Liesbet Becu is an interim manager and totally into making large organizations more agile. Opening people's eyes, questioning old certainties, getting organizations on the move. That is what motivates her. The Master Class Innovative Labor Organization gave her a strong basis: "I get a very strong gut feeling when processes or structures are off. This Master Class gave me the language to put that gut feeling in exact terms."
Liesbet Becu previously headed a support department at CM with 24 employees. When CM wanted to make the switch to agile working, it was not easy to find the right approach for this change process. Horizontal, vertical: every angle just felt wrong and brought about new questions. It was only after Liesbet Becu left CM for another challenge and followed the Master Class Innovative Labor Organization at Antwerp Management School that she found the answers she was looking for.
"I really enjoyed this Master Class. I usually have a strong gut feeling when something doesn’t work, but I can't always put my finger on it. This Master Class not only gave me ‘language’, but history too. During the first days of the program you learn why our society and our organizations operate the way they do today. And why that doesn’t always work, even though everyone stubbornly sticks to the same structures from the past. It was a relief for me to see my gut feeling confirmed. All of a sudden, I got language and proof for my intuition."
"Now I know how to name things and how to get started."
"But this Master Class goes way beyond the academic theory. You also get the chance to work with real life cases. It is nice to see how companies open up to a group of students and talk unreservedly about the challenges they are facing. Based on their testimonials, we worked on solutions with our group. It is inspiring to exchange thoughts with people who know what it is all about, to design and develop possible solutions together. I didn’t have that language and knowledge during CM's change process. Now I know how to name things, I know which methods I can use and how to get started."
"In large organizations you can really make a difference. You get to break down walls and barriers and open people's eyes."
"Large organizations have often grown into needlessly complex structures without even realizing it. They usually don’t question themselves anymore because they have become well established brands and there’s no need for self-reflection. But when you see how quickly society is changing today, there simply are no more established brands. All of a sudden, large organizations find themselves competing against small start-ups that are much more flexible. People often ask me if I don’t find it hard to work with such cumbersome hierarchical structures, but that’s exactly what I like about large organizations: you can really make a difference there. You get to break down walls and barriers and open people's eyes.”
"You are successful when you love what you do. And Innovative Labor Organization can make that happen."
"I just turned 40 myself. I cannot imagine having to do a job that I hate for the next 25 years or so. The philosophy of Innovative Labor Organization makes sure that people fall in love with their jobs again and that this job satisfaction remains. We need to get rid of the idea that success means making a lot of money and having a big, expensive car parked in your driveway. You are successful when you love what you do. And I am absolutely convinced that Innovative Labor Organization can make that happen.”
"This is not just another hype. Innovative Labor Organization is here to stay."
"I have become a real believer of Innovative Labor Organization. This is not just another management hype that will be around for a few years, only to be replaced with yet another management theory. Innovative Labor Organization has been around for decades and is strongly underpinned, both by science and practice. This is definitely here to stay. It just needs to become better known. I go around recommending this Master Class to all the people I come across. Because more people need to look at their organization differently. This is the only way to remain agile as an organization.
By the way, I am now also taking the Master Class Change Management at AMS. In this way I can help organizations not only to rethink their structures, but also to effectively implement change."
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