The Double Challenge Facing the Infrastructure Sector
The NATO Summit in The Hague marks a new reality for the infrastructure sector. While municipalities, provinces and Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch equivalent of National Highways) are deeply engaged in renovating post-war infrastructure, a second, urgent task has emerged: preparing for the possibility of a large-scale military crisis.
At the summit, NATO decided to increase defence spending by 5%. Of that, 1.5% will be allocated to infrastructure —meaning bridges capable of supporting military equipment, ports with military-grade loading capacity, secure cyber networks, airports, and logistical hubs. Whether we like it or not: our civilian infrastructure must also be suitable for military use.
Delivering More with the Same People – Is That Possible?
The public sector faces the challenge of delivering significantly more with the same capacity. Rijkswaterstaat refers to this as a “system leap”: a fundamental shift in structure, processes and culture. Not a typical reorganisation, but a radical change in thinking and doing.
The bar is set high—and rightly so. At the same time, it’s understandable that employees may feel sceptical.
Reorganisations Rarely Inspire Enthusiasm
In practice, the word “reorganisation” seldom sparks joy. Professionals sigh, shrug their shoulders, and wait to see what happens. Especially if previous change initiatives have delivered little.
If earlier reorganisations have failed—why should this far more ambitious and complex system leap succeed? For many, the term itself sounds abstract, even esoteric. That makes it an easy target for cynics.
And yet, I know from experience: major improvements are possible—if we choose the right approach.
A Systemic Approach Begins with the Goal – Not the Culture
The goal is clear: we need to build or renovate as much infrastructure as possible—in the shortest time possible, with the same people. That demands a smart approach to:
- Processes that serve this goal;
- Structures that support these processes;
- A winning culture that naturally emerges from success—not the other way round.
Too often, organisations try to change the culture first. But culture follows performance—not the reverse. People are motivated when they can work effectively. Not the other way around. Culture is never the bottleneck (see below).
Using Concrete Images: Traffic Flow and Bottlenecks
Concrete imagery helps make the systemic approach understandable. Tasks in projects are like cars on a motorway: if too many are on the road at once, everything grinds to a halt. In project organisations, too many people are working on too many active tasks simultaneously—leading to delays as they constantly switch contexts and fix mistakes.
The bottleneck is another helpful image. Work in projects must flow—like traffic or water in a river. And it’s simple logic: there’s always one point where flow is most restricted—the bottleneck. Only improvements that address the bottleneck can impact the overall flow. The implication is clear: any change that doesn’t improve the bottleneck cannot have any effect on the total throughput.
No, Culture is Never the Bottleneck
You often hear: “It’s down to the culture.” But how can something as abstract as culture block physical flow? That’s like saying traffic jams on the M25 are caused by bad moods among drivers.
When you identify the bottleneck and improve flow there, overall performance often leaps forward. And with it, motivation increases—a key ingredient for a strong culture.
We Help Organisations That Want to Move Forward
At Mobilé 4 Flow, we’ve been working with this approach for years. We help leaders identify bottlenecks and achieve breakthrough performance—not with vague change processes, but with measurable results.
Clients like ABB e-Mobility, Total Energies, HIL GmbH and the Province of Zeeland have benefited from our expertise. You can read about their experiences on our website.
Ready for a Quantum Leap?
Do you have a similar ambition? Then I’d love to have a conversation with you.
Where are your bottlenecks? Why isn’t there flow? And what if it could flow?
I’m curious to hear your goal.
By Willem de Wit, 10th July 2025
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Founder & Managing Director of Mobilé 4 flow & innovation.