01
A short article gave him a voice.
Cees read a short article at Teamenergy. “This puts into words things I hadn’t been able to put into words yet.”
The Science Behind Teamenergy
Cees and Leonie guided 100 teams over the course of a 6-year study. What they saw surprised even them.
Cees van der Zwan earned his Ph.D. from VU Amsterdam on the topic of energy in teams. Together with psychologist Leonie van der Zwan-Lindhout, he coached 100 teams over the course of a 6-year study. Here you can read about their findings and where you can find more information.
Dr. Cees van der Zwan, Founderof the “ Teamenergy ” approach
Leonie van der Zwan-Lindhout, M.A. Co-founderand psychologist
- 100teams supervised during 6 years of research, plus 85 comparison teams
- 3.000People first filled out the preliminary questionnaire
- 6 yearsresearch included in the book
- 700+teams in which the approach has been implemented
The Study
What they found, in 5 steps.
02
3,000 people, then 100 teams.
Cees first tested the questionnaire for his study on about 3,000 people in the Netherlands. After that, he and Leonie coached 100 teams and monitored 85 control teams. The study lasted 6 years.
03
Energy builds up slowly.
And she could be gone in a few weeks—just like trust.
04
Sometimes as many as 30 to 50 procedures per team.
It was all well-intentioned on the part of team leaders, coaches, and change agents. Changes to processes, procedures, and KPIs sapped everyone’s energy.
05
And what about the teams where almost no one stepped in?
A small number of the teams required very little intervention. “Those teams ran like a well-oiled machine,” says Cees.
Cees van der Zwan, founder of Teamenergy
What makes Teamenergy different? It all starts with the question: What now?
Jump to
Then they looked at their own work.
They received a phone call and then came by with all sorts of interventions. This was the exact opposite of what the study found.
“Actually, we’re doing the opposite of what the research found.”
- 2017Toward Energetic Teams: What to Do?
The dissertation
A 6-year study involving 100 teams and 85 control groups.
Read the dissertation (PDF) - 2024
The book
Six years of research, made accessible to team leaders.
About the Book - Now
The platform
The idea: teams coach themselves much more. If they really can't figure it out, a coach steps in.
Founder of the " Teamenergy" approach
Dr. Cees van der Zwan
“Every now and then I think, ‘Wow, I get it.’ And then I join the next team… and I think, ‘I really don’t understand any of this.’ … That keeps me on my toes.”
- DissertationToward Energetic Teams, 2017
- Team Coachpreviously also served as a consultant to some extent
- Teamenergy LiveConversations on LinkedIn
Cees van der Zwan, founder of Teamenergy
Why “ Teamenergy ”? It all started with a feeling.
Jump to
Co-founder, psychologist, and team developer
Leonie van der Zwan-Lindhout, M.A.
“I’d love to have a lot of hassle.”
Leonie gets called in when a team has already tried everything and no one knows what to do anymore. During the study, she served as Cees’s sounding board and mirror. He looks at the team as a whole, while she focuses more on the individuals within it.
From bed to Team development
- Bedridden at age 16
- Nursing Home
- Emergency Room
- Psychology
- Cultural Research in the Police Force
- Recruitment, Selection, and Assessments
- Coaching
- Team development
“A specialist in taking responsibility”—that’s how she describes herself.
“Our mission is to enable as many teams as possible to work with energy.”
Together with Marco, Hans, Sjors, Jaco, and Cemenne, they are building Teamenergy.
Get to know the whole teamFor every quote and every step on this page, you'll see the source. Or view them all together.
Perform better while having more fun,
now for truly every team.
You can see what’s putting pressure on your team’s performance, and the team takes care of it on its own. A follow-up assessment after 4 months will show whether the team is making progress.
- Anonymous at the team level
- Data remains within the EU
- Used by more than 700 teams