Lien Peeters
Prepared Mind
Biography
Lien Peeters co-owns (with Benny Corvers) Prepared Mind, a Belgian-Dutch consultancy firm. Both originally trained as linguists and have worked in the field of organisational design and development for the past 15 years. The Viable System Model and Modern Sociotechnical Systems have been at the core of their work ever since they started out. Lien helps turning complex strategic challenges into actionable decisions. She combines a strong structuring ability with a high dose of empathy and pragmatism, making her an ideal sounding board for organizations in transition. She earned her stripes in the world of education, where she held policy and management positions. Prepared Mind’s ambition is to change the world of work by enabling a fundamentally different dialogue within and between organisations, helping clients to design and develop new conditions that will allow their organisations to adjust sustainably. Prepared Mind mainly works with governments and social purpose organisations in youth care, mental health care, education
Sessions
Rethinking Organisational Networks: Practical Insights from Applying the Viable System Model in Real World Ecosystems
Purpose: Organizational networks are often approached as if they were conventional organizations, despite their fundamentally different nature. Drawing on our work with more than 20 networks across mental health care, palliative care, youth care, mobility, circular economy, and labour market integration, this presentation shows how the Viable System Model (VSM) helps networks understand their identity, governance, and contribution within larger ecosystems. Methods: Using case examples throughout, we present a practice-based approach developed through long-term coaching, training, and facilitation. VSM is applied across multiple recursion levels by distinguishing the network as ecosystem, the network as a bounded partnership, and the network as an organization. This perspective supports governance design, stakeholder engagement, and strategic development. Findings: Illustrated by cases from different sectors, we show how confusion between recursion levels often leads to misunderstandings about governance, responsibilities, and purpose. VSM enables participants to distinguish these perspectives, creating a shared understanding of the network's identity and role. This, in turn, supports richer strategic conversations about the network's intended contribution, strengthens collaboration among partners, and increases engagement across the network. Implications/Contributions: By grounding conceptual insights in diverse practice cases, the presentation demonstrates how VSM can be effectively applied to organizational networks and offers researchers and practitioners practical approaches for diagnosing, designing, and developing viable multi-organizational collaborations.
Rethinking Organisational Networks: Practical Insights from Applying the Viable System Model in Real World Ecosystems
Purpose: Organizational networks are often approached as if they were conventional organizations, despite their fundamentally different nature. Drawing on our work with more than 20 networks across mental health care, palliative care, youth care, mobility, circular economy, and labour market integration, this presentation shows how the Viable System Model (VSM) helps networks understand their identity, governance, and contribution within larger ecosystems. Methods: Using case examples throughout, we present a practice-based approach developed through long-term coaching, training, and facilitation. VSM is applied across multiple recursion levels by distinguishing the network as ecosystem, the network as a bounded partnership, and the network as an organization. This perspective supports governance design, stakeholder engagement, and strategic development. Findings: Illustrated by cases from different sectors, we show how confusion between recursion levels often leads to misunderstandings about governance, responsibilities, and purpose. VSM enables participants to distinguish these perspectives, creating a shared understanding of the network's identity and role. This, in turn, supports richer strategic conversations about the network's intended contribution, strengthens collaboration among partners, and increases engagement across the network. Implications/Contributions: By grounding conceptual insights in diverse practice cases, the presentation demonstrates how VSM can be effectively applied to organizational networks and offers researchers and practitioners practical approaches for diagnosing, designing, and developing viable multi-organizational collaborations.