Robert Teunissen

I help organisations understand why responsibilities become unclear, decisions get stuck and capable managers struggle to deliver results.

My experience has taught me that these problems are not always about leadership or behaviour. Sometimes the organisation itself makes good work unnecessarily difficult.

I examine how work is organised, how people lead and work together, and what can realistically be improved.

Making responsibilities and decisions clearer

Organisations sometimes have more management layers than the work requires, or lack clear agreements about who can decide what.

I help establish which management levels are needed, who should be accountable for results and how roles and departments need to work together. This can reduce unnecessary escalation and make it easier to get decisions made.

Helping managers succeed in their roles

Good managers can struggle when their responsibilities exceed their authority, or when the role and the person are not well matched.

I help organisations examine these conditions and support managers in developing the leadership practices they need. The aim is to make responsibilities manageable and help people use their abilities effectively.

Making organisational change work

A new strategy or structure does not automatically change how people work.

I help identify where management arrangements, working relationships or leadership practices are holding back progress, and work with the people involved to make practical improvements.

I begin with the problem you are experiencing, not with a predetermined solution.

I look at how the organisation is structured and how people behave and work together. Often, both help explain why a problem persists.

Where appropriate, I begin with confidential one-to-one conversations. I work with the managers involved, not around them.

Through conversations, analysis and discussions with the people involved, I help identify what needs attention. We agree on practical next steps, whether that means clarifying responsibilities, changing management arrangements or supporting managers in working differently.

IRC · The Hague

International organisation

IRC needed to align its organisation with its strategy. Working with a colleague, I helped redesign its management structure and clarify roles, responsibilities and working relationships.

This led to a long-standing relationship involving leadership development and coaching.

Water utilities · Bulgaria and the Czech Republic

European Commission, World Bank and EBRD

During the transition towards commercially managed water services, I helped utility directors, municipalities and ministries clarify how responsibilities and decisions, including tariff-setting, could be organised.

Experience from Dutch water utilities, publicly owned but commercially run, provided a useful reference for considering different ownership and management arrangements.

Ministry of Health · Republic of Congo

Leadership development programme · 2026

I coached six senior health leaders dealing with difficult management and leadership situations.

Participants described practical changes, including clearer delegation, more systematic follow-up and more constructive approaches to staff management.

I bring more than thirty years of experience in organisation design, organisational development and leadership, in the Netherlands and internationally.

I founded CaC Management in Geneva in 2007. Previously, I spent eight years as Head of Unit at the European Training Foundation, an EU agency.

My clients have included WHO, FAO, IFAD, UNHCR, UNICEF, the European Commission, the European Investment Fund, the World Bank, the EBRD and IRC, and companies such as Nestlé, Swiss Life, Avio, TNT and CNH.

I hold a Diploma in Clinical Organisational Psychology from INSEAD.

I work in Dutch, English and French, and also speak Italian.