Pieterjan van Wijngaarden

Community
Strategy
Entrepreneurship

Ondernemen als way of life

I was trained as an Applied Educationalist at the University of Twente about twenty years ago. I went to study Educational Sciences because I wanted to pass on what I had received in my education to the next generation. During my studies, however, I discovered the domain of 'learning in organisations'. I found out that you continue to learn while working. I became enthusiastic about making learning in organizations more attractive and fun.

An important period in my time at Kessels & Smit was that I ran the company 'Something is going to happen' with my colleagues Arne Gillert and Tjip de Jong. We wanted to use game principles to make learning in organisations more fun and seductive. We experimented with iPads, iPods, podcasts and videos at a time when this was anything but commonplace.

I discovered the power that lies in entrepreneurship. Feeling ownership of something and going for it to the fullest. And that together with others. It gave me the idea to write a book about it. As entrepreneurs of Kessels & Smit, The Learning Company, I think we have a lot to offer the world in this area. Principles such as 'making work out of your passion', 'knowledge as a personal skill' and 'mutual attractiveness' are still the pillars of my own entrepreneurship and the work I do for clients.

In the meantime, I have made entrepreneurship my core business. With Development Centers, we have developed a unique and successful way of giving shape to strategic movements in organisations in people's actions and interactions. With Grytte Maliebaan and Bloemenheuvel, I give shape to working communities and focus on the 'work of the future'.

My consultancy work shifts from projects in which learning is the goal. More and more often I am involved in projects where learning is a means to an end. For example: the merger of departments within an organisation, the development of strategy with works councils and directors, the establishment of an institute for special education or the coaching of high-potentials at a large family business.