Belastingdienst - business game Pygmalion about diversity

Business game Pygmalion a big success at the Belastingdienst (Tax Authority)

The populace must be well-represented in our company

The Belastingdienst is the only entity in the Netherlands that everyone deals with at one time or another. So if there is a change in the Netherlands, the tax authority has to change too. "If we want to do our work well, the populace must be well-represented in our company ", says Ton Schäffer. Schäffer is an HRD-advisor and trains staff members of all creeds, characters and colors in dealing with each other and their work in the general and technical services branch of the tax authority.

"The Centre for General and Technical Services has over 1,000 staff members spread over 13 offices. At our head office in Utrecht there are 200 people. B/CGTS looks after maintenance of the buildings and grounds, security, the post, vehicle management, repro, the archive, the environment, office and workplace set-up, in short, everything that 30,000 colleagues in the 'blue' and 'green' services (taxes and customs) need in order to do their work.

Pygmalion, a custom-written game that makes participants aware of their own preconceptions

In 2002 the Belastingdienst formulated a vision of diversity and not long afterwards hired external specialists to help in giving the vision form. InContext introduced Pygmalion, a custom-written game that makes participants aware of their own preconceptions. The game was applied to the work at the tax authority. Schäffer worked with InContext on adjusting the game in order to play it with the average (less-educated) staff of the technical services department.

"It is a really fun game that lets people discover that diversity is about much more than headscarves", he says." You start thinking about how you would really deal with it if there was a homosexual on the team. And that is not only important in technical services where a lot of young immigrants work. Even the suits have a hard time adjusting when a 24 year old woman is appointed team leader." Schäffer thinks it is a pity that the game is not played more intensively at management level.

It is not just a question of idealism, it is also about profit

Pygmalion was part of learning program for technical services which consisted of five themes in the areas of personal development, organization, client and professional expertise. In two years’ time all 450 members of the technical services staff completed the program. And the results are obvious, says Schäffer. A diverse team that treats each other with respect produces higher returns. "It is not just a question of idealism, it is also about profit. A diverse team achieves a demonstrable higher return. We understand our clients better. We hardly even notice if a Turk or an Afghani walks in. The level of understanding is much higher. We serve people better and so we receive greater appreciation. There is definitely a cause and effect connection there."

Diversity is not a choice, it is unavoidable

But there is more. The game also influences how the participants function. Schäffer: "When people play the game, they have to start a dialog and they learn how to listen to each other. More than once after a game team leaders came up to me and asked me what I have done with the boys. They ask questions that they never asked before and they don’t allow themselves to be walked over anymore." Not long ago, Schäffer trained a group of staff in Rotterdam: "There were 14 people. I counted 12 nationalities and a Limburger. The teams are becoming more and more diverse, just like the general population and it is beautiful. We are marching in step. Diversity is not a choice; it is unavoidable."