<\/i> go back<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> I work on societal challenges, first and foremost. That means I do what the challenge calls for, not necessarily what a client wants or what I personally prefer. Those three do not always align. Innovation, after all, often requires breaking with routines, which can make it contentious. Critically examining one another\u2019s reflexes is therefore part of every change, and is also embedded in the code of conduct for consultants.<\/p>\n I try to direct that critical eye mainly toward how we attempt to get things done. My field is less about content than about processes of this kind: changing, learning, organizing, advising, and researching. In them, I have gathered know-how: a broad knowledge base about what works and what does not (\u2018know\u2019) and the craftsmanship to bring that to life (\u2018how\u2019). I use that know-how to guide others, especially where hard-won lessons are being ignored, with the predictable consequences that brings.<\/p>\n Across my publications, a number of principles recur. They are both valuable and often well established in the scientific literature, yet they remain anything but common practice. That is partly because mastering them takes effort, and partly because deviating from what people expect tends to generate pushback. I therefore underline these principles whenever it seems opportune. Let me name a few:<\/p>\n My publications reflect what I have developed professionally and what I stand for. See my publication list<\/a>, or explore the English language publications<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> I support change efforts, especially around societal challenges such as climate, education, and health care. My work is rarely limited to organizational change itself: we address internal changes only when they are needed to create greater impact externally. The issues I work on are rarely controllable or predictable. That means the approach cannot be known in advance, much less rolled out as a project. In such cases, I treat change as an ongoing process of understanding more deeply, designing more intelligently, and acting more powerfully. I work independently, but not alone. I always work with others. The most intensive collaboration happens when we are trying to effect change or create knowledge. I then spend a stretch of time alongside those involved, especially those who act as change agents and connecting weavers. 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.about what I stand for<\/h1><\/div>
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\nStacking small-scale changes. Deep innovation emerges in local practices. To achieve scale, such innovations need to be accumulated and connected. It does not work well when a few people have to orchestrate all of that. It works much better when many people concurrently do connecting work alongside their local practice: a patchwork perspective.<\/li>\n![](\"https:\/\/hansvermaak.com\/en\/files\/hans-vermaak-1.jpg\" "\\"hans-vermaak-1\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>about what I do<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nRead more <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nabout how I work<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nRead more <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nabout who I work with<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nRead more <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nabout my experience<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nRead more <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3467","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t