking about standard diversity characteristics like cultural background but also about personality and competencies. I’ve heard before that a unique background of an employee was mentioned, and they responded that they didn’t want to discuss it. That employee has dealt with it their whole life and just wants to work. If they match their role in the organization, they should be able to do so. We resolve any differences in approach or method along the way.”

Purpose

During ‘The Power of Difference,’ it emerged that diversity is a key condition for a Learning Organization. Linda wrote a thesis on this subject as part of her studies. Linda states, “I started with the question: How do you bring learning and development in an organization under control? During my research, I interviewed management teams at UWV about how they shape learning and development in the organization. Why does it work well in one team and not in another? One of my conclusions is that there is often a lack of clear goal definition. We tend to jump in and communicate a lot, but if you don’t know exactly what you want to achieve, how can you get there? Within that goal, a diverse team can be an essential condition.”