Dr. Jeroen Duijsens
Dr. Jeroen Duijsens is a lecturer at UMIO | Maastricht University and holds a MSc. from Maastricht University. Together with Prof. Peter Berends, he coordinates the On-Campus track module on Organisations in Times of Change. He is self-employed on the topics of project management, interim management and process consultancy. Next to his MSc. he was trained in intervention science, the role and creation of meaning in organisations, and systemic organisational work. In recent years he is mainly active as consultant and interim-manager in the public sector.
WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION WITH MAASTRICHT?
I lived in Maastricht during my studies and for some years thereafter. I was with the first generation students of the SBE in the class of 1984.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT UMIO – MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY?
I am one of the teachers from outside the university. Together with Prof. Peter Berends I teach the Organisations in Times of Change course and the Leading Strategic Change module of the MBA. For me teaching is not my main trade. I am self-employed and work as a project manager or interim manager. Nevertheless, I love these moments during the year when I can work together with Peter and the students.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO BECOME A LECTURER?
I like the interaction, the discussion with the students. Experiencing how the combination of my background and theirs together create new insights. I taught consultancy skills and entrepreneurship for bachelor students some time ago at the SBE and I really liked that. Therefore, when Peter asked me to participate in the development of the MBA module I did not hesitate and committed myself to the MaastrichtMBA programme.
Moreover, I am interested in education. A couple of years ago I founded a new school -together with two partners- based on a very different concept of learning, the TeamAcademy, which represents a bachelor in entrepreneurship.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITHIN THE ON-CAMPUS TRACK?
As I mentioned before, together with Peter I teach two courses: Organisations in Times of Change and Leading Strategic change.
THIS ON-CAMPUS MBA MODULE IS ON UNDERSTANDING ORGANISATIONS IN TIMES OF CHANGE. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR LESSONS DURING THIS MODULE?
The module is based on the ideas that leading is a personal experience. In order to lead a team and organisation, you need to understand how you lead yourself. Understanding framework you use to understand reality. Why do you see things which other people do not see and vice versa. How do you deal with that? This course is about experiencing your own leadership and reflecting on that.
HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE TO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WHEN IT COMES TO THE ORGANISATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL WEEK?
It will make things somewhat more complicated but we will manage. As we have many practical exercises we reflect on right away, we have to see how that works. Some students will join us online and we never did that before. It will be a learning experience in itself.
SINCE THE CORONA OUTBREAK HAS LOCKED DOWN THE WORLD, ORGANISATIONS CHANGED RAPIDLY. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS NEW WORLD WILL BE FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS ON THE TOPIC OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR?
To be honoust, I really have no clue. Just like for almost everybody, this pandemic outbreak took me by surprise.
WHAT ARE YOUR LESSONS LEARNED DURING THIS PANDEMIC CRISIS AND WHICH CHANCES DO YOU SEE THE NEAR FUTURE WHEN IT COMES TO THE ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR OF ORGANISATIONS?
I can save a lot of time when I do not have to travel. Therefore, what does happen is that I am far more critical on planning and participating in live meetings then I used to be. And I guess most people are. This will have quite an impact on the way we organise our (working) life, but we will need to see. What I do think (with all the talk of downsizing offices etc.) we underestimate the fact that organisations are social organisms and therefore interaction and exchange of information between cells is key to any organism.
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY PROUD OF PROFESSIONALLY?
I am self-employed since I left university, which is some time ago. I had to transform my way of working a few times moving into new fields. And it worked out well. Although to me, I do not think of it as a particular achievement, but some of my friends do.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOMETHING PERSONAL WITH THE READERS?
Someone once told me, when I was discussing my work with UMIO and the MBA with him: “We don’t need MBA-students, we don’t need more managers without added value, we need front-workers and we need artists, people that really create. I thought about that for some time. At first, it seemed a fair point. I also read Graeber off course. However, I soon realised that we do need managers because they can create the environment in which front-workers can operate and in which the artists creation can occur and blossom. You just have to remember that you are managing for other people. Therefore, it is not about you, but about the people you serve. If they grow and create more value, then you are doing a good job. I think that is the beauty of the MaastrichtMBA programme. It is not just about theory and case studies, but also about you how you as a human embody the concepts and values that you learn here in your working life.