about my experience

Societal challenges are multifactorial: social, economic, political, cultural, and psychological. As a change professional, developing both an understanding and a feel for them requires a lifetime of learning without ever being done. That is what I have enjoyed doing, and still do.

My greatest teacher has been the practice of change itself. I recognize the maxim that if you really want to understand how something works, try changing it. I have done that since the late 1980s in varying settings: national challenges and local initiatives, shop floors and boardrooms, within and across organizations. At first, I was based at the Institute for Environmental and Systems Analysis (IMSA), then for many years I was a partner at Twynstra Gudde. Since 2012, I have worked independently, within a network of colleagues. A common thread throughout is working on changes that run against the prevailing winds and therefore grow over time rather than start large-scale. That is how innovation tends to work.

My experience in research and writing goes back just as far. I usually immerse myself in rich practices, interpret them through various theoretical lenses, and then arrive at new insights. This often results in publications, sometimes academic ones. About once every seven years, it leads to a book. Some publications have won awards, and many can be accessed for free on this site. I conduct such research with temporary teams, sometimes in collaboration with an institutional base. At present, that is NSOB (the Netherlands School of Public Management). Earlier, it was Twynstra Gudde (through its knowledge center for change management), the University of Amsterdam (during my doctoral research), and the Dutch Safety Board (where I served as a board member).

I have taught extensively, especially those who consider themselves change professionals. My longest-running teaching work involved building a school of thought with Leon de Caluwé around the book Learning to Change and its color theory for change, and co-leading Sioo’s master’s program Advanced Change Methodologies, a curriculum for experienced change practitioners. I did both for more than ten years. My interest has since shifted from long-form education to more modest contributions. Over the past decade, I have mostly been a guest in learning environments and on public stages, reflecting on the changes at hand and legitimizing key principles of change.

I have enjoyed formal education too. I graduated as a chemist with a focus on environmental issues. This was followed by a postgraduate program in organizational psychology and master’s degrees in Management Consulting and Change Management. I completed my PhD on ‘wicked problems,’ graduating cum laude, and learned a great deal about research in the process. I also pursued a range of other training, including coaching and yoga. For quite some time now, self-organized learning environments have taken the place of formal study, such as theory ateliers to challenge my own understanding and practice labs to test and develop ideas.