English

Not a single caterpillar
suspects she will
ever be a butterfly.

Alain Tijtgat, Ba., Lic., Ma.

alain@mangrovec.com

  • Transformative Conflict, Crisis & Change
    Interim Manager
  • Certified Mediator
  • Opportunity Developer

What role can I play for you?

It’s always good to have entrenched structures and habits examined by a pair of external eyes, with a critical view and from a broad experience. And that's exactly what I do, by thinking laterally and acting vertically. This way I offer you support with regard to interim, project, change and crisis management.

I am a typical ‘multiple and serial entrepreneur’. I mainly get energy from setting up startups, initiating restarts, creating new dynamics and breaking the status quo and routine.

This is reflected in, among other things:

  • my multidisciplinary studies and training: Bachelor Accounting Taxation, Master Applied Economic Sciences, Master Industrial Management, Certified Mediator in Social Affairs and more.
  • my passion for business and as a founder of various companies domestically and abroad: hospitality industry, marketing and communication, international trade, project development, real estate and others.

Over the years I have built up a unique skillset both in my own companies as with external clients, which helps me to assist other entrepreneurs during the crucial moments.
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“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.”

HANDS-ON interim management

Expertise ad interim to companies

The goal of a company is always the same: to achieve results on all levels. This is a simplification, but it usually comes down to that. To achieve this, we must work effectively and innovatively in times of disruption, in order to stay ahead of a profound organizational destabilization. In this context, the interim manager appears on the scene.

Interim managers are currently being strategically hired, in both small and large companies. Often this is not only to implement a reorganization or to absorb an economic downturn, but rather a positive decision and a conscious choice in the resource planning of organizations. Speed ​​is a decisive factor in this increasingly complex world. As a result, companies sometimes have a temporary need for a direct injection of specialized knowledge to ensure the continuity of the company.
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“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Charles Darwin

Be open to change: change management

A specific type of interim management is change management. The aim is to prepare, equip and support the people within the company and external stakeholders to successfully deal with change, in order to stimulate organizational successes and outcomes. This is how you take an organization in tow and put it on the right course to turn the constant variation we face every day into an advantage.
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"Any kind of crisis can be good. It wakes you up."

A crisis also offers opportunities: crisis management

Crisis management can also be implemented the form of interim management. A crisis manager then enters a company that shows pathologies in certain areas and whose employees are often insecure and want an immediate solution. Spotting people's qualities quickly and finding the appropriate way to manage people is essential. There needs to be a really in-depth conversation with everyone in the company, as well as with all external stakeholders. This is the only way to really get to know the organization.
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The Mangrove Connection. What’s in the name?

The name Mangrove Connection wasn’t just randomly chosen. During my travels, and especially living and working in Sri Lanka, I became fascinated by this remarkable vegetation that is mainly found around coastal areas close to the equator. Most mangroves are found on muddy ground, but they can also thrive on sand, peat or coral rocks. After a few conversations with experts on the subject, it quickly became clear to me that mangroves are one of the most underrated ecosystems in the world. These remarkable forests are of great importance to coastal communities as they are not only a source of food, but they also protect the coastline by preventing erosion and regulating our climate.
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“Just like the lotus we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate into the world.”

What role can I play for you?

As a mediator in workplace relations and social affairs, I resolutely opt for solution-oriented mediation. I let the different parties come together in a voluntary way and guide them towards a jointly supported solution.

As an independent and "multi-partial" mediator, I am there for every party involved. This is in contrast to, among others, a lawyer who in principle only acts for one party and who preferably positions the parties in opposing corners. I mainly improve communication, facilitate the conversation and create a safe framework that I also monitor.

I am also happy to assist you with practical guidelines for setting up and implementing transformative conflict policies and management systems together. This as an accredited mediator and based on my basic training and experiences as a serial entrepreneur and consultant in various sectors.
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“Personally, I am drawn to conflict, crisis and change, as all three create the foundation necessary for growth opportunities.”

Conflicts in organizations cost time and money

Conflicts in the workplace - and the resulting absenteeism from work - can have quite drastic and negative consequences, especially when they drag on for a long time. The schedules get messed up, non-involved people have to work overtime, the work atmosphere becomes tense, the quality and productivity of the work decreases, customers and thus profits are lost, the company image suffers damage, conflict absenteeism arises (often in the form of sick leave) as well as long-term absence of valuable employees, and in extreme cases it even leads to the termination of employment contracts. Workplace conflicts can occur at all levels and between all actors of a company or organization, in a setting with or without trade unions. They can usually be traced back to conflicts between employer(s)/manager(s) and employee(s), between colleagues, or within and between (management) teams and departments. Territorial and competence issues often play a role at the horizontal level, while at the vertical level it is mainly about power and the constant tension between control and autonomy. However, the cause may just as well lie with an employee who is in conflict with himself, is dissatisfied with himself and shows little self-esteem and contentment with himself.
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“Conflict can destroy a team which hasn’t spent time learning to deal with it.”

Transformative Conflict Management

Conflicts in the workplace do not necessarily have to be problematic or lead to absenteeism and additional costs for the organization. Things can also be handled differently! Dealing properly with a (potential) workplace conflict can actually yield benefits for the individual, the team and the company.

Workplace conflicts should be seen as a functional tool for the development and innovation of people and the organization. It is about putting conflict in a positive light and developing a sound conflict policy. In this way you achieve profit in the broad sense of the word: you limit the costs of conflicts, you increase productivity and you let the employees' job satisfaction take precedence. After all, a healthy company requires a healthy heart!

By the way, I cannot stress enough that there is no reason whatsoever to keep a conflict indoors, but rather on the contrary. As explained above, conflicts within an organization are not negative. The organization does not lose its influence if a third party is brought in, and the approach by HR or union representation is simply not impartial. The latter parties will always tend to tackle the problems themselves, without making the conflicting parties responsible for the solution. In mediation, resolving a conflict is actually the responsibility of the conflicting parties. It is the parties themselves who strive for a jointly supported outcome and an alternative, creative solution to achieve a win-win situation. In this way they break with the balance of power that is often present in working relationships.
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“Friction gives shine!”

De Derde Partij. What’s in the name?

We chose the "endless knot" as the figurative trademark. After all, this image is a good representation of systems thinking, the basic thinking in conflict situations. A common and wrong approach to conflict is to look at the contribution of separate individuals and to form an opinion about what is going on based on this. However, systems thinking takes a fundamentally different approach, by putting the individual personality between brackets and looking at what is going on "between" people. So the point is to find out what someone is in relation to another. In this way a person/employee is not reduced to being dominant or wait-and-see, but as dominant or wait-and-see in relation to or in the presence of another person/employee. It is less confronting for someone to adjust his/her behavior in a specific context than to adjust his/her entire personality.

Human relationships are cyclical and interdependent, and therefore we see an infinite influence and coherence between people and systems. The system as a whole is more than just the behavior of the members that compose it. Every effect is immediately also a cause, and this loops continues infinitely. Hence the “endless knot”.

The name “De Derde Partij” – in English “The Third Party” – refers to the accredited mediator as a neutral, independent and impartial - or rather multi-partial - party. After all, a mediator is there for everyone involved, and is committed to improving communication and creating and monitoring a safe framework for all participants.
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“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

Winston Churchill

Contact us

Do not hesitate to contact us so that we can discuss your situation thoroughly.
One contact person: discreet - impartial - independent - experienced - hands-on - open-minded.
Required fields are marked with *

Alain Tijtgat, Ba., Lic., Ma.
alain@mangrovec.com

The Mangrove Connection bv
8020 Oostkamp, Belgium

  • Transformative Conflict, Crisis & Change
    Interim Manager
  • Certified Mediator
  • Opportunity Developer

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