Rick Heijmans

At the Weizenbaum-Institut Institute’s event on How GenAI and Process Intelligence revolutionise Process Management, speakers asked: How do we use AI not just to do more, but to do better, without losing our human edge? Joseph Weizenbaum’s early AI system simulated psychotherapy, but it led to a lasting question: What are we giving up when machines think for us? This question is particularly urgent today. 🎤 Jennifer Haase, researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute and Humboldt University, brought a deeply human perspective to the conference.  “We gain productivity and creativity through AI but we also risk losing motivation, competence, and curiosity if we’re not intentional.” Jennifer’s talk stood out for its clarity, balance, and practical direction. She explored both the opportunities and the trade-offs AI brings, especially in creative industries: 👟 In fashion and retail, AI is already present, from virtual shoe fittings to AI-driven tailoring and custom design. 📈 She identified three main benefits of AI adoption:  Increased productivity in daily tasks  Enhanced creativity through generative tools  Knowledge democratization, giving teams wider access to insights and skills ⚠️ But she also warned of four apocalyptic riders: downsides we risk if AI replaces human learning:  Loss of competencies  Blind reliance on machines  Decreased motivation  Declining creativity 💡 Her advice to companies:  Build shared knowledge bases  Allow time for onboarding and reflection  Create spaces for experimentation  Offer employees a weekly "AI day" to explore, learn, and test ideas—a future-proof strategy for staying competitive and curious Jennifer reminded us that integrating AI isn’t just about implementation; it’s about culture change, and that starts with trust, time, and space to think. We are sharing one post per day, to cover the five deep learning Process Intelligence presentations by global experts.  Repost if you find the content useful 🎯 📺 Watch her full talk here: https://lnkd.in/eDG8V5h3 

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As organizations worldwide strive to harness the power of AI in project management, the conversation must shift from just applying new tools to building real governance, responsibility, and strategic advantage. Having been deeply involved as a co-author of the new PMI-AI standard, I’ve seen firsthand how the responsible integration of AI can transform not just outcomes, but the very role of the project manager. The intersection of AI and project management is no longer about preparing for the future—it is about excelling in the present. The demand now is for leaders who can blend practical AI understanding with proven project expertise. That’s why I’m excited to guide professionals through the PMI-CPMAI Coaching & Certification Program. This experience is not only about certification—it’s about connecting knowledge with action. You will learn to steer AI initiatives safely and effectively, leverage exclusive tools, and build strong peer networks to navigate the evolving landscape together. The future of project leadership requires foresight, adaptability, and a commitment to ethical, results-driven practices. I look forward to supporting a new generation of project professionals in achieving this. If you are ready to advance your role and make a true impact, this is your opportunity.

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🌟 Navigating Office Gossip: A Path to Transparency and Trust 🌟 Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the #Mercer business breakfast in Munich, titled "Level-Up," where we delved into the success factors for effectively setting up and managing IT projects and transformations (Thanks to Holger Jungk and Karolin Schaper for an amazing event). A joint study with the Universität Sankt Gallen was presented, highlighting the critical role of stakeholder management and change management, alongside the importance of a professional project setup and adequate resources. One intriguing insight from the Mercer team was the need to address office gossip, or "Flurfunk." This raises an important question: Can we steer office gossip, or should we simply suppress it? While suppression may seem like a quick fix, it’s neither practical nor effective. Instead, as change and communication professionals and leaders, we should embrace office gossip as a unique communication channel that can provide valuable insights into team dynamics. Here’s how you can foster a culture of transparency and trust within your teams: Create a Clear Narrative: Share a consistent message about ongoing changes and projects to keep everyone informed. Encourage Open Dialogue: invitve discussions from informal settings, like the coffee machine and the floor, into your team meetings. Invite team members to voice their questions and concerns. Acknowledge Emotions: Take concerns and emotions seriously. Validate your team’s feelings to foster a supportive environment. Do not judge. Be Transparent: Provide clear and honest answers to questions. If you don’t have an answer, commit to finding one and follow up. Engage with Change Management: Bring any unresolved questions to your change or project management teams for clarification. Will this eliminate office gossip? Nope. However, it will cultivate an atmosphere of transparency and trust, where team members feel valued and informed. Remember: "Say what you do, and do as you say." This creats trust and commitment that are the very basis for successful transformation. Here’s to happy and successful change! 🚀 #Leadership #ChangeManagement #OfficeCulture #Transparency #TeamTrust #Mercer

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Update from the AI #Welt Summit Exciting discussions with leading AI companies like OpenAI, SAP and others today at the AI #Welt Summit. Key take always from the conversations I had with executives: Speed: The fastest adopters will be the winners in this AI race and gain competitive advantages Innovation across the stack: The magic happens across the tech stack - not only LLM providers or core infrastructure players can shape this technology. Innovation is happening in the application and front end layer, which will create huge economic value Data: European companies sit on gold (their data) – we need to find smart ways and finally start to mine this gold  It’s never just tech: Adoption is KING – we as humans will stay the ultimate decision makers - therefore the speed of enablement decides on how fast value can be captured I am leaving with a lot of positive energy and momentum. Let’s get the AI journey accelerated across EMEA! Fabian Billing Björn Münstermann

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📢 🗓️ Join me at the upcoming Fraunhofer FOKUS Learning Technology Symposium, where I will provide insights on "Combining Individual Skill Development with Organisational Agility: LinkedIn for Learning Hub's AI-Driven Innovations". In this session at the Symposium on 23/06, I will outline the future of L&D leveraging AI on the example of LinkedIn Learning Hub, namely aligning workforce development with strategic agility. Topics include: ➡️ AI-generated learning plans tailored to business needs ➡️ Role-based skill guides and internal career pathing ➡️ CSV-based talent architecture configuration ➡️ AI-assisted content curation and simulation-based learning 🎤 I will be joined by our very own Clarisse Ni Mhuineachean, who will present on internal mobility and the use of the LinkedIn Talent Marketplace to support internal hiring practices. Hence, the session will explore how learning and mobility can be operationalized to support workforce adaptability and retention. Thank you Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Dr. Christopher Krauß for the invitation. #LTS #FOKUSMWS #SkillArchitecture #InternalMobilityDesign #CareerInfrastructure

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The latest article by Andre Bechtold in Human Resources Manager explores how organizations can foster continuous learning through the concept of Learnfluencers—and SAP’s Developer Advocates, led by Thomas Jung, are a prime example. In a world where tech evolves faster than traditional training can keep up, SAP Developer Advocates step in as passionate enablers of learning. They share insights through blogs, videos, workshops, and peer support, creating a vibrant, responsive learning culture. Why SAP Developer Advocates matter: They react quickly to emerging trends. They share practical, real-world knowledge. They are one of the coolest teams at SAP. They know their stuff. This approach doesn’t just transfer knowledge—it embeds it into the daily flow of work, breaking down silos and accelerating onboarding. It’s a living, breathing model of how learning can thrive in fast-moving environments. (available in German only) SAP Developers #DeveloperAdvocates #Learnfluencer #SAP #KnowledgeSharing #FutureOfWork #HRInnovation #ContinuousLearning https://lnkd.in/e96AwXsc

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From the Neckar to the Charles River: research without borders Heidelberg University and Harvard University have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to give their long-standing collaboration a stronger structure and room to grow. Signed in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Frauke Melchior and Alan Garber, it opens clear paths for researchers, students, and projects to move in both directions. Read the announcement: https://lnkd.in/eF7JShqB The institutional partnership builds on decades of joint work in medicine and global health, neuroscience, astrophysics, molecular systems engineering and advanced materials, history, theology, Asian studies, environmental physics, and social sciences. What is new: a teaching hub in Heidelberg for hybrid and digital formats, an incubator to launch joint projects, an innovation hub to connect research with practice, and funded research stays with laboratories, workspaces, and housing ready on both sides. Further agreements are already in preparation across multiple disciplines. Picture a Heidelberg historian spending months in Harvard’s rare-book libraries, or a Harvard astrophysicist using Heidelberg’s observatories to test a new telescope design. It is an open door for members of the academic community at Harvard and Heidelberg to begin collaborations that neither side could shape alone. Imagine what will cross that threshold next. #UniHeidelberg #Heidelberg #university #ResearchWithoutBorders #AcademicPartnerships

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The single biggest advantage we're seeing in #AI and #agents at SAP is summarisation and #search in #CRM. Looking back at the last 10 years I can say search inside almost every major application or website is now an incredibly poor experience compared to #chatgpt or #gemini or #claude. How we ask for information and how we are presented with answers is changing... FAST The problem in #sales, #customerservice, #fieldservice management is that we've gotten to the point where capturing tasks and information is mainly automatic - sync email, meetings, calls, web visits, product data, asset management and IoT, real-time delivery updates, orders, invoices, pricing - the data is all there. But it's HUGE and in some cases SAP customers are managing millions of opportunities, millions of orders, millions of cases across millions of contacts at thousands of customers. How can I find the information I'm looking for without pages and pages of answers and 10-15 clicks and scrolls through information to find the answers I need. What we're seeing is business users are often overwhelmed with information and struggle to find out the basics "who am I speaking with, where are they from, what do they want, how can I help?". 1-2 minutes of a #customerservice call or case is just reading notes. 5-10 minutes sitting in the car before a customer visit in #accountmanagement is remembering who you're visiting and why you're there. If you're visiting 4-5 customers per day in field service it takes time to organise who you're visiting, what machines or products they have and what the problem might be. Agentic AI is very good at summarising information into 1-2 paragraphs in natural language. Agentic AI is very good at reading 700 pages of a document and pulling out the right 2 lines to answer a question in human language. When see customers who are adopting AI in their #customerexperience offering they're looking for opportunities to increase productivity and reduce friction for their business users and their customers in just making it easier to find and use information. If you're worried about the impact on your users or your business look for an opportunity to just make it easier to find the answers to the most common questions in less clicks across less screens - your users will thank you and you'll have happier customers and a more profitable #business. https://lnkd.in/e6DewWag

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🚀 Today we hosted the third session of our Innovation Talks series, diving into one of the most crucial questions for anyone working in innovation:   How do we balance strategy, innovation and risk?   We had the pleasure of welcoming Professor Frank Piller, one of the leading global voices in Innovation Management from RWTH Aachen University. With his extensive research and hands-on experience, he explored the delicate relationship between strategic decisions, innovation and risk-taking, showing us how uncertainty can become a strategic advantage and even an opportunity to be exploited.   💡 Key reflections that stayed with us:   Innovation requires risk, but not recklessness.   Growth demands stepping outside the comfort zone.   Risk-taking is not about jumping blindly; it’s about making informed leaps backed by insight, data, and shared purpose. Open Innovation could be a powerful tool to share risks and to explore untapped opportunities in unknown territories   Another powerful session reminding us that innovation is not just about ideas, but about the courage to act, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.   #TheImpulse #InnovationTalks #InnovationManagement #Leadership #OpenInnovation

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What if AI coaching could unlock education for millions who lack access today? ... Over the past months, I’ve been exploring what it really means to learn with AI. In my previous blogpost, I shared how tools like ChatGPT and Gemini unexpectedly became my personal coaches — not just answering questions, but helping me navigate entirely new skills with patience, structure, and motivation. That experience opened my eyes to something much bigger than my own learning curve. If AI can empower someone like me to learn complex topics on demand, independently, and at my own pace… what could this mean for the millions of people who currently don’t have access to quality education? In my newest article, I explore exactly that: how AI-driven coaching could transform global education — especially in regions where qualified teachers, learning materials, and formal training opportunities are scarce. 👉 Full article: https://lnkd.in/dqXEb_tG Why this matters AI-powered coaching already shows three unique strengths: 🔹 Available 24/7 🔹 Personalized — adapting to background, pace, and learning goals 🔹 Affordable and scalable — no classrooms, no physical infrastructure These strengths make AI not just another ed-tech feature, but a potential catalyst for democratizing learning globally. Early evidence is promising. We’re already seeing real-world impact: - Brazil’s technologically mediated high school model reaches 300,000+ students in remote areas. - The AIED Unplugged initiative has supported over 250,000 learners. - Across Africa, universities, governments, and NGOs are accelerating AI-driven education projects. AI coaching is also powerful for adults — especially those looking to reskill in fast-changing fields like AI, programming, and data science. My own journey is living proof of how accessible and motivating this can be. But there are challenges we must address AI is a tool — not a silver bullet. To make it effective and equitable, we need to ensure: - Basic infrastructure (devices, connectivity, electricity) - Digital literacy for both learners and teachers - Localized content that fits cultural and linguistic contexts - Guardrails for data privacy, fairness, and safety - Clear understanding that AI should support — not replace — educators A vision worth working toward. Imagine a world where a teenager in a remote village can learn coding through AI… where teachers get AI-assisted lesson planning… where adults can upskill from anywhere… and where lifelong learning is accessible to everyone. This isn’t science fiction. It’s already happening — and we have the opportunity to shape it responsibly.

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𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹 – 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 Excited to share that heise conferences gmbh published the latest release of #ITSpektrum featuring an article from my dear colleague Aine Kazlauskaite and myself. Agile, SAFe, ITIL promise structure and success. But in practice, many organizations still struggle to deliver. We argue that success in software delivery isn’t about choosing the “right” framework – it’s about understanding your organization’s unique context and designing delivery models accordingly. 📖 Read the full (German) article: https://lnkd.in/dhpngJww 💬 Curious to hear your perspective: What are your experiences when applying a "proven" framework in a real-world setting? #TechRulezPeriod #TSAASG Accenture DACH Hannes Ludwig Tim Jansen Benjamin Zeller

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📢 My Dissertation Published Today 📢 Today my doctoral dissertation on Responsible AI in Human Resource Management was published and is now openly available via Technische Universität Dortmund. 🧑‍🎓 The work takes an empirical look at how #MachineLearning and #AI are used in HR contexts, with a focus on transparency, fairness, non-discrimination, and the realities of practical adoption. One central insight: technical approaches such as explainable AI are important, but trust and acceptance depend just as much on governance, context, and human involvement. Hence: The #sociotechnical dimension is critical! I believe the results are relevant for everyone, as AI and agents increasingly influence decisions that directly affect careers and opportunities — particularly in HR. It is also relevant for organizations facing acceptance and trust challenges when introducing AI-based decision support. 🔗 Open access: https://lnkd.in/dF7drqa8 If you’d like to discuss the results, feel free to reach out! 😊 #AI #ResponsibleAI #HRAnalytics #TrustInAI #MachineLearning Windhoff Group

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One quick observation from the SAP Cloud Transformation Day Düsseldorf today: Cloud transformation conversations are rarely about technology. They are about tension. In several discussions today, three tensions kept appearing: 1️⃣ The economics tension Many customers ask a very pragmatic question: “If we already invested heavily in on-premise licenses, why should we pay again for the cloud?” Explaining the economic logic of cloud operating models is often harder than explaining the technology. 2️⃣ The business reality tension Especially in owner-led companies, leadership attention is currently focused on market uncertainty and geopolitical risk. If your core market is under pressure, cloud transformation and AI initiatives compete with very immediate operational priorities. 3️⃣ The human tension AI promises productivity and innovation. But employees often hear something else first: change, uncertainty, and potential job impact. Technology transformation therefore becomes a leadership challenge. In the end, cloud and AI transformations seem to sit at the intersection of three forces: • economics • strategy • people Technology might actually be the easiest part. Curious what others at the event are hearing in their conversations today! #SAP #CloudTransformation #SAPPartner #S4HANA #ArealBöhler

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What happens when 100 women talk about tech? The publication of the research project #100TechFrauen is here. And I’m incredibly proud to be part of it. On Friday, I received my copy, a special moment that brought back many memories. Of my interview. And of our unforgettable project and the wrap-up celebration we had last fall. What makes this project so special? It highlights how diverse female career paths in the tech world truly are – and that there isn’t just one way to succeed. Instead of buzzwords, you’ll find real voices, personal stories, and thoughtful insights from women who are actively shaping the digital future. A big thank you to Dr. Kira Marrs, Anja Bultemeier and the entire team for your amazing work and for giving space to these voices. The project may be complete, but its impact is just beginning. Eva Bacon Valeska Lindenmeyer Christine Regitz Eva Zauke Anja Schneider Marina Ribke Sarah Mang-Schäfer  Fiona Taylor Jacquiline Burke Krause (née Harvey) Stephanie Karger Christian Stelzmueller Marika Paulus Andrea Wauschek  Joerg Staff Elly Siegert Dr. Judith Wunschik Anna - Maria Woratschek #100TechFrauen #SAPWomenInTech

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We created an agent that turns #paperwork into #AI-ready knowledge. Yesterday at the Enterprise AI Summit in Munich, Karoline Wanninger and I presented our approach to one of the big bottlenecks in corporate #SAP transformations: #DOKUMENTATION. Our SmartDoc Agent helps to generate the key documentation for SAP transformation, e.g. test cases, solution design documentation etc. And more, this helps to transform static documentation into structured, machine-readable knowledge. Business-critical knowledge becomes a reusable, AI-ready asset. One comment we received stuck with me: “Great product.” Simple, but it confirms that this problem resonates. Because the real challenge in Enterprise AI is not only building models. It’s making enterprise knowledge usable for AI. Thanks for invitation to be a speaker to Dorsaf Ben Younes Marian Trams-Fabian Giulia Castelletti Dr. Đorđe Tomić we.CONECT - Discover a unique B2B event experience! #EnterpriseAI #SAP #GenAI #DigitalTransformation #Siemens

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M&As don’t break because of technicalities. They break when cultural alignment is overlooked.   In my Master’s thesis on IT integration management in M&A, I studied the key drivers of successful integration. One recurring factor stood out: successful integrations intentionally build a unified project culture.   You cannot run an integration with two competing cultures, you have to build a new one. Successful integrations define their own operating principles: how decisions are made, how risks are surfaced, and what values guide execution.   This theme repeated across the interviews, and the quote below reflects the words of one experienced M&A leader I interviewed.

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🚆💪 Knowledge at its best: With SAP Learning Hub, SBB AG is taking its team to the next digital level! Just like in a fitness studio, the company relies on a tailored training plan: SAP Learning Hub as the central access point for learning resources and SAP Enable Now for interactive, real-time support. The results: ✅ Over 10,000 completed trainings ✅ 5,000 active users ✅ Employees fully prepared for the move to SAP S/4HANA 🚀 Kick off your own digital training program – with SAP Learning Hub: https://imsap.co/60417JUoL

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