STS Conference 2023: Moving Forward in Time |
| A sociotechnical systems (STS) perspective on the future of Organizations in the Public Services Wednesday, September 13 - Friday, September 15 in Maastricht, the Netherlands (optional culture day Tuesday, September 12). For registration click HERE. In this roundtable of the global network of SmarT organizations we analyze the challenges public organizations face and the solutions they can discover from an STS point of view. Like in STS theory, human connection is a key success factor for this 2023 conference. This is why it offers ample opportunities to network and to connect, among which is a gala diner at Château Neercanne. Together with the Global Network for SmarT Organization Design and over 20 speakers, this year promises again to be an exciting conference. Using a mix of presentations, deliberations and practical workshops, as well as a real life case study, we as a team can make a difference! Access to the 3 day conference (13,14 & 15 September 2023), including the reception on Tuesday evening, 12 September and the galadinner on 14 September can be purchased after clicking on on the link displayed above (indicated by "HERE"). You can then choose whether you want to participate in the cultural day on 12 September for an additional price of € 75. |
Public Sector Challenges
Public sectors like Welfare, Education and Healthcare face growing pressure In many countries there is growing concern about the public services. Welfare, Education and Healthcare especially face the brunt of this pressure via increases in demand and higher complexity, labor force shortages, tighter budgets, shifts to a sustainable future and so on. On the other hand, digital technology offers opportunities but at best only yields marginal gains with the current organizational forms: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them" (A. Einstein). Solutions for these problems are sought in more staff, shared service centers, standardization and centralization and so forth. However, these are the kind of solutions which increase bureaucracy and are ultimately a death end path. This year's STS conference explores what systemic changes public sectors should carry out in order to face these challenges. |  |
Meet our Keynote Speakers
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Principal Organisational Consultant, Coach and Researcher at the Tavistock Institute Camilla Child
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Emeritus Professor, Former Chief Medical Technology & Innovation Officer @ University Hospital Leuven Frank Rademakers
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Senior Full Professor Sociology of Work & Organisation @ KU Leuven Geert Van Hootegem
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Assistant Professor in Ethics & Philosophy of Technology | Programme Director BA Digital Society Katleen Gabriels
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The Program
| Tuesday - 12 September A visit to Maastricht and its surroundings. with time to (re-)connect with peers prior to the conference. In the evening there will be a welcome drink to kick-off the conference. Wednesday - 13 September The first day which features multiple keynote speeches that set the stage for STS in a time where public sector is under pressure. The afternoon builds on this intro and questions the way organisations organise work, how digitalisation influence this design. The workshops focus on different public sectors such as healthcare, government, education and the military. Thursday - 14 September Focuses on advising the Maastricht municipality on how to design their future municipal organisation. It features a workshop, team-deliberations and presentation of results. We end with a dinner at the nationally known Château Neercanne. Friday - 15 September The last day focuses on STS design on the micro-level. It features a keynote and team deliberations with presentations. The conference is closed with a reflection on the key lessons learned. |
Tuesday - 12 September |
Morning Afternoon Evening | 10:00-12:30 13:30-17:00 19:00-21:00 | Maastricht Underground Maastricht above ground cultural tour Reception at the old city hall Maastricht municipality |
Wednesday - 13 September |
Morning
Lunch Afternoon
Evening | 08:30-09:00 09:00-09:10 09:10-09:30 09:30-10:00 10:00-10:30 10:30-11:15 11:15-12:00 12:00-12:30 12:30-13:30 13:30-14:45
14:45-16:00
16:00-16:30 16:30-17:00 17:00-17:30 - | Registration (distribution of badges) Opening (President Maastricht University Prof. dr. Rianne Letschert and President USI Matthijs Moorkamp) & icebreaker Part 1 setting the stage: Looking back, Tavistock on STS and beyond by Camilla Child, Msc. (Tavistock Institute, London) Part 2 setting the stage: Looking forward, STS trends (Design Team) Break Keynote 1: Em. Prof. Dr. Frank Rademakers (KU Leuven) - "the health and care professionals of the future" + Q&A Keynote 2: Dr. Kathleen Gabriels (Maastricht University) - "AI and ethical issues in the public sector" + Q&A Intro afternoon Lunch & sign-up for sessions 3 parallel workshops:
3 parallel workshops:
3 parallel presentations:
Self-organized
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Thursday - 14 September |
Morning Lunch Afternoon Evening | 08:30-09:00 09:00-09:15 09:15-09:45 09:45-10:00 10:00-11:30 11:30-12:30 12:30-13:30 13:30-14:50 14:50-15:10 15:10-16:30 16:30-17:00 17:00-18:30 18:30-19:00 19:00-22:00 22:30 | Walk to the city hall Welcome to Maastricht municipality Info, challenge and Q&A - Organizational renewal at Maastricht Municipality Break Iteration 1: Deliberation on organizational challenges (3 clusters) Iteration 2: Integration of the clusters, focus on design Lunch Iteration 3: Change & implementation (leadership, change & communication) Break Presentation and recommendations to the Maastricht municipality Goodbyes Free time in Maastricht Bus trip to Château Neercanne for gala-diner Gala-diner at Château Neercanne Departure to the hotel |
Friday - 15 September |
Morning
Lunch Afternoon | 08:30-09:10 09:10-09:25 09:25-10:10 10:10-10:40 10:40-10:55 10:55-12:40 12:40-13:40 13:40-14:55 14:55-15:10 15:10-15:40 | Social Dreaming by Camilla Child, Msc. (Tavistock Institute, London) Recap day 1 & 2, intro day 3 Keynote 3: Prof. Dr. Geert Van Hootegem (KU Leuven) Dealing with Labor Market Challenge by Organizational Design Deliberations in small groups: STS design and the micro level, incl. reporting out Break Parallel case presentations: participants discuss solutions and evaluate the solution the organization implemented: 1. Jan Vanwezer (Woonzorgnet Dijleland vzw) - Director of "De Wingerd", a residential care center 2. Ben Smeets (FOD BOSA, the personnel department of the Belgian Federal Government) - Directeur-Generaal Recruitment & Development Lunch Deliberation on Lessons Learned from Conference by Bert Painter Outlook on conference 2024 Farewell |
The conference will take place in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Maastricht We will be in a larger conference and depending on the type of session the larger room will be split up into smaller rooms. We have reservations for 40 rooms based on a special conference fee: 149 euros for a single room and 169 euros for a double room. These conference rates are valid until March 31. After that, the number of available rooms for these rates will decrease and from May daily prices apply. We recommend to book as soon as possible, as September is quite busy touristic month which reflects in room rates. Keep in mind that the weather in September will be between 15-20 °C. Click on the icon below for a link to the route.
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How to book the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Maastricht at discounted rates? By clicking HERE or on the Crowne Plaza logo you will be taken to the booking site. There are few points to take into account when booking:
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Reaching Maastricht and the venue Maastricht can be easily reached by train. The train station (link) is located at 700 meters or 9 min walking from the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Click on the icon below for the location on Google Maps.
For flights, we recommend the aiprorts of Amsterdam, Brussels (Zaventem), or Dusseldorf and subsequently a train to reach Maastricht. Train tickets can be best purchased from the country you are departing from (access the website by clicking on the logo): Netherlands Belgium Germany
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The Design Team
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Organisatiedesign en -ontwikkeling. Expertise in zorg en non-profit Chris Sels
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Principal Organisational Consultant, Coach & Researcher @ the Tavistock Institute Camilla Child
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Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter @ Universität Duisburg-Essen Erich Latniak
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Initiate change in organisations - Specialising in healthcare organisations Jean-Pierre Boijmans
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 Adviseur ST-Groep Pierre van Amelsvoort
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 Associate Professor & Disruptive Org-Digital Thinker Mark Govers
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For any questions or remarks on STS 2023 an email can be send to info@STS2023.nl. |
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