"INNDUCE.me enabled us to objectively identify the innovation profile of a part of our workforce!"

DEME, maritime service provider and total solutions provider in the area of maritime engineering projects, has four major activity lines: dredging, offshore, environment and infra. Within the organization, Wouter Van Os, as HR manager staff, directs the HR business partners of the entire group.

"Innovation is in the DNA of our company and has made us what we are today: a distinctive player in the industry. We apply three types of innovation:

1. core innovation: this type of innovation concerns our core activities, in which we manage our business better via technological or software optimizations.
2. adjacent innovation: this type of innovation focuses on activities or services that are somehow related to our current offering, but which are nevertheless innovative and generate new business opportunities.
3. transformational innovation: this is the type of innovation that keeps us relevant and future-proof. For example, we started with offshore wind farms fifteen years ago and are now looking at deep sea mining and other future developments, with a horizon between 2030 and 2050.

As for that third type of innovation, we were wondering if there was a tool to objectively map innovation profiles. The solutions we found were all based on questionnaires. INNDUCE.me, on the other hand, worked with an assessment based on cases developed in cooperation with the University of Ghent. When people take the test, it results in an innovation profile. INNDUCE.me helped us set up the assessment and take care of the communication around it. Quite a few surprises came out of it. There were people who we already knew had a strong innovation profile, but for others, it was an eye-opener when it turned out that they were ideators, champions or implementers. Based on the results, we invited people to participate in an Innovation Boot Camp. We are also using it as a selection criterion for a larger Ideation Event in October this year. The results of the assessment help us to put together so-called innovation dream teams so that there is a balanced mix of innovation profiles. The first collaboration dates back to 2018 and this year we also collaborated with INNDUCE.me for this.

The cooperation with INNDUCE.me was successful. However, what pleased us most was that we came out of the assessment as an above-average innovative company. It confirmed that we score well on what we consider to be important and what has been our focus for years: innovation."

About DEME:

DEME is a world leader in the highly specialised fields of dredging, land reclamation, marine infrastructure, offshore energy and environmental remediation. With more than 145 years of experience and about 5,000 highly skilled professionals, DEME has built up a vast bank of knowledge and expertise which has allowed the company to foster a pioneering approach throughout our history. This enables DEME to bring tailor-made solutions, innovation and new technologies to its customers’ projects, ensuring that they are performed safely, efficiently and cost-effectively.

While its roots are in Belgium, DEME has built a strong presence across the globe. DEME operates one of the largest and most technologically advanced fleet of vessels in the world, supported by a broad range of auxiliary equipment.

More info on DEME