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\n\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.improven.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JustaDeGraaff-7282-710px.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nWritten by Consultancy.co.uk<\/p>\n
Something is brewing in the business world. Disruption is nothing new, but with the rise of AI, everyone realises that we are on the cusp of something truly momentous. That is certainly true for Justa de Graaff and Reinier Plantinga. Together, they\u2019re helping companies realise the enormous promise of AI \u2013 and, as brand-new partners, they\u2019re building the next chapter of Improven: \u201cIt feels as though everything is coming together now.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n It was only a few months ago that we last caught up with Justa and Reinier, who had just joined Improven\u2019s partner team at the time.<\/p>\n Back then, we interviewed them separately. This time, they were keen to sit down together. Since becoming partners at Improven, Reinier and Justa have been spending a lot of time together. \u201cWe\u2019re both busy building up our own teams,\u201d says Justa. \u201cHiring people, lots of client meetings, roundtables, events \u2013 you name it.\u201d<\/p>\n It is certainly an extraordinary time for Improven. Earlier this year, the firm joined forces with Moore, one of the largest accountancy firms in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve gained a whole new world,\u201d says Reinier. \u201cThat gives us so much energy. First of all, they\u2019re just really lovely people. Together, we\u2019re working towards our ambition to develop a full-service provider, of which we form the consultancy arm. It also offers a huge number of new opportunities: Moore is very strong in the SME sector, whilst we operate more in the corporate and enterprise markets, so we complement each other perfectly. We\u2019re currently exploring all these possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n In short: Reinier and Justa certainly get plenty of exercise. The fact that they get on so well might seem surprising at first glance: whilst Reinier focuses on the financial sector and Improvens\u2019 new AI & Data team, Justa specialises in behaviour and personal leadership.<\/p>\n However, anyone who understands what is involved in successfully embracing new technology will grasp the combination straight away. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously about much more than just the technology itself,\u201d emphasises Reinier. \u201cThe human aspect is just as important. You saw that with digital transformation, data-driven working and robotics \u2013 and now it\u2019s doubly true for AI.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201dAI amplifies your strengths, but it also immediately exposes your weaknesses.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n For whilst digital innovations have been following one another in rapid succession for years, everyone agrees that AI is not just the next technology. \u201cAI is so impactful that it acts like a magnifying glass,\u201d says Justa. \u201cIt amplifies your strengths, but also immediately exposes your vulnerabilities: roles that aren\u2019t clearly defined, a lack of ownership over data \u2013 AI makes it all visible.\u201d<\/p>\n This is partly down to the speed at which AI is developing. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer linear,\u201d says Justa. \u201cCompare it to a new ERP system: the implementation of that can also be far-reaching, but once it\u2019s done, you\u2019re sorted for the time being. With AI, it\u2019s completely different: it\u2019s constantly changing. That means you have to build an organisation that keeps learning all the time. And that starts with staff behaviour: they must demonstrate leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n So Justa and Reinier\u2019s teams often go out together. \u201cAI isn\u2019t purely a technical issue or a leadership issue,\u201d says Reinier. \u201cIt\u2019s both.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, these are just two of the many facets of a sound AI strategy. \u201cThere\u2019s so much to it,\u201d confirms Reinier. \u201cHow do you ensure that AI aligns with your organisational strategy? What use cases arise from that? What do you need to realise value from those use cases? Is the data foundation in place? Which laws and regulations do we need to comply with? What skills do employees need to have? And so on\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n What makes the challenge even greater is that organisations are usually already using AI, but without a clear vision. \u201cInitiatives have often already been launched within teams or departments,\u201d explains Justa. \u201cBut that makes it very fragmented \u2013 they\u2019re all just isolated islands.\u201d<\/p>\n To arrive at a single overarching vision and strategy, Improven uses AI frameworks. \u201cThat sounds more technical than it is,\u201d says Reinier. \u201cIt provides a structure for designing your AI strategy based on your organisational strategy, whilst taking into account the countless issues involved in AI.\u201d<\/p>\n The final approach varies significantly from one organisation to another. \u201cAt one end of the spectrum, for example, we\u2019re helping an independent administrative body that\u2019s barely using AI at all,\u201d says Reinier. \u201cThey\u2019re very keen to find out: What opportunities are there for us? Where do the risks lie? What are other independent administrative bodies doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd at the other end of the spectrum, we\u2019re working with a major financial institution that\u2019s been doing this for years, using AI agents and the most advanced applications. They\u2019ve got perhaps as many as 300 different initiatives running, which they now want to harmonise more effectively, but without sapping the energy from them or stifling them with excessive scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many new opportunities emerging to help organisations get started at this crucial time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There are also significant differences on a human level. \u201cTake a regulator,\u201d Justa begins. \u201cIt\u2019s deeply ingrained in their culture that you mustn\u2019t make mistakes. We, on the other hand, teach the teams to experiment more, so that they become more agile and adapt more quickly to change. Conversely, we\u2019re helping a highly innovative start-up within the defence industry. There, they want to move so fast that we actually have to slow them down.\u201d<\/p>\n Things are moving quickly for Justa and Reinier too \u2013 although they\u2019ve only known each other for about six months, they already seem to be completely in tune with one another. When asked how different they are from one another, Justa doesn\u2019t have to think for long. \u201cEnormously,\u201d she says with a grin. \u201cWorking together is really difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n On a more serious note: \u201cNo, a few years ago we naturally took a slightly different path, with Reinier focusing more on the technical and business side and me on behaviour and leadership, but that actually means we complement each other perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d nods Reinier. \u201cAnd we\u2019re the two newcomers to the partner club. That does create an extra bond. We also share the same drive. All in all, it all just falls into place.\u201d<\/p>\n Above all, they are looking forward to the coming months. \u201cWe\u2019ve only just got started, of course,\u201d says Reinier. \u201cAnd it feels as though everything is coming together now: our arrival as partners, our collaboration with Moore and the rise of AI. So many new opportunities are emerging to help organisations move forward at this crucial time.\u201d<\/p>\n He also hints that Improven will be launching something new in the coming months. \u201cI\u2019m not actually allowed to say anything about it yet, but it fits perfectly with this story,\u201d he reveals.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, more to come soon,\u201d adds Justa. \u201cYou\u2019ll be hearing a lot more from us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\nMagnifying glass<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\nFrom isolated islands to a single vision<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\nBespoke<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\nIt all comes together<\/h2>\n
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