Content uploaded by Mignon Van Halderen
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Mignon Van Halderen on May 18, 2021
Content may be subject to copyright.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
1
Shiing
Paradigms
ought Leadership as
Instigator of Societal Change
Dr Mignon van Halderen
This publication is an elaborate version of the
inaugural speech of Dr Mignon van Halderen,
which was given on 15 October 2015 at Fontys
University of Applied Sciences, School of
Communication Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
2
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
3
Index
1. Introduction – a society of change
2. Three types of change
2.1 First-order change: incremental
2.2 Second-order change: radical
2.3 Third-order change: transformative
3. The role of paradigm shifts in
a society of change
3.1 What are paradigms and paradigm shifts?
3.2 The role of paradigm shifts in a society of change
4. Thought leadership as instigator
of societal change
4.1 Two types of logic underlying thought leadership
4.1.1 Thought leadership with a strategic focus
4.1.2 Thought leadership with a transformation focus
4.2 The vision of the Dutch School of Thought:
blending both types of logic
5. The ambitions of the
Dutch School of Thought
5.1 Spearhead one: applied research along three lines
5.1.1 How organisations contribute to shifting paradigms and societal change
5.1.2 How novel points of view trigger new ways of thinking, and ultimately
contribute to the shifting of paradigms
5.1.3 How to measure thought leadership impact
5.2 Spearhead two: share and engage
5.2.1 Share and engage with our students and colleagues
5.2.2 Share and engage with practitioners in the field
6. Closing
7. A word of thanks
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
4
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
5
A note to my readers
This publication is a detailed version of my inaugural speech at Fontys
University of Applied Sciences, School of Communication in Eindhoven. It
is addressed to leaders, managers, employees, advisers, students, lectur-
ers and researchers who are involved in organisations pursuing thought
leadership strategies. To refer to the different roles of my readers, I will
use the term ‘practitioners’ in this publication.
You will notice that I refer to both the Fontys Lectorate Thought
Leadership in a Society of Change as well as Dutch School of Thought.
The lectorate aims to build a movement of people who connect to
thought leadership. The virtual home of this international movement is
the Dutch School of Thought - an international interdisciplinary institute
on the domain of thought leadership, powered by Fontys University of
Applied Sciences, School of Communication in Eindhoven. The Dutch
School of Thought embodies our blended vision on thought leadership; a
vision that I will elaborate on in this publication.
The lectorate and the Dutch School of Thought operate as twins; similar
entities working hand-in-hand, each of which has its own unique focus.
With the lectorate, we aim to conduct applied research to develop new
insights on thought leadership and, by sharing these insights, bridge
education, research and the organisational field in the domain of thought
leadership. It is with the Dutch School of Thought that we aim to get an
international movement of people started that focuses on developing
thought leadership to become a substantively meaningful and pioneering
positioning strategy.
You will also see that I sometimes personify the lectorate and Dutch
School of Thought by using the term ‘I’ and at other times by referring
to ‘we’. When using ‘we’, I am referring to the team of people of which
the lectorate and the Dutch School of Thought consists: our researchers,
affiliated lecturers, students as well as knowledge partners and members.
I choose to use ‘I’ when I deliberately explain the vision that I developed
on several themes involving Thought Leadership in a Society of Change.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
6
1 | Introduction - a society of change
Most of us work either for or in organisations. These organisations range
from stock-market listed companies, social entrepreneurs, non-profits to
institutions, universities, schools or consulting firms.
While the organisations that we all work for differ in size, focus, culture
or people, what connects us is the fact that our organisations are finding
themselves in the middle of societal change.
On a global level, the financial crisis has driven many of us to adopt the
conviction that we need to extricate ourselves from the neo-classical
vision that has led our economy for years; a generally mechanistic and
dehumanised view of economic society driven by cost-effectiveness and
profit maximisation without reflecting on human and environmental
sustainability issues (Jurriaanse, 2015).
On a business level, we are obser ving a rise in CEOs and other executives
who are embracing ‘social purpose’ as part of their business values.
CEOs such as Paul Polman of Unilever and Feike Sijbesma of DSM are
just two of these refreshing examples. Social enterprises, such as Tony
Chocolonely, Patagonia or Tesla are organisations that apply commercial
and entrepreneurial strategies to maximise improvements in human
and environmental well-being. Investors with a social focus are also
on the rise.
On a societal level, we are seeing an upsurge in (groups of) people who
seek to distance themselves from establishments in our society. In the
Netherlands, an increasing number of people do not pursue a permanent
employment contract, and find their flexibility and freedom by starting
their own company (van ‘t Veer & Dorr, 2014). People turn away from
ingrained consumerism and feel more comfortable in sharing things with
people they trust.
What binds all these developments is, in my view, an underlying need
on the part of societ y and individuals to make our economic and societal
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
7
system more human and sustainable. Hence, there is a growing need
to shake loose old ways of acting, disregarding ingrained, interlocked
systems and replacing old types of logic for refreshing new ones. We
are desperately searching for new thoughts, new types of logic, new
worldviews.
What we are talking about here is not simply incremental change. That is
to say, incremental modifications in the way we work, the way we have
organised our communities or society as a whole. This is often called
first-order change – slight adjustments in structures, programmes or
politics in order to better implement strategies or policies (Bartunek,
1984). Nothing transformational here. Things stay the same, the old story
can still be told, and much of it would still be reversible. It’s also not quite
second-order change in which organisations and societal communities
shift from one set of fundamental beliefs about who they are and
what they mean to another – one that fits in better with its changing
(competitive) environment.
What we have been dealing with over the past few years in our society
is what we could call third-order change: fundamental transitions in how
we deal with important societal themes. With respect to many themes
(healthcare, education, energy), we find ourselves right in the middle
of a transition about to take place (Rotmans, 2014). It It is precisely this
third-order change that requires us to shake loose old ways of thinking
and acting. It requires an awareness of our current ways of thinking and a
transformation to something quite new, different and even impossible to
grasp. A transformation in which we often aren’t even aware yet to what it
will transform. It may be beyond the grasp of our reasoning or imagination,
but we just know that there is a future reality that suits us better.
As the Dutch designer and innovator Daan Roosegaarde describes it: ‘We
are searching for a new system, but we don’t know what that looks like
yet. It doesn’t matter; this is in fact characterising the “new thinking”. We
search, we experiment (Boerman, 2013).’
Third-order change is therefore to some extent fragile; the process is
vulnerable, uncertain and full of questions. It requires new learning and
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
8
‘It is by the virtue of their
ability to translate their
thought-provoking convictions
into real behaviour that they
are caed thought leaders in
a society of change. ey are
organisations that are led by
a novel viewpoint on our
society and that show leadership
in translating these viewpoints
into real behaviour and results’
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
9
new stories that have to be told. It is disorienting in its process, but at the
same time, it reveals when new realities start to take shape.
I’d venture to say that the majority of you is triggered by these trans-
formational changes. I’d also be so bold as to say that you are challenged
by the question of how your organisation should position itself vis-à-vis
these changes. After all, the fact is that organisations can no longer dis-
connect themselves from the transformative dynamics in our society. We
are living in a society that is in transition with respect to many different
themes. This begs the question: how is my organisation going to position
itself vis-à-vis these transitions? While we are interested in transitions as a
whole, the lectorate’s focus is specifically on studying the paradigm shifts
accompanying these transitions and how organisations take a logical role
in these processes of paradigm shifting.
Since my PhD research at the Rotterdam School of Management at
Erasmus University, I have been studying how organisations (profit,
non-profit, private or public) perceive themselves relative to societal
change and, particularly, how their positioning evolves vis-à-vis these
societal changes (van Halderen, et al., 2014; Hunter, et al., 2013; van
Halderen, et al., 2011). Organisations that are driven by their unique
convictions, that question status quo thinking and propose alternative
realities; these are more often realities in which business and societal
goals blend together. Not just for the sake of questioning the status quo
but because they embrace alternative ways of thinking that may ignite
changes. Organisations that dare to express novel viewpoints and, by
doing so, ‘galvanise others to think new thoughts, modify the way they
have always done things, and embark on new behaviours, new paths,
and new actions to transform the world (Brosseau, 2013, p. xvi).’
It is by the virtue of their ability to translate their thought-provoking
convictions into real behaviour that they are called thought leaders
in a society of change. They are organisations that are led by a novel
viewpoint on our society and that show leadership in translating these
viewpoints into real behaviour and results.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
10
Such organisations may be rare. We might call them ‘a dime a dozen’ and
therefore disregard them as not being part of our own organisational
reality. However, this is not the point. The point is that we can learn from
their unique way of doing things. It is by looking at the extreme, that we
can get inspired to stimulate new ways of thinking and doing, serve our
future reality.
So, what characterises such companies? What does their positioning look
like? How do these companies break away from old, established types of
logic and mindsets and spur new ways of thinking? More to the point:
how do they visibly contribute to new worldviews, to new paradigms?
Many of us recognise the increasing role of organisations in driving
positive societal change processes, but the essential cognitive process of
breaking down old worldviews and building up new ones has rarely been
studied. This is remarkable, since shifts in mindsets, or worldviews, are a
prerequisite for fundamental change.
To better understand how struggles in the process of paradigm shifts
play out, the Fontys Lectorate Thought Leadership in a Society of Change
examines how thought-leading organisations drive paradigm shifts as
a prerequisite for transformational change to take place in this respect.
In the following chapters, I first explain in more detail the differences
between first-, second- and third-order change. Chapter 3 addresses the
notion of paradigms and paradigm shifts and the importance of shifting
paradigms to realise societal change. In Chapter 4, I make the connection
between these ideas and our blended vision on thought leadership. I
explain thought leadership as both a form of positioning and stra tegy,
driving paradigm shifts in order to contribute to transformations on
important themes in our society (third-order change). As part of this, I
elaborate on what, in my view, is the proper role of communication pro-
fessionals: important contributors to instigating paradigm shifts through
their skills in not only imagining, shaping and expressing new realities, but
also living up to them. With this point of view on thought leadership and
the role of communication professionals, I will outline the mission and
plans of the Dutch School of Thought in Chapter 5.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
11
2 | Three types of change
As previously mentioned, we can discern between three types of change.
See Figure 1 for an illustration of the three types of change.
2.1 First-order change: incremental
This form of change refers to incremental adjustments in the way
an organisation works. It involves a slight modification within the
existing structure of the organisation. Examples include adjustments
to the organisation’s inventory system, financial administration or
team structure, merely for purposes of a more effective and efficient
implementation of the company’s strategy. First-order change alters
ways of working, not really the fundamental beliefs on which the
organisation is operating. First-order changes are incremental and often
reversible. The existing paradigm remains and is left unquestioned.
2.2 Second-order change: radical
This type of change involves a radical shift away from the company’s
fundamental beliefs. Such shifts become for instance necessar y when
an organisation gets out of sync with its environment (Sheldon, 1980,
p. 63). When this mismatch becomes substantial, previously taken-for-
granted assumptions about the core, distinctive and enduring attributes
of the organisation must be challenged and need to change to better fit
within the changing environment (Reger, et al., 1994; Dutton & Dukerich,
1991). Second-order change involves cognitive reorientations of the
organisation (Gioia & Chittipeddi, 1991) whereby employees and other
stakeholders are asked to understand and accept a new, preferred reality
of the organisation (Gioia, et al., 1994). It is generally seen as the task
of leadership to secure these shifts in shared meaning and it is then the
role of language, symbolism and metaphors to give meaning to this new
future reality. Second-order change is much more rare than first-order
change but is probably a type of change that many of us have undergone
or managed within our own organisation.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
12
Second-order change does not only occur within organisations.
Numerous studies have examined how shifts in types of logic are taking
place within organisational fields or societal groups and how actors may
take an active entrepreneurial role in order to change types of logic in
ways that serve their purposes (Greenwood, et al., 2002; Maguire, et
al., 2004; Greenwood & Suddaby, 2006). Examples include the case of
gay and HIV-positive groups of people advocating changing HIV/AIDS
treatment (Maguire, et al., 2004), the role of accounting and associated
professional associations in radically changing the field of accountancy
(Greenwood & Suddaby, 2006; Greenwood, et al., 2002), and the
introduction of nouvelle cuisine as opposed to the traditional cuisine in
French restaurants (Rao, et al., 2003).
2.3 Third-order change: transformative
Although the last form of change is a much less familiar form, it is still
a form of change that is becoming increasingly more important in our
society.
An essential, basic assumption about third-order change is that we often
don’t know yet what our future reality will look like. While second-order
change involves a process of giving people a sense of a new, desired
conceptualisation of future reality, third-order change allows for future
realities that are, at first glance, hard to conceptualise. We have, for
instance, no clue about what a society driven by robotic technology will
look like. We are now educating children who are going to work in a
society that is transforming intensively. We guess, speculate, hypothesise
but we have no ‘pre-set’ conceptualisation of this new reality. We have
clues, imagining this new reality, but there is not a ‘fixed’ new reality that
we can grasp yet. There are so many elements influencing change and
there are so many ongoing changes within that change that it takes time
for us to create new understandings.
Bartunek and Moch (1994) intelligibly describe how third-order changes
require us to move beyond our existing concepts or schema. According to
the authors, we are dealing with changes that ask us to move toward a
future reality that is based on ‘transconceptual modes of understanding
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
13
(p. 25)’. Changes that require paradigm shifts in which we become
aware of experiences that cannot be embodied by any of our existing
conceptual schema. Such changes are generally not confined to just
the organisation in question, but affect larger societal changes. A s
described by Tsoukas & Papoulias (2005), ‘the organisation needs to
be seen in its broader institutional context, not as a self-contained
economic entity (p. 80).’
It is third-order change that is the focus of the Lectorate Thought
Leadership and the Dutch School of Thought. We take the assumption
as our starting point that thought-leading organisations embrace and
aim to contribute to third-order change.
Thought leadership is, in my view, about the ability to shift or even tilt
paradigms in a society characterised by the need for third-order change;
this is a way of thinking about thought leadership that has so far been
overlooked. To better understand the role of paradigm shifts in these
types of change, the next chapter zooms in on the meaning of paradigms
and paradigm shifts.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
14
ird-order change
(transformational)
Involves societal and transformational
changes and the role of organisations within
these transitions
Blending organisations and society
Moving to future realities sti hard to conceive
Paradigm shi s take place: a process of
breaking down old worldviews and building
new ones that are sti hard to imagine
Requires a leap of faith
Second-order change
(radical)
Involves radical changes within an
organisation that are irreversible
Re-orienting the organisation
to something quite di erent
Paradigm shi s take place:
a process of rede ning the distinguishing
identity features of the organisation: who are
we and what we stand for in relation to
our changing market and society
First-order change
(incremental)
Involves slight adjustments within the
existing structure
Doing more or less of something
e adjustments are reversible
Old corporate story can sti be told
Paradigm shi s are not taking place
Figure 1: e characteristics of rst-order, second-order and third-order change
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
15
3 | The role of paradigm shifts
in a society of change
Nowadays, the term ‘paradigm, along with its companion paradigm shift, is
embarrassingly ever ywhere (Hacking, 1962, p. xix).’ As a result, the mean-
ing of the term is increasingly becoming watered down. Many also use the
term in a superficial way. So, if we want to study the role of paradigm shifts
in societies of change, we first need to equip ourselves with a good under-
standing of its original meanings. This is what I aim to do in this chapter.
3.1 What are paradigms and paradigm shifts?
Our current understanding of paradigms has been largely influenced
by the American physicist and philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn.
Thomas Kuhn was interested in how scientific knowledge evolves.
He claimed that the practices of a certain scientific community are
influenced by the earlier successful achievements of scholars in that
scientific community. These scholars’ achievements were becoming
‘exemplary’ for this scientific community’s traditional ways of thinking
and practices. It was becoming the ‘paradigm’, the ‘constellation of
concepts, values, perceptions and practices shared by a community,
which forms a particular vision of reality that is the basis of the way a
community organizes itself (Capra, 1996, p. 6).’ To Kuhn (1962), this
meant that scientific communities are not so much guided by the practice
of objective research but by their existing paradigm. According to Kuhn,
the current paradigm is seldom questioned. New results are only marginal
and mostly confirm the current paradigm. Results contradicting the
paradigm are ignored or regarded as irrelevant. It is only once in a
while that existing paradigms are shaken up. Indeed, only when
existing models do not offer a well-enough explanation for observed
phenomena, or if a new model convincingly shows new explanatory
power, a paradigm shift takes place. A classic example is the theory of
Copernicus that replaced the paradigm that the sun moves around the
earth. However, even in more modern science, paradigm shifts also
take place. Capra, for instance, studied the shift from linear thinking
to systems thinking in science, and the implications that this new way
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
16
of conceiving reality had on other sciences such as Gestalt theory and
ecology (Capra, 1996).
Nowadays, the idea of paradigms has also been frequently used within
organisational contex ts. To study paradigms within organisations,
scholars have used a variety of terms such as ‘worldviews’, ‘master
scripts’, ‘ideologies’, ‘schemata’, ‘interpretive scheme’ and, according
to some scholars, even ‘cultures’. The American scholar Pfeffer (1981)
talks of paradigms as ‘systems of shared meaning’ and argues that
organisations are not so much systems of structures, programmes, rules
and regulations, but systems of people with a shared meaning. He goes
on to say that organisational paradigms are important because people
want to develop understandings of their organisational world so that
they have enough predictability and control to take action (1981, p. 4).
Moreover, people feel a desire to relate their personal meaning to the
collective meaning or ‘purpose’ of the organisation, or at least the unit
or division they work for. Paradigms, or shared worldviews, can create a
sense of belonging and also respond to our need to distinguish ourselves
from other groups or organisations (Tajfel & Turner, 1985). So, paradigms
1) provide meaning, 2) create a feeling of belonging as well as 3) group
distinctiveness and 4) are a cognitive anchor point from which to take
action and make decisions. As Kaplan nicely puts it: we ‘make choices
and act from within that understanding (Kaplan, 2008)’.
Paradigms also exist within the different environments that organisations
have to contend with (for instance, the industry that they work in or the
field or profession in which they operate). Paradigms within these orga-
nisational fields are often referred to in the academic literature as ‘insti-
tutional logics: underlying assumptions, deeply held, often unexamined,
which form a framework within which reasoning takes place (Horn, 1983
in Suddaby & Greenwood, 2005, p. 37).’ Along similar lines as those I
described above, logics within a certain field (an industr y, a religious order,
a field or profession) provide ‘guidelines for practical action (Rao, et al.,
2003, p. 795)’. The actions, in turn, further re-emphasise logics, making it
even more ingrained, stable and durable. The same argument applies here
as that described earlier: because these logics are strongly institutionalized,
it is quite understandable why they are so difficult to change.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
17
Paradigms can be explicit or implicit. They are taken for granted,
deep-seated, often undisputed and generally strongly intert wined with
people’s values, sentiments or emotions about the value of things. It
is precisely these features of being deep-seated, taken for granted,
sensitive, and undisputed that paradigms come to have great stability and
paradigm shifts are extremely challenging.
Yet, despite their rigidity, paradigms are not frozen (Greenwood & Sud-
daby, 2006, p. 28). All sorts of events such as technological innovations,
social upheaval, financial crises, innovative disruptors or the acts of social
movement groups can challenge ingrained ways of thinking, increase
awareness of ‘alternate logics’ and ‘change the intellectual climate of ide-
as’, thereby ‘enabling the possibility of change (Greenwood & Suddaby,
2006, p. 28)’.
In fact, for societal change to happen, we need to be able to let go of
traditional paradigms and make way for new ones.
3.2 The role of paradigm shifts in a society of change
Both second-order and third-order change involve the shifting of
paradigm, yet both on a slightly different level. Second-order change
involves a process of cognitive re-orientation whereby it is often the
task of leaders and managers to ask employees and other relevant
stakeholders to shift their views about their organisation from one shared
system of meaning to a new one preferred by leaders. This often comes
down to an internal process of re- conceptualising the organisation’s
identity- defining features in terms of what the organisation is, what it
does and why it does the things it does (Schultz, et al., 2000). These
forms of paradigms shifts are often challenging processes, yet have
a certain amount of predic tability because leaders often have a well-
formulated vision of their newly desired identity and they seek to impose
this new reality onto their organisation.
Third-order change, which is much more closely linked to societal change,
may be more unpredictable than second-order change within organisa-
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
18
tions. It involves moving toward a new societal reality that is inevitably
going to influence our daily lives, but we have little clue yet how this new
reality will manifest itself in our society and how it will change the lives
of people, communities or organisations. All we know is that the current
situation has become untenable and our society needs change. We know
for instance that our world population will rise and that increasingly more
people will be living in cities by 2050, but we cannot yet concretely define
what our cities will look like in order to ensure all these urban citizens
have safe, healthy and comfortable city lives.
Hence, in order for third-order change to happen, we need for people
and communities to break free from their old paradigm, to take a leap
of faith in order to move to a new reality that is not yet out there. This is
what we call paradigm shifting, and we see it as the role of organisations
to contribute to shifting paradigms and third-order change. We already
see these processes happening in cities. ‘Whereas national governments
are stuck in their own bureaucratic inertia and partisan politics, towns are
bubbling with energy, optimism and vigour. (Tegenlicht – The power to
the City, 2014)’ Indeed, pragmatic city leaders and networks of citizens
are re-inventing their cities by implementing innovative and pragmatic
solutions to problems such as energy supply, elderly care and poverty.
However, professionals who have worked on transitions know that you
work on each level of change and that the three levels are interdependent
(see Figure 1). In order for organisations to actually contribute to
third-order change, they need to re-orient their ideas of how they see
themselves vis-à-vis the changing society, which requires second- order
change. After all, the less predictable the future reality to which they
aim to contribute is, the more important it becomes for organisations
to reconsider their own identity in light of these changes, as it ser ves as
their anchor point in taking their leap of faith. Contributing to third-order
change also requires first-order change because their transformational
decisions will certainly have implications for adjusting their current struc-
tures and programmes.
However, despite the interdependence of these types of change,
third-order change is often overlooked if not outright neglected.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
19
People think they are dealing with third-order change, when in actual
fact, it is only second-order change. They may reflect on how they are
relating to societal changes and re-position themselves accordingly, but
they do not actually play a noticeable role in contributing to fundamental
future change.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
20
4 | Thought leadership as instigator
of societal change
In the previous chapter, I discussed the role of paradigm shifts in
third-order change. At the Dutch School of Thought, we view thought
leaders as companies contributing to these changes by challenging old
worldviews and realising new ones through their provocative thoughts
(embodied in novel points of view) and living up to them through related
substantial actions.
4.1 Two types of logic underlying thought leadership
To further elaborate on this view, I will first outline two existing types
of logic on thought leadership. I will then argue why these two forms
of logic should be better combined by practitioners and organisations
seeking to equip their organisation for future change.
4.1.1 Thought leadership with a strategic focus
The first type of logic on thought leadership carries a strong business
rationale. By the 1970s, B-to-B companies like McKinsey & Company,
the Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company started to embrace
new ways of raising their profiles and setting themselves apart from their
competitors by showcasing their intellectual capacities in order to be
seen by clients as their ‘trusted voice’ on the problems and issues that
mattered to them (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007; Economist, 2010).
To this end, B-to-B companies started to develop ‘thought leadership
publications (e.g., McKinsey Quarterly)’, through which they circulated
their intellectual ideas and refreshing insight, reframing how companies
think about their key business problems (Young, 2013; van Halderen,
et al., 2013). These publications were since then dubbed as ‘thought-
leadership publications’ and their intellectual content was referred to
as ‘thought leadership’. Circulating these intellectual works became for
many consulting firms an effective way to raise their profile and position
their brand as being ‘intellectually superior to the competition (Crainer
& Dearlove, 1999, p. 27).’ The sharing of intellectual ideas and break-
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
21
through models is for companies like McKinsey & Company and the
Boston Consulting Group the currenc y they use to build their brand and
find their competitive advantage.
Nowadays, more and more companies such as Booz & Company, Cap
Gemini and Goldman Sachs are embracing thought leadership, and
PR agencies are developing full-on thought leadership strategies for
their clients (Bourne, 2015). They hire thought leadership directors and
teams dedicated to promote ‘their thought leadership’. By leveraging
their untapped intellectual capacities, conducting in-depth research and
packaging these intellectual ideas and insights in the form of whitepa-
pers, editorial articles, appealing videos or speeches at ‘thought leading’
platforms such as the World Economic Forum, they seek to be seen as the
‘trusted voice’ and the authority on complex matters that concern their
clients and customers.
Today, we see that these complex matters are increasingly connected
to societal issues that organisations can no longer afford to ignore.
Companies like IBM or Philips saw the market landscape changing and
realised that in today’s ever more complex society, clients are increasingly
confronted with social, economic or environmental problems. Innovative
products themselves are no longer sufficient; they are on the lookout
for refreshing ways of thinking, for new perspectives, that help them
reframe their key issues and move toward new insights and solutions
(van Halderen & Kettler-Paddock, 2012). Companies such as IBM and
Philips saw a window of oppor tunity for linking their positioning to
societal themes that mattered to their clients and relevant stakeholders
on an increasing level. For instance, IBM’s clients in the business-to-
government field are not so much interested in IBM selling IT solutions
or software as they are in gaining insights and solutions that help them
overcome today’s challenges concerning important themes such as city
infrastructure or global water management. Packaged as their Smarter
Planet campaign and launched in 2008, IBM addressed their (potential)
clients’ concerns by challenging their conventional thinking on how some
of the world’s issues should be viewed. Through various communication
platforms, they reached their audiences (city leaders, CEOs, health care
specialists) with a ‘systems point of view’ on their essential problems.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
22
Their viewpoint was perhaps not radically new (we previously discussed
the idea of ‘systems thinking’ in our section about paradigms), but it was
compellingly and provokingly tied to how we should look at many of
the problems we face today. IBM certainly took a positioning focus with
respect to its thought leadership, but it also embraced the transformation
logic as explained in the next paragraph, as you will see in paragraph 4.2.
Consumers also seem increasingly more attracted to brands that
challenge the status quo on themes that touch their daily lives.
Although it met with critique and controversy (Burns, 2014), the
Self-Esteem Campaign of Unilever’s personal care brand Dove is a
frequently referred-to example of thought leadership in the consumer
branding world. The brand cleverly tapped into the gut feelings of many
women about the disturbingly unrealistic beauty standards set by the
beauty industry. An untapped societal concern that was just there for the
taking. Dove jumped at the chance, and addressed women’s concerns
by promulgating a compelling viewpoint on the definition of beauty.
With its point of view, the brand challenged society’s distor ted view
of beauty and sparked further debate about the issue. The campaign
boosted brand attitudes, word-of-mouth advertising and consumers’
tendency to buy the brand’s products (van Halderen, et al., 2013). More
recently, Procter & Gamble’s Always brand launched the #LikeaGirl video,
in which it challenges the conventional idea that girls and women are
weaker, more fragile or unstable than boys or men. In the campaign,
the brand challenges its audience by posing the question why the saying
‘Like a girl’ is so often used as an insult instead of a compliment. The
campaign clearly challenges unquestioned ways of thinking and behaving
in our society that are taken for granted. As such, Always is stretching
customers’ brand perceptions far beyond the female products that it sells.
Thus, the underlying logic of thought leadership here is that stakeholders
are increasingly attentive to refreshing viewpoints that break away from old
individual schemas or collec tive paradigms, helping them to find new solu-
tions for their important issues (Alexander & Badings, 2012). The assump-
tion is that thought leadership may provide just that. If your company has
the capability to offer thought leadership, customers will regard your firm
as a trusted voice and a preferred partner to work with (Badings, 2009).
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
23
4.1.2 Thought leaders with a transformation focus
Thought leaders with a transformation focus take a visible role in driving
desired societal changes. This includes organisations that are convinced of
a future reality that does not yet exist, and are therefore willing to take a
leap of faith into this unknown reality. They are prepared to openly chal-
lenge the status quo and bring about substantial change, starting with
their own strategic choices, practices and cultures. These types of com-
panies are not just pursuing thought leadership for the sake of achieving
the position; these types of companies have a revolutionary drive. It is
precisely because of this that we refer to them as transformation-focused
thought leaders. Apple is a frequently cited example.
Another example of such a challenger to the established order is the
American developer of electronic cars, Tesla. In a market still dominated
by cars running on petrol, Tesla wants to ensure that everyone can drive
affordable electric vehicles (for further information about Tesla, see the
Trending Topic of Bran Martens ‘Thought Leadership – two streams of
thought’ on www.dutchschoolofthought.com).
Nowadays, such companies are often dubbed as ‘core-purpose’ driven
companies (Collins & Porras, 1996; Sinek, 2009). Companies whose
purpose goes beyond the mere maximisation of profits; they attach
social meaning to what they do. These organisations are called ‘meaning-
driven companies’. Transformation-focused thought leaders are certainly
meaning-driven, but there is something more specific to them that
makes them thought leading. The subtle difference is an important one
to illuminate, because it directs our attention to where it is needed by
organisations in order for (paradigmatic) change to occur.
While transformation-focused thought leaders are certainly driven by a
purpose, it is not the purposefulness that defines them as thought lead-
ing. Transformation-focused thought leaders are known for articulating
their purpose in such a way that it becomes a status quo-unlocking,
inspiring and mobilising viewpoint about what this new reality may
be like. Organisations become characterised as thought leading in a
revolutionary sense when people see them openly and visibly speaking
up about and standing up for their alternative viewpoints on important
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
24
themes in society (Murray, 2012). They strongly desire shifts in world-
views and believe in a future realit y that better responds to the problems,
needs, contradictions and desired values, norms and lifestyles that we
recognise these days. Since transformation-focused thought leaders seek
change in collective thoughts and actions, they back up their viewpoints
with their own actions. They lead by example through compelling actions
(see box 1).
There is more to transformation-focused thought leadership that we
need to consider to appreciate it as being different from the first type
of thought leadership. Promulgating future realities that are hard to
conceive places organisations in a vulnerable position. Not only because
these organisations openly speak out and take a stand in often difficult
discussions, but mostly because they take a leap of faith and therefore
exist somewhere between a current and future reality. It is a process
which can be disorienting, because they know what they want to shift,
but do not know how this shift will come about. Stakeholders of an
organisation, not the least significant of which are employees, may find
it difficult to understand the new reality. They do not see the merits, par-
ticularly if this new reality gives rise to feelings of letting go of old realities
that serve their self-interests, or when the newly endorsed reality does
not yet seem to correspond to operational realities. Since these processes
involve uncertainty, unpredictability and also scepticism, they tend to be
controversial and require comprehension and justification challenges.
These challenges involve building trust among important stakeholders
(see box 2) and, on a related note, proving one’s authenticity in their
thought-leading purpose.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
25
box 1:
Tony Chocolonely going against ingrained
assumptions in the cacao-industry
Tony Chocolonely is a chocolate producer that co mbines the articu la-
tion of a novel point of v iew with compein g actions to drive cha nge
in the c acao industry. e company strives for a future in whic h the
product ion of cacao is 100% slave-labou r free. e cacao in dustry is
immensely complex wit h powerfu l chocolate dea lers and chocol ate
manu facturers t hat have an economica l interest in keeping th e cacao
prices t o farmers low. So the chance s are that the co mplete abolish-
ment of slavery may never happen. Moreo ver, given the complexity of
chan ging this whole system, it is st i hard to im agine what such a new
real ity would be li ke. While most people in t he cacao sector a re aware of
the problems of slave ry, many just bel ieve that the y are insucient to
drive the cha nge, or that it shou ld be the respon sibility of ot her partie s
in the e ld. Tony Chocolonely ’s viewpoint is d ierent. is company
is conv inced that an end can be put to slaver y. eir core p urpose,
abolishing modern sl avery, is a view point that goes straight against
ingr ained assu mptions that are taken for granted in the i ndustry. Tony
shows its c ommitment t o its point of vie w through compeing forms
of commu nication and action s. It has created a road map to its fut ure
real ity of 100% slave-free chocolate , includin g 55 goals with measur able
target s for most of these goa ls.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
26
box 2:
Dutch municipality Bergeijk speaks out, stands up and mobilises
people to contribute to shiing paradigms and change in the
healthcare system
Whil e many of my examples involve for-prot organisation s, we also see
thoug ht leadership at non-prot organi sations. In light of the soarin g
healt hcare costs a nd public discontent about the fu nctionin g of the
Dutch he althcare system, t he community of Bergeijk i n the south of the
Nether lands has been the proverbial David taking on G oliath. Bergeijk
is outs poken in its viewpoint that hea lthcare shou ld be removed fro m
the stronghold of m anagement and b ureaucracy, and t hat a part ies in
the hea lthcare sector shou ld return to t he ‘essence’ of hea lthcare.
From here, t hey should re- evaluate how t o invest public m oney and
deploy hu man resources in th e sector. Bergeijk sees the healthcare
tran sition as more than a cut; a transformat ion in how we view
healthcare is requi red.
Init iay this was a one-ma n operation, initiated by the alderman
Frank van der Meijden, in response to the new Soc ial Support Act
of 2015. is ne w law caed for shi ing the responsibi lity of soci al
healt hcare to loca l communit ies, encouraging more indepe ndence
and sel f-reliance on the part of those in nee d of healthca re. Van der
Meijden launched a s uccessful program me to support t he citizens of
Bergeijk and ensu re them that they would not be abandoned when it
came to t heir healt hcare needs. is was accompa nied by a succes sful
media campaign which generated a lot of appreciat ion and interest on
the part of other municipalit ies, trigger ing them to adopt Bergeijk’s
new mode l. e alderman has m anaged to ray more like-m inded
counc iors and repre sentatives around hi m. e next step for the
commu nity is to orga nize inspiration session s with healt hcare
providers, cons ultants a nd innovative entrepreneurs working in
the hea lthcare sector. is bu ndling of streng ths was preced ed by
inten sive lobbying by the alderma n and his tea m .
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
27
4.2 The vision of Dutch School of Thought :
blending both types of logic
Taken separately, the two types of logic reflect different motivations for
organisations to embrace thought leadership.
Amongst communication professionals who have made thought leader-
ship a priority in their strategic plans, I mostly see the first type of logic:
achieving the positioning of thought leadership as the company’s primary
driver. This is understandable because this is what they are held account-
able for by their immediate super visors. I have also seen practitioners
who firmly believe in the second view on thought leadership and strongly
distance themselves from the first. Any organisation that combines its
societal change purposes with strategic purposes would be seen as
unauthentic and is therefore inherently ‘wrong’. To these practitioners,
intentionally contributing to change does not reconcile with the logic of
competitive positioning and seeking business opportunities.
In today’s dynamically changing society however, this distinction between
the strategic and transformation focus on thought leadership is not nearly
so cut and dried. There are companies whose reason to exist has always
been to transform the societal issues that matter to them; these are the
so-called social entrepreneurs of our time. Nonetheless, social entrepre-
neurs are well aware of the fact that it is precisely their transformative
message that attracts stakeholders to their company and boosts their
brand and competitive positioning. There are also companies that are
keenly focused on their competitive positioning, but believe they can
only achieve results by igniting transformational change on the issues
that matter to us today. In their thinking, you see both views on thought
leadership combined. Unilever is a case in point (see box 3).
The notion that companies blend both types of logic to different degrees
is illustrated in Figure 2. The chart depicts both types of logic as two
dimensions on a continuum. While it must be stressed that the plotting
is tentative, the figure helps to structure our thinking about the different
foci of our own organisation’s thought leadership. Where do you think
that your organisation lies on the continuum, and, perhaps even more
important, where should it lie? On the left side of the continuum,
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
28
box 3:
Unilever - both types of logics combined
Unil ever says that it w ants to dri ve transfor mational c hange on those
societ al issues t hat maer to its bu siness as we as to the wor ld.
Unil ever’s novel view point is ree cted in the v ision that it ca n double
the siz e of its busine ss while reduc ing its envi ronmenta l footprint a nd
incre asing its posit ive social i mpact (Unilev er, 2015). To achieve th is, the
compan y is undergoin g a transfor mative chan ge – it is radi cay chang ing
its ow n business m odel and encou rages its suppl iers and other b usiness
part ners to do the sa me. While t his may at rst g lance look li ke thought
leadersh ip with a tra nsformat ion focus, the co mpany is open an d clear
about th e fact that its v iewpoint s on sustai nability a nd the resul ting
behav iour reect p ositively on its br ands. As the c ompany says: ‘We have
found t hat doing bus iness sust ainably is po ssible and that br ands that
incor porate sust ainabil ity in thei r range are more appe aling
to consumers.’
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
29
Traditional consulting rms
Examples: McKinsey & Company, Boston
Consulting Group, Bain & Company
Figure 2: Continuum of thought leadership with a strategic focus and thought leadership with a transformation focus
Note: the gure only considers the chaenges of private and for-prot organisations to merge a strategic and transformation focus. In future research and
dialogues with our knowledge members and partners, we should consider what these chaenges are like for non-prot and public organisations.
Established corporate organisations
Examples: Philips, ManpowerGroup, IBM, KPN,
Unilever, FrieslandCampina, Apple
Social entrepreneurs
Examples: Tesla, Patagonia,
Tony Chocolonely
ought leadership with
a strategic focus
Focus on gaining strong positioning
and competitive advantage ought leadership with
a transformation focus
Focus on shiing paradigms and
contributing to societal transitions
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
30
the previously mentioned consulting companies like McKinsey &
Company, the Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company are plotted.
They traditionally embrace a positioning focus on thought leadership,
which is logical because intellect and expertise are actually the products
they offer their clients. On the right side of the continuum, companies are
added that are mostly transformation focused, the social entrepreneurs
of our time such as Tony Chocolonely, Tesla or even Patagonia (an
American outdoor apparel firm that has inspired and convinced many
other entrepreneurs that it is possible to build a successful company that
places the environment at the hear t of its business). Their focus breeds
revolution. At the same time, they do acknowledge the importance of
being recognised as thought leaders, which helps them to boost their
brand and competitive positioning. At the middle of the continuum,
examples of companies are placed whose strategies seem to embrace
both types of logic. Some of them may lean more toward the strategic
logic of thought leadership, some of them to the transformational logic,
but what characterises these companies is that they not only contribute
to transformations in the economy and society by triggering new ways
of thinking among stakeholders, they have also clearly shifted their
positioning strategy to one that is based on this contribution, and the
innovative body of thought on which this contribution in turn is based.
Earlier, I discussed how IBM’s positioning strategy provided novel
viewpoints and convention-challenging solutions to complex societal
issues that their stakeholders are facing (water management, cit y
infrastructure). Philips is another company in which you see both views
on thought leadership combined. With Philips’ new strategic focus on
becoming the leading company in the health and well-being market,
its ambition is to improve people’s lives with meaningful innovations.
To strengthen its positioning on this theme, in 2009 Philips started the
Center for Health & Well-Being, a knowledge-sharing forum that aims to
advance two important societal themes: 1) ‘Liveable Cities’ in a society
where more than 50% of the world population lives in big cities and
which is expected to surpass 66% by 2015 (United Nations, 2014) and
2) ‘Aging Well’ in a society where an ageing population is leading to an
increase in chronic conditions and therefore healthcare costs. The center
conducted research, shared the insights through various publications
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
31
e Dutch School of ought
stands for a blended vision
on thought leadership:
positioning and transformation
go hand in hand.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
32
and (online) channels and brought together experts and other parties for
dialogue designed to overcome barriers and identify possible solutions
for meaningful change that can improve people’s overall health and
well-being (Hartley, 2011).
Business goals and societal goals are dependent upon one another, and
by this same token, both types of logic on thought leadership should also
go hand-in-hand a lot more frequently. This blended vision on thought
leadership is at the heart of what we call the Dutch School of Thought.
With this vision, we are explicitly setting ourselves apart from the most
common view that is economic in nature, and whereby thought leadership
is primarily a way to elevate your marketing strategy to a higher level or to
assert the title of ‘thought leader’. Only a business view on thought lead-
ership is problematic as it ignores the transformative landscape that we are
in and the mounting expectations set by stakeholders to be a positive force
in these changes. We also distance ourselves from a purely transformation
focus without involving the competitive landscape in which a company
operates. A strictly revolutionary understanding of thought leadership
without appreciating a positioning focus is an artificial demarcation of our
reality, simply because organisations have to survive in an increasingly more
competitive landscape (see box 4). We need both types of logic. We also
need leaders, managers and communication professionals who challenge
their organisations to embrace both types of logic.
When it comes to communication professionals, this means taking a
different view on how we train and educate them. They should be able
to see the bigger picture, to balance sound management with social
purpose and to operate in, and contribute to, a space that expands
conventional ways of thinking and acting. They should be trained as
contributors to instigating paradigm shifts, by their competence in
imagining, shaping and expressing new realities, as well as living up to
them. The combination of these capacities gives future communication
professionals with these skills enormous leverage. In the next chapter,
I describe how the lec torate and the Dutch School of Thought try to
achieve this goal.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
33
box 4:
FrieslandCampina –thought leader on important
sustainability issues
By 2009, FrieslandCa mpina, the Dutch dai ry cooperat ive of more than
19,000 farm ers, saw its marke t and societal landscape cha nging and
real ized that it had to reposition itself to ensu re its future legiti macy.
e company, a merger of two mid-size da iry cooperatives, wa s facing
severa l chaenges. Fed by severa l outspoken opi nion leaders, t he idea
had grown that milk was un healthy and t hat we can easi ly thrive
without it. ‘It was clear th at we needed to te ou r story beer a nd show
that we a re growing w ith the new zeitgeist, not agai nst it,’ according t o
Susta inabilit y and Corporate Communications Dire ctor Van Ooijen.
On a national le vel, the dai ry sector ma kes a signic ant contribution
to the Dutch economy, but mini sters and gover nments had l ile or
no knowledge about t he industr y. Furt hermore, top t alent was ha rd
to aract; cand idates did not see Friesla ndCampina as an aract ive
employer. Globay, society is facin g daunting c haenges. e worl d
population is e xpected to g row to 9 biion peo ple by 2050, 70% of who
wi l ive in cities. Fee ding thi s growing u rban popul ation w i stretch
the world’s resources fa r beyond the cu rrent level s (Friesl andCampin a,
2014). With FrieslandCampina’s products and expertise, it ca n
contr ibute to taking on these globa l chaenges. ‘Ho wever, to do so,’ says
Van Ooijen, ‘we c learly needed to embark on a t ransition to a new era.’
In 2010, FrieslandCampina reformul ated its vision and launched its
route2020 st rategy in which it sets clear goals on sustain able growth
for the company, its coope rative farmers and socie ty as a whole. e
company changed it s business m odel, restr uctured its organi sation and
ensu red its 19,000 farme rs would comm it to route2020. Van Ooijen: ‘We
told our farme rs: “if you want to be on board, you need to ma ke some
fundament al changes i n your busin ess. You have to prioritize outdoor
grazing, the health a nd weness of you r anima ls, clim ate-neutral pro-
duction and so fort h. We wi support you a nd reward you for it, b ut you
wi a lso be held accountable for it .”’
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
34
An in strumental part of this strategy was to c hange stakeh olders’
mindsets abo ut the economic, nutrit ional and soc ial import ance of
dairy products. e compa ny started t o share research and in sights
on how mi lk is produced a nd why it is nutrit ious by nature. It l aunched
a new plat form, ww w.milkstor y.nl, th at highlig hts several m ajor
chaenges the d airy indu stry faces i n terms of hea lth, sust ainabil ity
and the global food problem. rough open and independe nt
dia logue, e Milk Story a ims to contr ibute to the transit ion to a more
sust ainable fut ure.
Other initi atives have since been lau nched, such as co-organizing
impor tant events w ith healthcare profes sionals, schools, doc tors
and pol icy-makers. ese initi atives not only c hanged the mindset of
Friesl andCampin a’s 19,000 farmers a nd employees, increasi ng their
sense of pride about t he products the y make, but doct ors, healthcare
professionals, m inisters, and the more serio us nationa l media also
graduay began to embrace Fr ieslandCampina’s view points. ‘Some of
the mi nisters who initi ay explicitly oppos ed us have changed thei r
mind, and are n ow making a n active contr ibution to the t ransition to
a more sustain able future,’ Van Ooijen says. Over a per iod of ve years,
Friesl andCampin a has gone from two m id-size dai ry cooperatives to
a progres sive, innovative entre preneur, vie wed by many stakeholders
as a thought leader o n important s ustainabilit y issues, both in of the
sense of ‘ thought’ and ’leadership’. is view point was also mi rrored by
the Dutch govern ment in 2014 when it gave Friesla ndCampina t he pres-
tigio us King Wie m I award, reect ing the public acknowledgement of
the cont ribution th e company makes to the Dutch economy a nd society.
e award recogni zes good business pract ices, entrepreneurial spi rit,
decisiveness, su stainability, commitment and perseverance.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
35
5 | The ambitions of Dutch School
of Thought
On an international level, we aim to get a movement of people started
that, via creating and sharing knowledge, focuses on developing thought
leadership to become a substantively meaningful and pioneering
positioning strategy. A movement that presents the earlier described
vision on thought leadership that we labeled as Dutch School of Thought.
In order to get the Dutch School of Thought movement started,
the lectorate will have to take shape according to the concept of a
‘knowledge haven’ (Ossewold, 2015) that ensures that researchers,
organisations, professors, students, communications professionals,
entrepreneurs, knowledge institutes and others sharing our ideology
are connected to one another and are able to (co-)develop and share
knowledge and make it produc tive. With this idea of a ‘knowledge
haven’, we are mirroring ourselves on the ambitions of the Font ys School
of Communication to expand the educational institution, making it a
learning community:
‘a learning c ulture [...] in which the member s create knowled ge, but mostly also
circula te it, validate it and mak e it productive. e L earning Communit y is larger
than the ins titution. It co vers a widespr ead and varied ne twork, with borde rs that
are vague an d changeable, but in whi ch the pivotal role of the in stitute of applie d
scienc es is clearly vis ible.’ (Eckringa, 2014).
Much like the learning community is larger than the institution, the
knowledge haven will also be larger than the lectorate. The knowledge
haven will bring together people from different areas to assign collective
meaning to thought leadership.
As a knowledge haven, we will therefore focus on the two spearheads,
described in the paragraphs below.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
36
5.1 Spearhead one: applied research along three lines
In order to ensure that the Dutch School of Thought evolves into a
meaningful and pioneering body of ideas, we will develop knowledge
along three lines of research. These are described in the paragraphs below.
5.1.1 How organisations contribute to shifting paradigms
and societal transitions
We know little about how organisations contribute to shifting paradigms.
How do organisations articulate and share their novel viewpoints and
build up understanding and trust among stakeholders - employees in
the first place? How do they get employees to see the bigger picture and
how do they get them involved? What kind of engagement tools work
well (see box 5)? How do they connect with other partners and build
eco-systems of innovative thinkers and doers and how will this create
ripple effects in spreading novel ways of thinking? In these processes,
what are the critical moments, which organisations are able to realise
small tipping points in stakeholders’ understanding, acceptance and
endorsement of their viewpoints? What are the factors contributing to
these tipping points? These are all questions that require more insight
and thus more research.
We should also gain more insight into how organisations strike a balance
between their current and future realities and how they make every-
day choices within this context of tension. As Sustainabilit y Director
at Unilever Benelux, Anniek Mauser, explains: ‘We are stretching our
sustainability strategy as far as we can, but for some people, it is never
enough.’ Indeed, her statement reflects the concern shared by many
other organisations that know that organisational realities are often more
complex than outsiders may notice at first glance. Organisations may
be truly committed to change, but may sometimes still need to make
decisions that seem to slow down, or undermine, the future reality that
they embrace. The simple reason for this is that organisations truly com-
mitted to a new future reality also have to deal with their current reality in
which they need to balance the interests of many different and powerful
stakeholders on which they depend on to survive. This is why thought
leading organisations continuously need to balance, explain, rationalise
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
37
box 5:
Involving employees in Unilever’s Sustainable Living plan
To involve empl oyees in Uni lever’s Sustai nable Living Pl an, Unile ver
enl isted a Europe an onlin e gaming too l (‘bri ghtFuture i n Action’) which
is now r unnin g for the thir d year in a row. Ann iek Mauser, Di rector
Susta inabilit y for the Benelu x: ‘We have a very a mbitious Uni lever
Susta inable Livi ng Plan, a vi sionary CEO, bu t this doesn’t me an a
employee s wi unde rstand over night what th is means for t he busines s
and for th em personay, bot h in their da ily jobs as we as i n their priv ate
lives. b rightFutu re in Action h as helped me to gei ng susta inabilit y to
touch do wn, to engage pe ople, to share t heir ideas, to g ive them action
perspe ctives and to get i n gear them selves.’
e progra m runs for si x weeks, six su stainab ility the mes, each
consi sting of th ree parts: Le arn (employees c an learn or re fresh their
know ledge about the Uni lever Susta inabil ity Plan), Act (employee s are
given se veral tools t o help them kic k-star t integratio n in their da ily
jobs) and Share (empl oyees can sha re their wi shes, needs, ide as, and
fru strations o n the variou s issues).
e resu lts of brightF uture in Act ion 2014 were encou raging: 6000
coeagu es were invite d to particip ate, 75% of whom did. 92% s aid that
the gam e has given the m extra kn owledge about su stainabi lity with in
Unil ever. 66% indicate d that the game m ade them thi nk dieren tly about
the st rategy, and 62% said it has c hanged one or more of their b ehaviou rs
at work.
Source: ca se descr iption of Snowba & Flywheels, the c ompany devel oping the game to ol;
hp://snowy.nl/en/project/unilever-en/
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
38
and justify decisions. Sometimes, these decisions are in favour of their
future reality, whilst at others, they need to act in a way that is aligned
with their current reality. We can learn a lot more from how organisations
deal with such challenges.
If we, practitioners, scholars and lecturers, are to embrace thought
leadership as a serious positioning strategy in a changing society, it is
important that we equip ourselves with a more systematic understanding
of how forerunners have dealt with the issues mentioned above, as these
are the issues that thought leaders come across and need to deal with.
The Dutch School of Thought will be examining these questions
through case-study research. By doing so, we can delve deeply into
exemplary cases of thought leadership and create a better practitioner
understanding of how the above-described dynamics underlying
the shifting of paradigms play out, and how organisations combine
transformation purposes with positioning goals. In doing so, we aim to
offer professionals in our field process models and frameworks that may
help them to better interpret, systematically understand and more fully
appreciate the challenges of their own thought-leading processes. Also,
using these case studies based on real-life examples, we hope to give
practitioners confidence and inspiration to think and act outside of their
comfort zones.
5.1.2 How novel points of view trigger new ways of thinking,
and ultimately contribute to the shifting of paradigms
If we are interested in how organisations can contribute to shifting para-
digms, or more specifically, how their articulated viewpoints can trigger
new ways of thinking amongst key stakeholders, then we need to better
identify the mechanisms that enable these ‘mind triggering effects’.
Triggering new ways of thinking amongst key stakeholders is, just as are
many of our communicative attempts, an act of ‘sensegiving’: ‘a process
of attempting to influence the sensemaking and meaning construction of
others toward a preferred redefinition of […] reality (Gioia & Chittipeddi,
1991, p. 442).’ As Maitlis and Lawrence (2007, p. 57) explain, ‘sensegiving
is an interpretive process in which actors influence each other through
persuasive or evocative language, and it is used both by organisational
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
39
leaders and other stakeholders, including middle managers, directors
and other employees.’ Sensegiving goes through various prac tices,
such as through evocative language, symbolism but also through a
company’s substantive actions that demonstrate how they give shape
to the new reality.
To study the impact of sensegiving on the realisation of shifting
paradigms, I have developed a conceptual framework which is depic ted
in Figure 3. Overall, the model assumes that articulated novel points of
view (the left box in the figure) trigger new ways of thinking; a process
that is depicted by the horizontal arrow. I assume that this process
of sensemaking is of crucial importance in achieving paradigm shifts.
While it may be hard to assess the real occurrence of a paradigm shift
(whether this is on an individual, group or societal level), the framework
assumes that the occurrence of paradigm shifts may be indicated by
the degree to which people’s understanding, acceptance and support
for potential future realities has grown. The framework also reflects the
notion that sensemaking processes are largely influenced by various
sensegiving practices in the form of both language and substantive
behaviour (depicted in the upper and lower box in the framework). It is
the combined effec t of novel viewpoints and sensegiving practices that
can allow organisations to contribute to changing paradigms. While the
model is by no means comprehensive (the model for instance ignores
the important societal, political or economic dimensions that may
contribute to the shifting of paradigms in a society of change), it serves
as a good point of departure to study how organisations can contribute
to paradigm shifts. I will explain each box in the framework in more detail
bel ow.
The role of novel points of view in shifting paradigms
Sensegiving with regard to the future reality starts with articulating a
novel viewpoint that challenges people’s thinking about the status quo
and triggers new ways of thinking. A novel point of view is basically a
‘frame’ through which we look at the world. Frames can been defined
as ‘internal structure[s] of the mind (Kinder & Sanders, 1990: 74)’, or
‘cognitive devices (Scheufele, 1999: 107)’ that offer us a particular angle
through which we observe and interpret the world around us. If the par-
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
40
Sensegiving practices
Visual and verbal language that can
strengthen a novel point of view
Sensegiving practices
Substantive behaviour that backs
up a novel point of view
Figure 3 Research framework: how organisations’ novel points of view may contribute to paradigm shis
Articulation of
novel points
of view sensemaking
A process in wich new ways of thinking are triggered, raising
awareness and interest for new meaning to potential future realities
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
41
ticular frame through which we look at our world is different from those
of our audiences, we refer to this as having a novel point of view. Thus,
by articulating our novel point of view, we basically ask our audience to
look at the world through our frame, and to alter their perceived social
reality (see box 6 for an illustration of how ManpowerGroup articulates
its novel viewpoints). So, if sensegiving is an attempt to influence the
meaning structure of others, then a well-crafted novel point of view can,
in itself, be a strong form of sensegiving. The irony, however, is that too
few leaders think about developing points of view (Murray, 2012, p. 136).
Therefore, in order to equip leaders with ways to better express their
points of view, we should focus more on trying to understand the
different working mechanisms in which novel points of view can impact
the sensegiving process. The typology in Table 1 may give us a first clue
into the different types of novel points of view that can be identified and
their underlying working mechanisms. It should be said however that the
typology is far from exhaustive or comprehensive. You will notice that
some novel points of view may be characterised by more than one work-
ing mechanism. Dove’s novel point of view on beauty, for instance, may
contain both frame- cracking and frame-expanding working mechanisms.
While the typology is not exhaustive, we will use it as a starting point in
our applied research to examine how different types of novel points of
view can trigger people’s thinking about important themes in society.
The role of language in shifting paradigms
Novel points of view never work alone. The impact of novel points of
view is amplified by means of all sor ts of ‘sensegiving practices’ - evoca-
tive language in the form of rhetoric, metaphors and linguistic or visual
symbols (stories, logos, animations, icons, slogans, pay-offs, neologisms).
As communication specialists, we are generally aware of the subtle yet
significant positive or negative impact that these linguistic and visual
sensegiving enablers can have in getting the essence of our message
across. Yet, we often do not really realise the impact they have on
triggering new ways of thinking. Nor are we able to explain why they
have the impact they have. This is an important gap in our practitioner-
expertise since in order for communication specialists to build new
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
42
box 6:
ManpowerGroup - ‘A new era is upon us: e Human Age’
Manpo werGroup is pursuin g a thought leadership str ategy that is
very much worth foo wing. roug h its ‘Human Age’ v iewpoint it i s
clearly seeki ng to change existing paradigm s in its sector as we as
societ y about what we need for ou r economy and society to pro sper. e
company’s point of view is that capital a nd technolog y are not enough
to grow our economy worldwide. Paradoxicay, due to the upsu rge of
compute rs and robots, it is t he human talent (people’s knowledge, ski s,
creativity an d inventiveness) which is becomin g increasin gly more
impor tant. With th is viewpoint, Ma npowerGroup invites st akeholders
to the Hu man Age. What the y observe is th at the world, and partic ular-
ly employe rs, are strug gling to de ne this new age. Manpowe rGroup is
therefore contr ibuting to the deni ng of this new era by oeri ng novel
view points, in sights and in novative work force solutions for em ployers,
govern mental leaders and other interested pa rties on how to n avigate
the Hum an Age.
e company has dened four t rends that ch aracterise the transition
to the Hu man Age: indiv idual choice (the abilit y to work anywhere,
anyt ime), customer sophist ication (consumers are be coming sma rt-
er and more demanding), ta lent mismatch (there is not a shortage of
people, but a shortage of the right skis) and technologica l revolutions
(leading to transpa rency that is driv ing every thing a over the world)
(Manpowe rGroup, 2015). Joyce Oomen , Director of ought Leade rship
and In novation at Man powerGroup the Netherla nds:
‘e spee d at which these change s are occurr ing is dicult to predi ct; the only
certa inty that we have is unce rtainty. A complex w orld that deman ds speed,
creativ ity and inventive capa bilities. A world th at demands tal ent. Talent
doesn’t think th e same way about work. Talent d oesn’t want a job, it wants to
grow and m ake a dierence. In the wo rld of talent, there i s no hierarchy, no dis-
tinct ion between work a nd private life. Talent is alw ays online and connec ted
with other ta lent and….coabo ration is the new fo rm of employme nt.’
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
43
types of npov
Blending
Turning
Expanding
Cracking
Re-invigorating
description
A NPOV that argues that two seemingly
opposing constructs should not be seen as
either/or but both/and.
A NPOV that asks its audience to see their
perceived reality in terms of one specic
viewpoint, while aenuating others.
A NPOV that asks us to broaden our per-
ception on a certain theme
A NPOV that makes us aware and aims
to ‘crack’ or break down, biased or even
immoral worldviews that are taken for
granted
A NPOV that re-invigorates perceptions
about themes that have been taken for
granted so oen that people have come to
see them as irrelevant.
practical examples
Unilever’s NPOV is packaged in its vision: ‘double the size of the
business while reducing our environmental footprint and increasing
our positive social impact’. While ‘prots’ and ‘social’ were traditionay
two opposing constructs, Unilever clearly speaks out about a vision
in which a ‘both/and’ mentality is possible. ey blend two seemingly
opposing frames.
IBM asks its stakeholders to stop focusing on smaer parts of the bigger
problems: building a new bridge, broadening a road, puing up trac
signs. Instead, we should focus on the relationships within the whole
system and a related systems: the supply chains, the environment, etc.
Manpower makes the case that capital and technology are not enough
to grow our economy worldwide. Paradoxicay, due to the upsurge
of computers and robots, it is the human talent (people’s knowledge,
skis, creativity and inventiveness) which is becoming increasingly
more important.
Dove chaenges our narrow perception of beauty and encourages its
stakeholders to broaden their denition of it.
Dove’s moo ‘Our perception of beauty is distorted’ was an aempt to
‘crack’ the biased perceptions of beauty that are taken for granted.
Tony Chocolonely chaenges the taken-for-granted assumption in its
industry that 100% slave-labour free chocolate is impossible.
FrieslandCampina has returned the nutritious value of milk as we
as the importance of the Dutch dairy sector back to the mindset of
many dierent stakeholders such as ministers, doctors, healthcare
professionals, schools and parents.
Table 1: A typology of novel points of view (NPOVs) and their working mechanisms
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
44
e company also denes several shis th at character ise the tra nsition
to the Hu man Age , as shown in the g ure.
By oering these d ierent view points on the Human Age,
Manpo werGroup is clearly tr iggering new w ays of thinking a nd
contr ibuting to new worldvie ws in its sector a nd society as a whole.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
45
realities, we need to have a better understanding of the working
mechanisms and impacts of the sensegiving prac tices we apply. We need
mental tools we can use to test our intuition about the impact of our
communication mechanisms. This is why, at the Dutch School of Thought,
we will augment practitioners’ understanding of the role and impact of
different forms of verbal and visual language on shifting paradigms.
The role of substantive actions in shifting paradigm
The use of evocative language is merely one side of the coin when it
comes to getting internal and external stakeholders to understand, accept
and support the new way of thinking, and the new reality. The other
side has to do with generating trustworthy behaviour. Companies must
demonstrate that they are acting in line with their novel points of view
(van Halderen, et al., 2013). This means that companies need to work
on substantive behaviour that makes the future reality-to-be concrete,
in a step-by-step fashion. Organisational actions that back up the novel
point of view are therefore critical sensegiving practices that we cannot
overlook when studying how organisations can gain stakeholders’
understanding, acceptance and support for their new realities.
5.1.3 How to measure thought leadership impacts
If we are to embrace thought leadership as both a positioning strategy as
well as a transformation strategy focused on the shifting of paradigms,
we must also develop measurement systems that integrate these two
approaches. To the extent that practitioners measure their thought
leadership effects, they still tend to focus on the positioning impacts rather
than the paradigm-shifting aspects. I am convinced that it is only a matter
of time before stakeholders start asking for metrics that offer insight into
how much the organisation’s thought leading strategy has contributed to
changing paradigms amongst stakeholders and within society.
To develop such measures, we can start by collecting and learning from
how different practitioners are already assessing the impact of their novel
viewpoints on stakeholders’ mindsets (their employees, to start with).
This is frequently assessed qualitatively. FrieslandCampina, for instance,
observed over time how the United Nations, a very important stake-
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
46
holder, has increasingly started to publicly endorse dair y products as a
provider of key nutritious elements. The Dutch cleaning company Asito
embraces the connecting of different cultures as its societal spearhead.
It has been working with Leiden University to develop a measuring tool
that can assess the degree to which their annual National Integration
Dinners actually contribute to stronger cultural connec tions in Dutch
society (Welsing, 2015). By collecting these types of measurements, we
offer practitioners an array of ways to think about how to measure their
thought leadership goals. It may also make communication professionals
more aware of the fact that the effects of thought leadership may already
be found in subtle aspects that are often overlooked yet which can be
significant catalysts in their paradigm-shifting process. Given that it is
often difficult for communications professionals to justify their commu-
nication budgets and activities, collecting these kinds of measurements
may support practitioners in their attempts to account for and justify their
thought leading efforts.
While many practitioners may assess their thought leadership efforts on
the basis of their positioning goals, they do so by asking audiences about
the degree to which they think the company is a ´thought leader´. This
is an overly superficial and inadequate way of measuring your thought
leadership efforts as it does not explain how the viewpoints a company
expresses have triggered stakeholders´ new way of thinking. Moreover,
it assumes that stakeholders have a common understanding of what
thought leadership is, while this is hardly the case. Thought leadership
is still interpreted in all too many ways and often (embarrassingly) easily
equated with content marketing. This is why we need underlying items
that explain our perception of thought leadership. I believe that these
items should focus on the degree to which the company is known for
its thought-provoking viewpoints, for triggering stakeholders’ trans-
formational thinking, for contesting existing societal discourses and for
getting stakeholders to understand, accept and support their alternatively
articulated worldviews. The Dutch School of Thought is committed to
developing just such a measurement construct which practitioners may
apply in practice.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
47
5.2 Spearhead 2: Share and engage
In order to get a movement of people started that focuses on developing
thought leadership to become an intrinsically meaningful and pioneering
strategy, we will have to connect people on the basis of the idea of a
knowledge haven. To do so, we focus on both the internal and external
side of the Fontys School of Communication learning community.
Internally, the thought leadership lectorate is committed to contributing
to the vision of our school to deliver outstanding and pioneering
education to students who are the future contributors to our rapidly
changing world (Ruyters, 2015). Externally, we will have to share and
connect with our prac titioners in the field as well as researchers and
lecturers from other knowledge institutions. In doing so, our work takes
on an international scope.
5.2.1 Share and engage with our students and colleagues
A few examples of how the lectorate and the Dutch School of Thought
aim to engage students and colleagues and share knowledge and exper-
tise follow below.
Minor module thought leadership The aim of this minor module is
to educate students as communication professionals who can support
organisations to instigate paradigm shifts by developing and expressing
novel viewpoints as well as living up to them. We stimulate them to
experiment with different ways of thinking and paradigm shifting by
creating novel points of view for organisations. Students experience what
thought leadership is, why it is relevant, what it offers organisations and
society, and how thought leadership strategies are developed. The course
blends theory with practice. Companies like KPN, ManpowerGroup,
Tony Chocolonely and Aegon present their thought leadership cases
and challenges and practitioners in the field share their thought leader-
ship experiences.
Gallery of Thoughts project The aim of the Gallery of Thoughts project
is for students to learn to imagine, shape and express new realities. They
use their creative skills to envision a future societal reality and propose
how organisations may position themselves vis-à-vis these future realities
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
48
(see box 7). The Gallery of Thoughts project is one of the ways in which
the lectorate aims to contribute to educating students as ‘thinking actors
and acting thinkers (Ossewold, 2015)’. Each year, the best students are in-
vited to present their work during a walk-through exposition (‘The Gallery
of Thoughts’) at one of the lec torate’s events, and to publish their work
on the Dutch School of Thought’s online platform.
Trending topics The goal of having students writing trending topics is
to stimulate their analytic, argumentative and reflective competencies.
Students who show potentially outstanding trending topics with a
focus on thought leadership can work with the lectorate to push
their knowledge and skills to a higher theoretical and professional
level. Trending topics are accessible as articles on the Dutch School of
Thought’s online platform.
Students working as junior applied researchers The purpose of
training students as junior researchers is to be able to create a theoretical
and empirical foundation for their intuition and hunches. Students can
contribute to our case studies and simultaneously incorporate this in their
school projects.
An international Master ’s degree The goal of developing an
international Master’s degree on thought leadership is to give shape
to the learning community of Fontys School of Communication as well
as the Dutch School of Thought’s international movement of
practitioners – students, lecturers, researchers, leaders, managers,
employees and advisers.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
49
box 7
KPN and the New Way of Living and Working
e New way of Living a nd Working is about much more tha n simply
working from home . For KPN, working at home is the old paradigm. e
new par adigm refers to a so ciety in whic h virtu al and physica l life are
thorou ghly integr ated, result ing in a huge impact on the productivity
of labou r and qual ity of life (Paul is, 2015). Marco van Ge lder, Program
Manager for KPN’s e New Way of Liv ing and Working: ‘ e reality i s
that management paradigms do not work anymore in ou r new society
and we need to nd new ones, desig ned on the basis of employees’
autonomous posit ions.’ Old concepts l ike hierarc hy, xed work, xed
devic es, and focusi ng on employee aend ance make way for newer ones
such as at organisations, the c loud, bring-your-ow n devices, and
focusi ng on output in stead of employee ae ndance.
Our e xisting t echnological possibilities to make this f uture real ity
concret e are, however, st i underut ilised. KPN sees it as it s responsi-
bility to fu rther develop and implement th e existing techn ology and
to demon strate the potentia l of this tech nology to the u ser. Not just
its ow n employees, but also clients in t he healthca re sector, logistics
and so on. It also ai ms to give fu rther substance to t his new rea lity by
facil itating di alogue about wh at the paradigm shi on e New way of
Livi ng and Working mea ns for our behaviou r, leadersh ip skis, cultu re,
and mea suring productiv ity as we as a sustain able society.
As par t of the Gaery of oughts project, Font ys School of Commu-
nicat ion students have worked wit h KPN to give fu rther shape to this
new rea lity. ey have spec icay focused on the you nger generation’s
New way of Living a nd Working a nd formulated the nove l point of view
that ou r societal v iew on achiev ing exceen ce (being outstand ing or
ext remely good) is distorted a nd excessively dictated by old norms and
values: if you have h ighly regarded coege degree s and get hired by
we-respected compa nies, you have ‘done we ’. is way of th inkin g
is strongly tied t o achieving societal status whi le margin alising what
you nd i mportant about yourse lf. It increasingly alienates today ’s
young professiona ls. Exceence should b e about self-determination,
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
50
autonomy a nd, based on the se values, bei ng of outstanding
value. To achieve th is new menta lity, the students propose six
tur ning point s in our th inking about exceence (see their Gaer y
of ought s le on ww w.dutchschoolohought.com). ey h ave
made their Novel Point of View concrete in a Life Port folio, which
should be an addit ion to our tradition al CV. To furt her advance
the di alogue on th is theme, the student s propose the KPN Centre
for Futu re Life – a focal poi nt for sharing k nowledge and ideas by
researchers, opi nion leaders a nd practitione rs.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
51
5.2.2 Share and engage with practitioners in the field
To act as a knowledge haven with an international scope, we are sharing
knowledge and expertise and engaging practitioners in various ways.
Sharing our research, knowledge and ideas
Knowledge portal www.dutchschoolofthought.com The virtual platform
provides practitioners with the most recent knowledge, developments
and activities in the area of thought leadership. It is a portal where
practitioners share and interact with each other to further advance
knowledge, skills and ideas on thought leadership.
High Thoughts Seminars Each year, we organise the High Thoughts
Seminar where we invite our knowledge partners, members and other
stakeholders to share recent knowledge products, and discuss future
(research) topics for potential collaboration.
Conferences and Seminars One rather obvious way we will engage
practitioners is by attending national and international conferences as
well as seminars.
Publications We also publish in practitioners’ or academic journals or
books, and through the previously described case studies, trending
topics or blogs (for a current collection of publications, please refer to
our knowledge portal). Finally, we seek to capitalise on the dialogue on
current issues in the news.
Engaging with partners and members
With knowledge partners We are constantly seeking knowledge
partners who are eager to collaborate with the Dutch School of Thought.
Knowledge partners enable us to commit to longer-term research
projects whereby the funding can come from both parties and/or via
research tenders.
With knowledge members We have an active and inspiring relationship
with our knowledge members with whom we share practical insights,
invite to be guest lecturers and seek other forms of inspirational dialogue
and engagement.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
52
6 | Closing
There are many times that we as individuals have to realise, or even
admit, as painful as it may be, that our behaviour, our way of life has
been dictated too much by ingrained schema and patterns in our mind.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by how we as
people choose (or do not choose) to break away from ingrained thinking,
once this starts to present a hindrance to us in our lives. What intrigues
me most in all of this are the cognitive-psychological processes lying
underneath.
Since I started my work as a researcher, I began to link this fascination to
what I observed at companies. I started to analyse companies that openly
challenge ingrained ways of thinking and propose alternative viewpoints.
I realised the strong connection between the cognitive-psychological
and communicative elements here. I then came in contact with the term
‘thought leading’, or perhaps ‘leading by thought’. By that time the term
was not yet as popular as it tends to be nowadays. The term reflected
what I had been studying for quite some time: companies daring to break
away from the status quo by openly speaking up about their viewpoints
and committing to transforming ways of thinking and acting. I was not
studying innovative market disruptors here, whose focus lies mainly on
disruption by products. I was interested in disruption by thought, by
language, and by actions.
I am convinced that we should focus more closely on the role of organi-
sations in breaking away from established thoughts and behaviour in our
society. I am convinced that by having such a thought-provoking purpose,
companies also sharpen their internal focus and inspiration.
I have set the ambitions for the lectorate thought leadership high. The
ideas that I introduced here are certainly not yet crystal clear and require
more research to put flesh to their bones. I realise that we have a lot of
work yet to do to achieve our goals. However, I do not apologise to
people who think that our ambitions are too high. In order to achieve
them, we need commitment. Commitment in terms of belief, spirit, per-
severance and, very practically, in terms of budget and other resources.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
53
I am pleased that the Fontys School of Communication sees so much
potential in the ideas behind thought leadership. And I am honoured
that the school has given me the opportunity to give shape to all of this
and to set up the Dutch School of Thought. It is the best job that I could
have imagined at this point in my career, and the further advancement of
thought leadership is something that is near and dear to me.
I hope that I have been able to inspire you and trigger your thinking about
thought leadership. Most of all, I sincerely hope that I am mobilising some
of you to connect with us and discuss future collaboration.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
54
7 | A word of thanks
Since the start of the lectorate I have worked with many people who
have made the launch of the lectorate and the Dutch School of Thought
possible.
First, I want to thank my colleague Berly Walraven who, before I was
even applying for the position as lector, had the vision at Fontys School
of Communication to set up a lectorate dedicated to thought leadership.
Berly, I admire your outlook, your pragmatic way of working, your ‘can-
do’ mentality, your perseverance and especially your habit of not shying
away from difficult or uncomfor table issues. Your role as Director of
Business Operations at the Dutch School of Thought really suits you.
I also particularly want to thank Patrick Eckringa, Director of Fontys
School of Communication. Your belief in and continuous support for our
plans have been tremendously important to me. I am appreciative of your
continuing support and at the same time down-to-earth and sound man-
agement advice. I have come to know you as a truly pleasant immediate
supervisor and colleague to work with.
I would like to thank the Executive Board of Fontys University of Applied
Sciences for my appointment as lector (associate professor) and for the
trust they have placed in our school and me to make this lectorate and
the Dutch School of Thought happen.
Many thanks also go to emeritus lector and strategic adviser Jurriënne
Ossewold, who played a very special role during the last year of my
professional life. Jurriënne, many of our ideas for the Dutch School of
Thought were influenced by your mind and spirit. Your creative mind is
unique. You connect the dots in a magical way, generating concepts that
others could not have imagined. On a personal level, you have encour-
aged me to keep capitalising on my strengths, while also gaining a better
understanding of my weaknesses. Our minds and personalities found
each other quickly. I hope many more fruitful things will come of our still
new relationship.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
55
I thank my dear colleagues at Fontys University of Applied Sciences,
especially those I have had the privilege of working with in shaping the
lectorate and the Dutch School of Thought. A special thanks also goes
to the lecturer team of the thought leadership minor-module as well as
our great support team. In particular Wendy Coolen, Yvonne
Lemmen-Van Kemmenade and Studio van Laar who have worked very
hard to make this event happen.
I would also like to extend a thank-you to my students at Fontys School of
Communication, who have truly inspired me with their creative, imagina-
tive and refreshing ways of thinking and acting. Your enthusiasm about
thought leadership fuels my energy.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks to my family. Special honours go to my parents
and parents-in-law who give us the unconditional support we need in
juggling career and a family with young children. It is largely thanks to
you that we can fly. And to close, my gratitude and deep respect goes to
my life partner Stefan, who is the real model of new ways of thinking and
embarking on unusual paths. Stefan, together with our precious children,
I look forward to how we will again find new ways of living and working,
incorporating our values as people and a family.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
56
Bibliography
Alexander, L. & Badings, C., 2012. Thought Leadership Tweet. Cupertino,
CA: THiNKaha.
Badings, C., 2009. Brand Stand - Seven steps to thought leadership.
Sidney: Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Australia.
Bartunek, J. M., 1984. Changing interpretive schemes and organizational
restructuring; the example of a religious order. Administrative Science
Quarterly, Volume 29, pp. 355-372.
Bartunek, J. & Moch, M. K., 1994. Third-order Organizational Change
and the Western Mystical Tradition. Journal of Organizational Change
Management, 7(1), pp. 24-41.
Boerman, P., 2013. Daan Roosegaarde: ‘Crisis doet beroep op ceativiteit’.
[Online] Available at: http://www.mt.nl/332/82174/business/daan-
roosegaarde-crisis-doet-beroep -op- creativiteit.html [Accessed 4 8 2015].
Brosseau, D., 2013. Ready to be a thought leader? How to increase your
influence, impact and success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Burns, W., 2014. The outrage at Dove’s ‘Patches’ advertisement is
outrageous. [Online] Available at: http://w ww.forbes.com/sites/will-
burns/2014/04/14/the-outrage-to-doves-patches-advertisement-is-outra-
geous/ [Accessed 21 8 2015].
Capra, F., 1996. The web of life: A new scientific understanding of living
systems. New York : Harper Collins.
Bourne, C. D., 2015. Thought Leadership as a Trust Strategy in Global
Markets: Goldman Sachs’ Promotion of the ‘BRICs’ in the Marketplace of
Ideas. Journal of Public Relations Research, Volume 27, pp. 322-336.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
57
Collins, J. C. & Porras, J. I., 1996. Building your company’s vision. Harvard
Business Review, September-October, pp. 65-77.
Crainer, S. & Dearlove, D., 1999. Branding Heavyweights. Management
Review, 88(9), pp. 22-28.
Dutton, J. E. & Dukerich, J. M., 1991. Keeping an eye on the mirror: image
and identity in organizational adaptation. Academy of Management
Journal, 34(3), pp. 517-554.
Eckringa, P., 2014. Blauwdruk. Strategisch Beleidsplan FHC 2014 – 2017
(Blueprint. FHC Strategic Policy Plan 2014 - 2017), Eindhoven: Fontys
University of Applied Sciences.
Economist, 2010. Free Thinking - Why expensive consultancy firms are
giving away more research. Economist, 396 (8699)(75).
Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007. Reaching global executives:
Megatrends in B2B marketing, London: Economist.
FrieslandCampina, 2014. Our Story. Amersfoort: FrieslandCampina
Corporate Communiation.
Gioia, D. A., Thomas, J. B., Clark, S. M. & Chittipedd, K., 1994. Symbolism
and strategic change in academia: the dynamics of sensemaking and
influence. Organzation Science, 5(3), pp. 363-383.
Gioia, D. E. & Chittipeddi, K., 1991. Sensemaking and sensegiving in
strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal, 12(6), pp.
433-448.
Greenwood, R. & Suddaby, R., 2006. Institutional entrepreneurship in
mature fields: the big five accounting firms. Academy of Management
Journal, 49(1), pp. 27-48.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
58
Greenwood, R., Suddaby, R. & Hinings, C. R., 2002. Theorizing change: The
role of professional associations in the transformation of institutionalized
fields. Academy of Management Journal, 45(1), pp. 58-80.
Hacking, I., 1962. Introductory Essay. In: The structure of scientific
revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. vii - xxxvii.
Hartley, K., 2011. The Philips Center for Health and Well Being - Presenta-
tion for the Executive International Master of Corporate Communication.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
Hunter, M., van Wassenhoven, L., Besiou, . M. & van Halderen, M., 2013.
The agenda-setting power of stakeholder media. California Management
Review, 56(1), pp. 24-49.
Jurriaanse, M., 2015. How commodity services organizations shift from
a transaction-oriented exchange model to a meaningful long-term
relationship-based model, Rotterdam: Thesis for the International
Executive Master of Corporate Communication, RSM, Erasmus University.
Kaplan, S., 2008. Framing Contests: Strategy Making Under Uncertainty.
Organization Science, 19(5), pp. 729-752.
Kinder, D. R. & Sanders, L. M. 1990. Mimicking political debate with
survey questions: The case of white opinion on affirmative action for
blacks. Social Cognition, 8: 73-103.
Kuhn, T., 1962. The structure of scientific revolutions. 50th ed. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Maguire, S., Hardy, C. & Lawrence, T. B., 2004. Institutional
entrepreneurship in emerging fields: HIV/AIDA treatment advocacy in
Canada. Academy of Management Journal, 47(5), pp. 657-679.
Maitlis, S. & Lawrence, T. B., 2007. Triggers and enablers of sensegiving in
organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), pp. 57-84.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
59
ManpowerGroup, 2015. Human Age. [Online] Available at:
http://ww w.manpowergroup.com/wps/wcm/connect/manpowergroup-
en/home/thought-leadership/human-age/?WCM_Page.ResetAll=TRUE#.
VdH5Pfntmko [Accessed 17 8 2015].
Murray, K., 2012. The Language of Leaders. London: Kogan Page Limited.
Ossewold, J., 2015. Positioning of Fontys School of Communication.
Eindhoven: Fontys School of Communication.
Ossewold, J., 2015. Voorbij de trends - Communicatie als
denkgereedschap, bedenkingen bij onderwijsvernieuwing;
Kenniscocreatie, kwaliteitscultuur HBO-Bachelors Communicatie.
Den Haag, NAVO-LOCO.
Paulis, E., 2015. Thought leadership op de 24/48 samenleving -
paradigmaverschuiving van het nieuwe werken en leven, Rotterdam:
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
Pfeffer, J., 1981. Management as symbolic action: the creation and
maintenance of organizational paradigms. Research in Organizational
Behavior, Volume 3, pp. 1-52.
Rao, H., Monin, P. & Durand, R., 2003. Institutional change in Toque
Ville: Nouvelle cuisine as an identity movement in French gastronomy,
American Journal of Sociology, 108 (4), pp. 795 - 843
Reger, R. K., Gustafson, L. T., Demarie, S. M. & Mullane, J. V., 1994.
Reframing the Organization - Why Implementing Total Quality Is Easier
Said Than Done. Academy of Management Review, 19(3), pp. 565-584.
Rotmans, J., 2014. Verandering van tijdperk - Nederland kantelt. 2nd ed.
Boxtel: Aenas.
Ruyters, M., 2015. Vision document: education of Fontys School
of Communication 2105 - 2020, Eindhoven: Fontys School of
Communication.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
60
Scheufele, D. A. 1999. Framing as a theory of media effects. Journal of
Communication, 49(1), pp. 103 - 122.
Schultz, M., Hatch, M.J. & Larsen, M. H., 2000. The expressive organi-
zation: linking identity, reputation and the corporate brand. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Sheldon, A., 1980. Organizational paradigms: a theory of organizational
change. Organizational Dynamics, Volume Winter, pp. 61-80.
Sinek, S., 2009. Start with why. New York: Penguin Group.
Tajfel, H. & Turner, J. C., 1985. The social identity theory of intergroup
behavior. In: S. Worchel & W. G. Austin, eds. Psychology of Intergroup
Relations. Chicago: Nelshon-Hall, pp. 6-24.
Tegenlicht, 2014. The power to the city. [Documentary] Directed by
Kasper Verkaik. the Netherlands: VPRO.
Tsoukas, H. & Papoulias, D. B., 2005. Managing third-order change: The
case of the public power. Long Range Planning, Volume 38, pp. 79-95.
Unilever, 2015. How and why we’re making sustainable living
commonplace. [Online] Available at: http://ww w.unilever.com /
sustainable-living/ [Accessed 20 8 2015].
United Nations, 2014. World’s population increasingly urban with more
than half living in urban areas. [Online] Available at:
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/world-
urbanization-prospects-2014.html [Accessed 4 8 2015].
van Halderen, M., Bhatt, M., Berens, G., Brown, T. & van Riel, C., 2014.
Managing impressions in the face of rising stakeholder pressures:
examining oil companies’ shifting stances in the climate change debate.
Journal of Business Ethics, Volume October.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
61
van Halderen, M. & Kettler-Paddock, K., 2012. The Big Picture.
Communication Director, Volume 4, pp. 20-23.
van Halderen, M., Kettler-Paddock, K. & Badings, C., 2013. Thought
Leadership: vernieuwende inzichten en waardecreatie op het snijvlak van
markt en maatschappij. Amsterdam: Adformatiegroep.
van Halderen, M., van Riel, C. & Brown, T., 2011. Balancing between
legitimacy and distinctiveness in corporate messaging: a case in the oil
ind ustry. Corporate Reputation Review, 14(4), pp. 273-299.
van ‘t Veer, F. & Dorr, M., 2014. De zelfstandige zonder personeel in
Breda. [Online] Available at: http://www.economischebarometer.nl/
upload/0140-1391095379.pdf [Accessed 4 8 2015].
Welsing, R., 2015. Verbinden is het nieuwe verkopen.
Zelhem: Het Boekenschap.
Young, L., 2013. Thought Leadership - Prompting buinesses to think and
learn. London: Kogan Page Limited.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
62
Curriculum Vitae
Mignon van Halderen has since 2014 been lector (associate professor)
Thought Leadership in a Society of Change at Fontys University of
Applied Sciences, School of Communication Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
She is the founding director of the Dutch School of Thought, the
international research institute affiliated with the Lectorate, Thought
Leadership in a Society of Change. The lectorate and research institute
play a crucial, connecting role between research, education and practice.
Mignon van Halderen advises organisations on thought leadership via her
consulting agency, Leading Thoughts (www.leading-thoughts.com).
She has extensive experience in academic and applied research, and
has been active in the field of thought leadership for many years. She
earned her PhD at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus
University where she conducted research on major oil companies’
positioning strategies with respect to climate change. She continued
working for RSM, Erasmus University as an assistant professor until
2012. She still offers guest lectures and executive programmes on
thought leadership for the International Executive Master of Corporate
Communication at RSM, Erasmus University. Mignon is also active as a
thesis supervisor for this executive programme.
Mignon van Halderen is the author of the book Thought Leadership:
vernieuwende inzichten op het snijvlak van markt en maatschappij
(Thought Leadership: innovative insights and value creation on the cutting
edge of market and society), and has written various academic and
practitioner articles on thought leadership and organisations’ positioning
challenges. She has published in various academic journals, including the
California Management Review, The Journal of Brand Management, The
Journal of Business Ethics and The Corporate Reputation Review. Over the
last few years, she has developed the Thought Leadership Framework for
developing a thought leadership strategy.
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
63
Mignon van Ha lderen
shifting paradigms - Thought Leadership as Instigator of Societal Change
64
Publisher’s imprint
Author: Dr Mignon van Hald eren
Design: Studio van L aar, Eindhoven
Editor: Allison Klein (ABK Translations)
Publisher: Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Address: Rachelsmolen 1
Building R4, first floor
Postbox 347
5600 AH Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Websites: www.dutchschoolofthought.com
www.fontys.nl/lectoraathoughtleadership
Email: Dutch School of Thought
dutchschoolofthought@fontys.nl
Email: Le ctor Mignon van Halderen
m.vanhalderen@fontys.nl
Copyright © 2015
All rights reserved. No par t of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, elec tronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher and the author.
Using one or more par ts of this publication in presentations, readers, blogs or other
compilations is not permitted without the prior permission of the publisher Fontys
Universit y of Applied Sciences and the author Mignon van Halderen.