Good profiling is required for the transition from educational institution to knowledge institute. We, prospective students, lecturers and partners need to define, know, recognise and appreciate our new role and values. This means we must clearly show who we are, what we stand for, and what results we achieve.
Theme team leader Anke Bardie: “Over the past four years, the Identity ambition theme team has, in varying compositions, examined our institute’s identity and positioning and looked for ways to communicate this to all stakeholders effectively. We spoke to colleagues, students and working professionals extensively during our exploration. That produced a clear shared perspective upon which we elaborated in various communications.”
Who are we?
“The Fontys ICT-compass gives us a strong foundation for articulating, illustrating and strengthening our identity. We stand for: ‘daring pioneering’, ‘excelling by being yourself’ and we are ‘making an impact’ by ‘joining forces’. Together, these values underpin our motto: ‘Drivers of Growth’. The compass has been embraced by the organisation. It has contributed to the new Fontys ICT story. Consciously or unconsciously, the narrative has changed from ‘what we/they do’ to ‘why and how we do things together’.
The compass points have been brought to life in de organisation by, amongst others, Drivers of Growth ambassadors who have initiated projects and workshops. You see our story recognisably reflected in our accommodation, we communicate it in the onboarding of new employees, we use it in brand activation campaigns, and anyone who is interested can play the Expedition Fontys ICT board game. We bring our values to life by these and other means.
Dialogue makes a difference
This process has contributed to re- evaluation of our self-image. That said, we don’t pretend we are quite there yet with our story, compass, and more. An identity is constantly evolving. We are and remain in dialogue with one another about it. Therein lies the greatest value I think. The continuous dialogue about identity helps with our internal and external profiling and it promotes a connection between colleagues. I am proud to be a part of Fontys ICT, and I believe many of my colleagues feel the same way.”
