The Inaugural address of Prof. dr. ir. Bart Vos
Dr. ir. Bart Vos, appointed as Professor of Supply Chain Innovation in the School of Business and Economics (2019), accepted this position with the delivery of an inaugural lecture on Friday 28th of October 2022, in the Aula of Maastricht University.
Pro-rector Prof. Dr. Marielle Heijltjes, who opened the ceremony, mentioned: "It is so good to celebrate an event like this. Prof. Vos does not only bring a very extensive and impressive curriculum and experience to the school, but also a lot of positive energy to everything that he does." We fully agree with her and can add that Prof. Vos's passion and dedication inspire many.
In his lecture, Prof. Vos highlights that in these particularly turbulent times, the traditional efficiency-oriented metaphor is insufficient to implement the necessary transitions toward a sustainable future. Of course, he does not leave the audience in despair but, referencing "Images of organization" by Gareth Morgan, discusses a number of alternative metaphors for the design and management of supply chains. Examples he mentions are the chain as brain, organism, flux & change, dominance, and psychic prison. Prof. Vos uses the projects of BISCI (Brightlands Institute of Supply Chain Innovation), where he is a Scientific Director, to illustrate how these types of metaphors can help implement the necessary transitions in chains.
In conclusion, to highlight Prof. Vos's approach to everything he does, nothing fits better than a verse from his beloved De Dijk's song, which was also cited in the ceremony:
denk ruim denk vrij
denk in het totaal
denk door denk na
denk aan allemaal
denk alles wat je denken kan
geef weg geef vrij
geef om het totaal
geef door geef voor
geef aan allemaal
geef alles wat je geven kan.
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