Laurens Waling

The labour market is running at full speed, but organisations are getting stuck. Not because there is no talent, but because work is still organised around fixed roles, silos, and outdated assumptions.

In this lecture, Laurens shows why the classic role and CV thinking is increasingly ineffective in a world where tasks change faster than organisational structures. He connects labour market developments, AI, skills-based organising, and organisational change into one clear narrative.

Topics covered include:

• why labour market tightness is often an organisational issue
• what changes at the task level instead of the role level
• how AI makes the difference between classic matching and true talent mobility
• how leaders can organise agility without creating chaos

Participants receive strategic direction and practical language to conduct internal conversations differently.

Suitable for: executives, board members, HR directors, policymakers, management teams.

AI is often discussed in terms of opportunities or risks. Laurens makes it concrete: what does AI actually mean for work, decision-making, and talent management?

He clearly explains the difference between various forms of AI, such as:

• classic keyword matching
• generic AI that is good at language but not at labour market structures
• specialist AI trained on millions of labour market data and skills relationships

But technology is never the endpoint. The real question is: what choices must leaders make when AI provides insights into skills gaps, internal mobility, and talent potential?

This lecture offers:

• clear distinction between hype and reality
• insight into AI compliance, transparency, and the impact of the EU AI Act
• practical examples from healthcare, government, and corporate organisations
• concrete first steps for responsible use of AI in HR and organisational development

For organisations that want to move beyond experimentation and act strategically.
Suitable for: C-level, HR, recruitment, innovation and transformation teams.

Change rarely fails due to strategy. It fails due to behaviour.

From his background in intervention science and change management, Laurens shows what really happens in organisations during transition. Why resistance is logical. Why holding onto control often blocks movement. And why leadership in change begins with the ability to tolerate uncertainty.

Themes in this lecture:

• how to mobilise groups without forcing support
• how to organise movement without regulating everything
• how to create psychological safety during technological change
• how to take yourself as a leader through transition
• and how to use AI to support this change

This session touches both head and heart and reveals what plays beneath the surface.
Suitable for: leadership teams, management teams, programme and change teams.

Why is the labour market brimming with talent, yet organisations still experience scarcity?

Laurens shows how organisations leave hidden potential untapped by clinging to roles and diplomas as selection criteria. He provides insight into how skills intelligence and AI can help to:

• accelerate internal mobility
• enable lateral entry
• make skills gaps visible
• directly link learning paths to work

With practical examples from healthcare institutions, public organisations, and corporates, he demonstrates how skills-based organising is not an HR project but a strategic movement.

Participants receive concrete tools to start small without overhauling the entire role structure.

Suitable for: HR, talent development, recruitment, workforce planning, board.

Many organisations have vision, policy, and PowerPoint. But how does real movement occur?

In this lecture, Laurens connects change management principles to technological innovation. No blueprint, but interventions that work in complex organisations.

Topics covered include:

• how to use small experiments to initiate system change
• why transparency is often more powerful than control
• how to discuss talent mobility without political resistance
• how data can be used to make conversations more open instead of defensive

This is a session for organisations that know something needs to happen but are looking for the right entry point.

Suitable for: strategic programmes, transformation teams, innovation initiatives.

Technology changes not only organisations but also societies.

Laurens connects AI, the labour market, inclusivity, and policy. He shows how skills-based matching can contribute to:

• fairer opportunities in the labour market
• more transparent decision-making
• better regional collaboration
• talent ecosystems where employers, education, and government collaborate

This lecture is strategic and societal in nature, without becoming abstract.

Suitable for: public organisations, policymakers, sector initiatives, regional collaborations.