Prof. dr. Jeff Gaspersz (emeritus)

Prof. dr. Jeff Gaspersz is Professor of Innovation at Nyenrode Business University. He is part of Nyenrode's Faculty Research Center for Strategy, Organization & Leadership. Innovation is a top priority in business and government. In his chair, he contributes to insights and ideas that support leaders and policy makers in developing and exploiting the power of innovation.

Innovation and creativity drive Gaspersz and give him energy because it is extremely important for organizations, our work and our daily lives. Jeff believes that we can only see and seize opportunities if we continue to think and act innovatively. It will be the number one skill of the future.

After studying socio-economic policy and obtaining his degree at the EUR, Gaspersz worked in this field of expertise as a lecturer at Erasmus University and at Nyenrode. However, his interest gradually shifted from macro-policy to leadership in organizations. He then joined Nyenrode, where he gave lectures and master classes on innovation. Jeff was Program Director there as well. Nevertheless, his heart was in generating (research) and disseminating (conveying) knowledge about innovation and creativity. To learn the consulting trade, he was also employed by KPMG in the past.

Currently, Gaspersz talks about innovation often and with passion at congresses and seminars. He is writing a series of books on innovation, aimed at leaders and entrepreneurs. His research currently focuses on new developments in the innovation-oriented management of organizations. Consider, for example, the setting up of Innovation Labs. Furthermore, Jeff is developing research into how artificial intelligence can help stimulate creativity and new ideas.

Interests

• The art of dialogue for generating new ideas and insights. In view of this, Gaspersz developed the concept of the dialogue dinner.
• Studying and performing the piano works of J.S. Bach.
• Studying the ancient and highly complex ‘Go’, the Asian board game, which holds great value for strategy development in companies. A politician once said: "If you want to understand China, you have to learn to play Go.”
• Writing haikus; Gaspersz is fascinated by the art of capturing an emotion in three lines.
• Tennis, running, golf, painting, photography, museums, traveling.

Most relevant publications

• Oeij, P.R.A., Van Vuuren, T. & Dhondt, S, Gaspersz, J.B.R (2018) Mindful infrastructure as antecedent of innovation resilience behaviour of project teams: learning from HROs, in: Team Performance Management, an International Journal, 24 (7/8), 435-456. 
• Oeij, P.R.A., Gaspersz, J.B.R., Van Vuuren, T. & Dhondt, S. (2017). Leadership of innovation projects: an illustration of the reflective practitioner and the relation to organisational learning model. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 6(2), 1-20. 
• Oeij, P.R.A., Dhondt, S., Gaspersz, J.B.R., Van Vuuren, T. (2017). Innovation Resilience Behavior and Critical Incidents: Validating the Innovation Resilience Behavior-Scale with Qualitative Data, in: Project Management Journal, October 2017. 
• Oeij, P.R.A., Dhondt, S & Gaspersz, J.B.R. (2016). Mindful infrastructure as an enabler of innovation resilience behaviour in innovation teams. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 22(7/8), 337-353. 
• Oeij, P.R.A., Dhondt, S., Gaspersz, J.B.R. & Van Vuuren, T. (2016). Defensive behaviours in innovation teams – how project teams discuss defensiveness and its relationship with innovation resilience behaviour and project success. Language, Discourse & Society, 4(2), 15-36.