Our Origins

Our organisation, which started in 1962 as a one-man business, has grown into an expert in behaviour and communication. With the Influence Model® as its foundation. Since then, we have helped thousands of professionals create more impact.

The Influence Company: how it all began

The history of The Influence Company begins on 22 October 1962. On this day, Hans Zuidema founded “Raadgevend Bureau H.L. Zuidema”, specialising in personnel consultancy. A one-man business from home in Sassenheim (Netherlands). From the very beginning, major companies, including his former employer KLM, were among his clients.

In 1976, he met the American Roger Harrison, who, together with David Berlew, was one of the founders of the Influence Model®. He immediately knew: positive influence is the skill every professional needs in order to be successful. Achieving your goals while strengthening the relationship with the other person — that is the art. Hans Zuidema brought the model to the Netherlands and developed the Personal Influence Programme®, which remains successful to this day.

The Influence Model®

Our method for increasing your personal impact. Many participants come to The Influence Company specifically for it. But how did it originate?

What do successful people have in common?

The Influence Model® is based on insights from behavioural psychology and was developed in the 1970s by Berlew and Harrison at Harvard. It was a time when the workplace was becoming more democratic. The researchers were driven by the question of how to persuade people without formal authority. They studied successful individuals. What set them apart? What did they have in common?

The answer?

Flexibility: the ability to adapt your behaviour to the situation, your goals and the people around you. This led to the Positive Power and Influence Programme® (PPIP), through which thousands of professionals learned to build sustainable relationships while also achieving their goals.

More relevant than ever

Although the Influence Model® was developed decades ago, it is still an indispensable tool today. Its core principles are timeless: behaviour and motivation hardly change, even in our modern world. Influential people inspire, motivate and set people in motion. These are qualities you can learn and refine. Whether you want to lead a team or position yourself more powerfully, the Influence Model® helps you create impact. With respect for others and a focus on positive, sustainable results.