UG approach

The nation-wide Recognition & Rewards programme plots the course, but it is up to the participating organizations to transpose the defined objectives into policies that are tailored to their specific organization. The UG is one of these participating organizations.

We will elaborate on the approach our organization has chosen to take to implementing the objectives: from forming a Recognition and Rewards Committee and sharing best practices to amending our policies and procedures.

What do the organization and the different faculties need in terms of recognition and rewards, and what changes have to be made to reach the new objectives?

The UG Recognition and Rewards Committee has been established to explore how to create a more modern system of recognition and rewards.

Recognition and Rewards Committee

The Committee is made up of members from different faculties with a variety of academic backgrounds; they are supported by a working group.

Active Committee members:

Marion Stolp (Deputy Director of University Services)
Joke Fleer (Associate Professor of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UMCG)
Merel Keijzer (Professor of English Linguistics and English as a Second Language)
Mladen Popović (Dean of the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society)
Peter Verhoef (Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business)
Elisabeth de Vries (Professor of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UMCG)
Jolien Mouw (YAG member, Assistant Professor of Educational Sciences)
Julia Costa-Lopez (YAG member, Assistant Professor of History and Theory of International Relations)
Joost Frenken (Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering)

Active working group members:

Nienke de Deugd (Senior Policy Officer Education & Students)
Christina Englert (Research & Impact, Coordinator, Young Academy Groningen)
Grytsje van der Meer (HR Policy Advisor, Recognition and Rewards Programme Secretary)
Dicky Tamminga (HR/Leadership/Talent Development Policy Advisor)
Elies Wempe-Kouwenhoven (Press Officer, Corporate Communication)

Strategy and policy

The UG has developed a roadmap to serve as a basis for new recognition and rewards procedures and policies. The University’s Recognition and Rewards Roadmap is made up of five tracks, each with their own timelines and related actions. All five tracks consist of the same three steps, the goal of which is to initiate change. The three steps are:

1. Dialogue

We have engaged with various groups at the UG so as to gain a clear understanding of what recognition and rewards mean in the organization, what people’s requirements are, and what opportunities and threats they perceive there to be. We had conversations at different administrative levels: from faculties and managing professors to a range of committees and consultative platforms (Committee of Deans (CvD), University Committee for Academic Practice (UCW), Teaching Academy Groningen (TAG), Committee for Educational Strategy (COS), and Young Academy Groningen (YAG)). The input garnered from the different dialogue sessions was worked out into documents that, for their part, formed the basis for pilots and ultimately led to changes in policies and procedures.

2. Pilots and best practices

It is impossible to change a recognition and rewards system overnight, especially when the organization is as large as the UG. That said, the faculties have now effectively started to take the first steps towards changing the system, for instance by developing new career pathways, revising their policies for teaching staff, and formulating new performance and assessment criteria. By showcasing and highlighting these best practices, we hope to inspire others in the organization. In addition, pilots and best practices are analyzed and evaluated, so we know what works in practice and what does not.

3. Incorporation of outcomes into policies and procedures

All information from the dialogue sessions and the best practices form the basis for the gradual changes to policies and procedures. This is a dynamic and ongoing process that we will actively support as an organization over the coming years. In doing so, we will seek to create an effective policy that will allow our staff to develop their talents in an attractive academic setting, while heeding the interests of the organization.