AB Vakwerk sets its course: rooted in cooperative strength

AB Vakwerk is a distinctive player in the Dutch labour-mediation market. The organisation has connected people, work and continuity for many years, with a strong position across a range of agricultural sectors and a number of SME sectors (including green, manufacturing and government). The cooperative structure is not a formality but a core part of its identity: AB Vakwerk is by and for its members. That connection with sector, region and people forms the heart of the organisation.

Despite a series of successful growth years, the organisation faces a number of urgent challenges. The labour market is changing rapidly, pressure on agricultural returns is increasing, technological developments follow one another at pace, and competition is intensifying. At the same time, it remains essential to leverage the cooperative strength in an ever more complex environment.

AB Vakwerk wanted a broadly supported and concrete course that gives direction and works in practice. A strategy that is recognisable at every level, matches AB Vakwerk's identity, and is flexible enough to respond to changes in the outside world. AB Vakwerk chose to work with Jester Strategy: a partner who runs a structured strategy process and connects the different stakeholders involved.

In close alignment with the leadership team we chose an approach in which content and buy-in went hand in hand. Together with the leadership team, the Supervisory Board and representatives from the Members' Council we sharply defined what the strategy should deliver, which frameworks and values should be central, and what everyone's role would be in the process.

With various teams we explored the internal and external world of AB Vakwerk. We analysed the strength of the cooperative model, the specific dynamics in the agricultural sector and the differences between agri and SME client groups. We discussed the effects of market changes, staffing scarcity and technological innovation on the future of work. On that basis we formulated sharp strategic options and worked in interactive sessions towards clear choices: what will we do and what will we no longer do?

These strategic choices were made in co-creation with staff, members and management teams. By tapping into the cooperative strength step by step and engaging the organisation in dialogue, we arrived at a course that is firmly anchored in daily reality and broadly supported. The result is a visually and substantively powerful multi-year strategy, with the orange tulip as the symbol of AB Vakwerk's ambitions.

Throughout the trajectory we worked as one integrated team: AB Vakwerk and Jester Strategy. The organisation wanted not only a new strategy but also to learn from the process itself. That is why leadership, management, staff and members were intensively involved at every step. AB Vakwerk now has a course that not only sets direction but also offers practical guidance. A strategy that grows with the times, is carried by the people who have to make it happen, and places the cooperative strength at its heart. Ready for the future.