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Our pros, About Titeca
"Here, colleagues choose their own set of tasks based on their personal situation, interests, strengths and talents."
stories |
Our pros, About Titeca
"Here, colleagues choose their own set of tasks based on their personal situation, interests, strengths and talents."
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TITECA PRO ACCOUNTANTS & EXPERTS CEO FABIAN
This is a series about embracing change. Making ourselves as agile as the world around us. And making an impact.
To go into the future strong. For our customers and our colleagues.
Our way of working is what sets us apart, ever since Titeca saw the light of day in 1987. We think and work like entrepreneurs. And we continue to do so, for example with the agile organizational structure that we are currently rolling out within Titeca. A structure in which you as an employee can and may make an immediate impact. Where you are the entrepreneur of your own career. Where you can set your own accents and pace.
This agile organization is also there for our customers. Because when our colleagues feel good, they can provide the very best service. And that extends far beyond pure bookkeeping.
It's about helping realize our clients' dreams, feeling each other's enthusiasm, growing together and making an impact. It's about advising, informing and inspiring in a productive, professional and proactive way. And it's about building a sincere bond of trust with each and every entrepreneur and self-employed person. That is what we as a team fervently strive for.
ABOUT JURKA
Graduated with a Master of Laws and has been making an impact at Titeca since 2010. As a lawyer, partner and Titeca pro experts business partner.
My love & life:
For 16 years I have been happily married to Francis. Together we have 2 super cool kids: Andrés (13) and Inés (9). I love reading and dining. But smite me also like to get into sports like cycling, tennis, walking and hiking.
My talents & strengths:
I like to dig deep, dissect, analyze and capture the essence of that in a simple way. And of bringing structure, articulating things nicely and clarifying things in a human way. Another nice one: I see advantages and opportunities in everything. With every setback, solutions and new opportunities also emerge. That is what I like to look at the most.
My vision & fascination with people:
Ever since I was a child, I have been fighting against the dominant image of society, where you have to meet a standard that no one can actually meet. My conviction is that in such a society you only get unhappy and frustrated people, while all the potential that is available remains unused and even unseen. Everyone should be able to excel in his or her own way. I have always been fascinated by people who are different from me, because they have talents and strengths that I myself do not have. That diversity is so enriching!
Jurka Vanthournout, a partner at Titeca and a leader of Titeca's agile organizational structure, is passionate about people, working together, contributing meaningfully and making a personal impact. "In a classic hierarchical structure, only the happy few at the top, who have only been able to make their leap after several years. At Titeca we want to create opportunities for all our employees, make the best use of their strengths and make it possible for them to have responsibility and autonomy right from the start. By opening up the traditional structure, employees no longer need to be given a title in order to be able to achieve things. But we also give them the message that nothing is required. Everyone's goals are different and that's okay."
An agile organizational structure, what can we imagine?
"It is an organizational structure in which each colleague can write his or her own story based on personal situation, interests, strengths and talents. Our vision, mission, values, objectives and ground rules serve as a strong framework for this. A bedding, as it were, that shows our employees what Titeca stands for as a company and where it is going. For the rest we give our employees the freedom and autonomy to determine how they themselves wish to contribute within that framework. Titeca's destination is fixed, the road towards it is determined by the employee. In this way, we are going to pull every colleague into impact thinking: "What are my strengths and how can I use them to create a positive impact on the team, our customers and the world we live in?". The terms "function," "standard" and "evaluation" give way to words like "role," "talent" and "evolution. You can safely call it a warmer vocabulary. Because that's also how we deal with our colleagues, in a warm and personal way."
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"The idea became more and more clear that everyone should be able to choose how they grow, without being expected to be a superman or woman."
How did the idea of the agile organization come about?
"The lockdown was a good reflection period for us. Our foundations of autonomy, commitment and job happiness were shaking. In some employees we saw the energy level drop. Others found it harder to stay motivated. It got me thinking. How can we reverse this trend? How do we safeguard these foundations? The idea of the agile organization appeared to be the answer. Together with General Manager Lizbeth Nowé and People & Culture Manager Gilles Jonckheere, I developed this concept further. Lizbeth introduced Luk Dewulf (talent whisperer) and Jan De Keyser (Attent voor Talent) who further enriched our plan. The idea became more and more clear that everyone should be able to choose how they grow, without being expected to be a superman or woman."
Why is it so important to focus on talents?
"A talent is something that comes naturally and that gives you energy and strength. When you, as an employee, are given the opportunity to use your talents within your job and thus spend most of your day doing what gives you energy, it makes for tremendous habituation and resilience. Two essential elements in today's rapidly changing world. This is also what we have in mind for our employees. That is why the talents of our employees are so essential to Titeca. A visual example that Jan likes to use: young children often play with figures that they push through a suitable hole. Round, square or triangular. As humans, we all represent a different figure. Organizations sometimes tend to push people into a shape that doesn't fit them, with all the consequences. We want our employees to look for the right 'fit'. We are convinced that in this way they will find more pleasure in their work, be and remain more motivated, make a greater impact and stay in their job longer.
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"In addition to the basic role, to which each employee can add their own emphasis, we have also created talent and growth roles. "
What does the agile organizational structure look like today at Titeca?
"At Titeca, each employee has a basic role that is specific to the job. For an accountant, accounting is obviously the focus. And a tax specialist or lawyer will focus on providing expertise within his or her field. Each employee will give color to this basic role based on his or her talents. For example, an error detection specialist will fill in his or her basic role differently than a negociator. In this way we can find a 'match' between the employee and the customer's needs.
And we extend this principle even further. In addition to the basic role, to which each employee can give his or her own accent, we have also created talent and growth roles, to which employees can link themselves. For example, we have the Propper, who feels like a commercial fish in the water in a group. Or the Organizer, who gets energy from organizing, planning and coordinating projects. In total there are about twenty roles based on everyone's strengths and talents, each with their own energy and impact.
Together with the entire team, we define our goals and action points, see who takes on which role and who is willing and able to make a contribution. Each employee is given the necessary autonomy and freedom within his or her role. Everyone also gets the chance to grow in his or her role, to take on new roles or also to stop fulfilling existing roles. In doing so, we always provide a lifeline within the team and within Titeca for those who need it. We see that this works. Our goals are being met with great enthusiasm and energy."
How do you get everyone on board with this story?
"Embracing each other's talents and strengths is in our DNA. It has actually always been our way of working, only now we are giving language to it in this way. The cornerstone of all this is vulnerability and safety. Being able to say that something is more difficult or that you just feel right in your role. This is what our system is built on. This is our foundation. It ensures that people can grow and (dare to) take the wheel of their own story within Titeca. And that actually works surprisingly well. It's a certain mindset you have. Or that you learn. For some colleagues who have been on board for longer, the role story is quite a big switch in thinking. Yet they see the added value of the system and experience that we achieve successes faster as a team this way."
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"Here you are allowed to be vulnerable. Are you allowed to say that something is more difficult or just comes naturally. That's fundamental to being able to grow."
How do you evaluate within such a system?
"Our original evaluation conversation was renamed evolution conversation. This is primarily about growing and developing, each in his or her own way and pace. In addition, over the past year we have put a lot of effort into creating a safe environment for our employees so that we can give each other honest and constructive feedback. In this way, our employees always provide a safe compass for each other. Of course, there are also concrete goals to be achieved. For each initiative within Titeca, our employees indicate beforehand what they want to achieve with it and when the project may be considered successful. Either numerically or in some other way. This way we get a clear picture of the end result. On this basis, we assess the success of an initiative with the entire team. In order to achieve their end result, our colleagues are given complete freedom and autonomy. With our vision, mission, values, objectives and ground rules as a clear foundation. Finally, we are also going to align our remuneration system with all this: on the one hand, you will be compensated for your basic role, and on the other hand, for the impact you make at different levels. That completes the whole story."
Do you grasp
Also like growth opportunities?
Share your dreams with us. At Titeca you can really aim high. We are there as a warm team to give you the necessary push. Discover our vacancies page full of exciting opportunities.
