Olivier Witmeur

Are we fooling ourselves with AI? One thing history has taught us about technology (r)evolutions is that we tend to: - overestimate their short term impact (hype) But - underestimate their long term impact (disruption). We overestimate short term impacts because systems and organizations are harder and therefore slower to change than individual applications (tasks or activities). Helping students do their homework or software developers build code is one thing. Changing education or the information society is another. We also overestimate short term impacts because the potential value creation related to the diffusion and adoption of new technologies is intertwined with fighting about value capture and control. Technology development is also about power, in particular in a multipolar world. Innovation is a political process. But On the other hand, we underestimate the long term impact of new technologies because we tend to project them on our current views of the world. We imagine technologies as ways to do the same things better. Hence many applications of AI relate to using advanced statistics on big datasets to do the same things, but better and faster, or to let AI replace humans in some existing activities. In other words, like Ford’s proverbial customers, we are asking for « better horses ». But tools like GenAI applications are not just advanced statistics algorithms and huge datasets. They also (among others) allow nearly anyone to seamlessly interact and deal with a wide range of unstructured information. They are Artificial Inspiration tools. And that is not doing the same things better. It is about allowing people to do completely new things. Potentially changing the ways we communicate, learn, socialize, decide, inform… and many other things. AI as we know it, is probably overhyped But AI as we don’t know it yet, is probably underhyped Intelligence is not what you know, it is what you do when you don’t know (Piaget). And thanks Tom De Block for the nice dinner, and Luc de Brabandere for 20+ years of fruitful exchanges. #ArtificialIntelligence #ResponsibleInnovation You want to know more about responsible innovation, and become a sustainable innovation champion? www.LouvainInnovation.be (In French)

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Ecosystem map of Healthcare & Life Science in Belgium. Do we have any ecosystem in Poland like this? Do we have any ecosystem for mental healrh for children? We are lookinf for parnterships, to create, to develop, to change this part of life.Is anybody who dreams about it, too? ❤️

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I invite all Belgian tech companies to participate in this survey

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🌟 Just wrapped up my Financial & Strategic Management Accounting course for the Master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Vlerick Business School! #Accounting is often seen as the language of business, but for me, it’s also the "forgotten leadership discipline." In my course we went beyond the numbers, offering insights into the fundamentals of financial and managerial accounting and showing how accounting information can drive both strategic decision-making and sustainable value creation. 📈 Today, we wrapped up the course with an immersive experience using Harvard Business School’s Strategy Map Simulation. Our master’s students faced real-world challenges, strategically aligning financial and non-financial data to drive long-term success. All teams delivered impressive results, but this year's winners set a new bar with a score of $144.94/share. 👏 Congratulations to our students for mastering the essentials of accounting—not only as a tool but as a foundation for strategic decision-making. Even after 14 years as a professor, I’m still excited to see how they’ll bring these skills into their future roles as entrepreneurs and leaders! #FinancialAccounting #StrategicManagementAccounting #LeadershipThroughNumbers #VlerickBusinessSchool

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Strategy & Innovation Challenge - The clash between failure & innovation Antwerp Management School & Projective Group Making room for innovation in your organization, 7 tips: 1:: Be careful who you invite in your innovation group avoid the ''yest but..'' negative people and make room for the positive critical minds, if you convince them you are on track. 2:: Be aware of the PDO effect, the Painful Discovery of the Obvious. You will get there every time. 3:: Never be stopped by the 'it is not working that way in our situation'' quote. 4:: Use cultural difference in your advantage and make sure to build a diverse team. Different cultures will always lead to more creativity. 5:: Give you self a strict start-up budget, the less financial funds the more creativity you need. 6:: Define your beachhat market to make sure you create some first return on your investment to scale-up later. 7:: Never be stopped by hierarchy, you might be working in the wrong spot if you stand for innovation. Thanks a lot for the interesting eve and talks, happy to stay in contact: Geert Scheipers - J. André de Barros Teixeira - Marc Pauwels - Thomas Vanheule - Anna Lebedeva

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𝗔𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗦𝗸𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀…📚💡💭   We spoke to Professor Mario Vanhoucke at Vlerick Business School, author of The Illusion Of Control: Project Data, Computer Algorithms and Human Intuition for Project Management and Control. We sat down with him to find out more… 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼, 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁? 💡 Professor Mario had been investigating the use of data-driven methods to better manage projects and have been first hand to see the growing interest from practitioners in this field. “I got the idea to tell this academic research journey into relevant themes around project planning, project risk analysis, and project control. I did not just want to provide a mere overview of existing methods but to contextualise them in a complete narrative to convince practitioners that some methods are easy to implement.” 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸? 🔑 “The main takeaway is that there are few reasons not to transition to data-driven methods for project management because there is something available for everyone. For this reason, I divided a specific part of the book into three parts.” 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼/𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰? 💬 “I believe that the current book primarily expands the growing discussion around the use of data for projects by truly delving into depth.” Professor Mario went on to explain that his book tells the story of a quest for quality use of project data and statistical techniques, involving technical details and results from rigorous computer experiments. To read our full article, visit our link below! ⬇ https://lnkd.in/eBA-5dyP   #BlueSkyThinking #Author #BlueSkyBookShelf

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🔉 Are you passionate about digitization and its impact on financial advisory? 🔊 Do you have valuable insights or experiences to share in this rapidly evolving field?   🤩 After the success of its EFPA ESG Handbook, EFPA Luxembourg ASBL is starting a new ambitious project. 🚀 We're excited to announce an opportunity to contribute to a groundbreaking book project on digitization, and we're looking for enthusiastic co-authors to join us! 🧐 We're seeking contributions from a diverse range of perspectives, including but not limited to: ✔ Digital transformation in financial industry, ✔ Key concepts and definition, ✔ Ethical considerations in digitization, ✔ Role of digitization in wealth management and wealth planning, ✔ Policy and regulatory frameworks for the digital age, ✔ Impacts of digitization on financial advisory, ✔ Emerging technologies shaping the future of digitization... Whether you're an academic researcher, industry expert, policymaker, or passionate enthusiast, we welcome your unique insights and experiences.   ⏭ Benefits of participating: ➕ Collaborate with a collective of like-minded individuals passionate about digitization. ➕ Gain visibility and recognition as a contributor to a published book, e-book, website. ➕ Contribute to advancing knowledge and understanding in the field of digitization. ➕ Networking opportunities with fellow authors and professionals in the industry. 📣 Join our collaborative book project on Digitization! 📘 💻 If you're interested, please send us a brief bio outlining your expertise and potential topics of interest for contribution. 👉 email [email protected] or direct message us here on LinkedIn. #Digitization #BookProject #CallForApplications #Technology #DigitalTransformation #Society #AuthorsWanted

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Belgium’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Ecosystem Map

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What a fabulous conversation, Daniel Huszár and Bob Gravestijn! This video provides a deep-dive into the complexities of implementing AI and blockchain in the corporate world. You discover how small steps, executive support, and a focus on both NOW and NEW can drive successful innovation. Key insight: Innovation often fails when it is not properly integrated with existing processes. Some of thy key takeaways are below. the list is longer but it does not fit into LinkedIn's character limit ;-) Start Small, Iterate Often Successful innovations begin with small, manageable projects that allow for iteration and improvement. Starting with a minimal viable product (MVP) helps to test the waters without overwhelming resources or causing disruptions in day-to-day operations. However, as Steve Blank (the founder of the Lean Startup movement) the Lean Startup was never designed for corporates; it was designed for greenfield startups that want to create a product that people love and build a business on this. Corporates are not primarily interested in products – they are interested in revenues and margins. Innovation Needs Integration Innovation projects must be viewed from existing company processes. They should not be treated as isolated experiments. Without this integration, you risk creating a 'speed boat' that contrasts starkly with the 'slow-moving tanker' of the organization’s current operations. This integration must be planned and not come as a surprise to the existing business (“NOW”) since it operates on a predictability/ productivity paradigm that builds on processes and risk control. Engaging NOW in a gradual, meaningful way ensures a smoother transition and adoption, leading to NOW and NEW working in harmony rather than in competition. Emotion Drives Innovation While data and analytics drive decisions, human emotions play a critical role in innovation success. Emotional engagement fosters enthusiasm and commitment across teams, leading to better collaboration and problem-solving. Measuring employee buy-in can be as crucial as financial ROI because emotional commitment often leads to higher productivity and creativity. Establish a ‘gearbox’ that connects NOW and NEW This metaphorical gearbox – the Lean Scaleup framework – integrates innovation into the organizational landscape. The process involves addressing operational requirements and ensuring that innovations can be efficiently adopted by the organization. A transition phase facilitates the alignment of new technologies with existing workflows, ensuring they complement rather than disrupt. By planning this transition thoroughly, organizations can avoid common pitfalls. Measure ROI from Multiple Angles Determining the ROI for internal innovation projects requires a multipronged assessment approach. Beyond financial metrics, consider factors like employee efficiency gains, market responsiveness, and risk mitigation.

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💡 5 Belangrijke Voordelen van Digitale Transformatie voor KMO's 💡 Digitale transformatie is niet zomaar een modewoord—het is een game-changer voor KMO's. Hier zijn vijf belangrijke voordelen: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Verhoogde Efficiëntie: Automatiseer routinetaken en stroomlijn processen. Betere Besluitvorming: Gebruik data-analyse voor weloverwogen beslissingen. Verbeterde Klantbeleving: Gebruik digitale tools om klantinteracties te verbeteren. Kostenbesparing: Verminder operationele kosten met cloudoplossingen. Competitief voordeel: Blijf de concurrentie voor met innovatieve technologieën. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bij LIDI zijn we gespecialiseerd in het helpen van KMO's om deze voordelen te benutten. Klaar om de volgende stap te zetten? Neem vandaag nog contact met ons op! #DigitaleTransformatie #KMO's #ZakelijkeGroei #TechTips #Innovatie

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Curious about innovative business models? Using dozens of social sector examples, Michel Gelobter walks you through the process of using the Lean Startup method with non-profits and social enterprises. The standard approach wastes time and money, but the lean startup will help your organization vastly increase the good it does. We created a reading guide to enhance your reading, start discussion, and inspire you to put your knowledge into action. Download it here: https://lnkd.in/eFf8aE79

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LCL Data Centers Brussels North has received a #TierIII Certification of #Design Documents. This important milestone marks the first step towards achieving the Tier Certification of Constructed Facility, underscoring LCL's #commitment to proven design, #efficiency, and #operational #sustainability. Read more about their expansion and plans in Hosting Journalist. https://okt.to/DJvKTB

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Dear #community, You might recall the excitement around the pioneering Mazaro campaign: transitioning from a successful fundraising (€500,000 in just 10 days) on Spreds to its #public #listing – thus becoming the first-ever ‘#crowdlisting’ on Euronext Brussels in early 2022. That's why we're inviting you to take part in a second crowdlisting thanks to the unique opportunity offered by the holding #Newtree #Impact, which combines the potential returns of #venture #capital with the liquidity offered by #Euronext. Newtree Impact focuses on investing in a selection #growth-oriented companies within the #agriculture and #food #technology sectors thanks to its highly skilled team. This initiative continues a Belgian legacy of dynamic investment holdings but with a focus on impactful and sustainable ventures. Public investments in Newtree Impact is now possible, starting Thursday, May 16th. Don't miss this exclusive chance to be part of a mission-driven company listed on the stock exchange. Join us for a deep dive into this unique investment opportunity and secure your spot in this innovative venture. Get ready to invest on Spreds https://lnkd.in/e2enaYrq Investing involves serious risks, including the partial or total loss of capital. Please read the Key Investment Information Sheet and risk factors and log in before investing.

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𝗜𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗥? Of course, I don’t really know. But sometimes it certainly seems that way. Yesterday I really enjoyed participating in two EBHR-related events at Antwerp Management School Management School hosted by the AMS and SD Worx Belgium. In the first event I provided an interactive overview and discussion of Evidence-Based HR with HR professionals chaired by Ans De Vos from AMS and Jan Laurijssen (SD Worx). (I also ran a session for the MBA students on Evidence-Based Management more generally many years ago.) The second event, designed and chaired by Lou Van Beirendonck (AMS and Quintessence) 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵! 𝘏𝘙-𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘙-𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰? examined the roles of intuition and data in HR through group and plenary discussions of several cases and evaluations of the scientific evidence for popular claims and ideas within HR. This event also included presentations from Anouck Van Hoydonck (The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson) and Kathleen Vangronsvelt (AMS). So what about the rest of Belgium? Several people and organizations committed to Evidence-Based HR spring to mind. Cedric Velghe at The VIGOR Unit, Edward Vanhoutte at Balance HR and hrpro.be. Are there other Belgian people or organizations I should also know about? Can you think of any other countries or locations who seem particularly interested in Evidence-Based HR? 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗥 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁) 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 Corporate Research Forum (CRF) - https://lnkd.in/eDieqcnC .

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Bringing like-minded decision-makers in strategy and innovation together from academics/corporates and consultants is one of our missions. Bringing people together is the best way to learn from each other. Thanks Vlerick Strategy in Action Platform (SIAP) together we can keep spreading the word.

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𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 ☕️💛 The new website is live 🥳🎉🧭 www.ocompass.be After deciding to finally pursue my dream of working independently in a field I would never get bored of, I didn’t really know where to start. The hardest part of transitioning from being an employee to being independent was not having amazing colleagues to work with. It felt like jumping into unknown waters without knowing how to navigate, and I didn’t bother to check where the available life vests were 🧐 I just knew it was time. Today, I am happy to say that I found a network of support, even though we’re not linked through an employer. #community It has been a long road getting the website live, and an even longer one feeling ready to put it all - out there - 🔥 Every time I thought, "Check, now I'm good to go," I’d discover new obstacles, to-dos, possible tweaks and improvements. 𝐀 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞. So here I go, trusting my gut that is telling me it's go time and feeling happy knowing we can always add on, improve, learn, and grow as we move along our paths. 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬.𝐛𝐞, which was entirely built by my dear friend Willem-Jan Dryvers ocompass has been in the making for four years now, ever since I quit my first job and turned my whole life around because I knew I wanted something different. 🧭 Follow your compass home. 🧭 Feel free. 🧭 Feel happy and healthy. 🧭 Experience joy. Isn't that a mission to be passionate about? 😏 Please don't hesitate to connect with me if you're interested or simply want to chat. Additionally, if you know someone who could benefit from energetic coaching, feel free to share my contact information. 🙏 #Kinesiology #FrequencyTherapy #Wellbeing #Coaching

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NEW CONTENT ALERT + LAST 2 seats available for the 2024 edition of the Venture Capital & Private Equity Programme at Vlerick! Dear network, as we are now within 10 days of kicking off our VC&PE programme, I am finding myself in the last stages of prep for this action, content, speakers and use cases packed edition. This year, Sophie Manigart, the programme director, and Miguel Meuleman and Hans Vanoorbeek, the main lecturers, added more "meat to the bone" and here is what we have in store for you: 🔦 May 24th - Kickoff Webinar (recorded) We will set the scene, introduce you to the world of VCPE, get you familiarized with some basic terms and share some latest research and data on the BeNe VCPE ecosystem. We will also kick start the self paced trajectory, where you, on our learning platform, will do some readings and exercises prior to our residential programme in Ghent 💡 June 5-6-7 - Residential Sessions on our Ghent Campus Packed agenda with case studies, exercises, lectures, panel discussions on: * evaluating investment opportunities * early stage companies valuation techniques and practices * cap tables * term sheets * 🔔 NEW: governance and control in a VC backed company * 🔔 NEW: VC exit strategies - scaling vs. selling (the why's and the why not's) * structuring a buy-out * financial modelling and debt structuring exercises ..... and more! We also make sure to cover both sides of the coin - so whether you are an entrepreneur wanting to understand this language and how investors think and tick, or a scaleup owner looking for the next round of financing, or whether you are on the "money side", we have tailored the programme to address both angles! Thank you all guest speakers and testimonials for participating in this programme, offering your expertise and sharing your stories! Looking forward to having you in the programme! Barend Van den Brande Louis Jonckheere Tom Van de Voorde Patrick Polak Johan Devenyns #venturecapital, #privateequity, #LBO, #buyouts, #vlerick, #executiveeducation, #livelearnleap

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Curious to find out how you can lead people through a digital transformation? Follow our program!

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