Innovative and stimulating local governments can attract and retain good employees. Professors and HR experts Peggy De Prins and Lou Van Beirendonck from the Antwerp Management School firmly believe this. "More and more people are no longer motivated by shareholders or stock prices; they want to contribute meaningfully to the community and feel proud of their city or town."
Insights on the P+O-congres
Both Peggy De Prins and Lou Van Beirendonck will be speaking at the P+O Congress on November 24. De Prins will discuss The Dark Side, her new book on workplace issues often left unspoken and how to address them. Meanwhile, Van Beirendonck will answer whether innovation is driven by individual virtuosos or by team synergy.
HR is in constant evolution and seems highly trend-sensitive. What does innovation mean to you?
Peggy De Prins: “HR is a continuous work in progress within any organization. The organization, the broader environment, and the client are always changing, so you can never claim to have everything set for the next decade. Each organization’s puzzle is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all HR model. Some organizations thrive with slow, steady innovation, while others need to move faster without blindly following trends. I strongly advocate for realism; we should not romanticize innovation. Evaluation and critical reflection are key to recognizing what works and what doesn’t. The parts that don’t work—that’s where you’ll find the ‘dark sides.’ When these are acknowledged, innovation can truly begin. Innovation is also about experimenting and accepting failure. We love highlighting success stories, but we can also learn a lot from what goes wrong.”
Lou Van Beirendonck: “At its core, innovation is about evolving from a very hierarchical, top-down way of working and thinking to a horizontal, collaborative approach. A highly structured, hierarchical organization will struggle to attract people and respond quickly to social changes. But innovation isn’t a revolution; it’s about a continuous focus on improvement and renewal. It’s a state of mind.”
When everything is constantly changing, can an organization still find stability?
Lou Van Beirendonck: “That’s an interesting point. Stability, standardization, and holding onto what we have used to be the priorities, while change was seen as disruptive. Now, finding peace in change will need to become the new norm. In my experience, innovation becomes calming when you see it as normal, rather than stressful. It’s a fundamental mindshift. Today, we’re in the middle of a systemic shift to a new paradigm that values innovation, questioning assumptions, agility, and teamwork. This requires a completely different way of working and thinking.”
Who drives innovation: the expert or the team?
Lou Van Beirendonck: “Research shows that an expert in a team can truly make a difference. The numbers are striking. A Harvard Business Review publication found that a highly skilled employee can be up to four times more productive than an average one, whether it’s in terms of processing more cases, selling more, or coding better. But a strong individual can’t do everything alone; they need a team. The challenge is integrating solo virtuosos within a team to create mutual reinforcement.”
How do inclusion and diversity relate to innovation?
Peggy De Prins: “There’s ample research showing that more diversity leads to greater innovation. When you bring together different perspectives, you gain a broader view. The risk, though, is that a very diverse team may lose some cohesion.”
Lou Van Beirendonck: “Diversity only works well when there is a unifying principle, a shared mission, or a set of common goals. A recent publication highlighted that 80% of problems within management teams stem from unclear objectives.”
Peggy De Prins: “The new concept of inclusion faces similar challenges. For some, the ultimate goal of inclusion is allowing everyone to be fully themselves. While that’s a noble goal, we can’t forget we’re operating in a professional context. There are organizational boundaries, and collective agreements are necessary. We can’t always foster a ‘100% friendship culture’ in every organization. Sometimes, mutual respect among colleagues is sufficient. Inclusion is about acceptance and participation, but not all behaviors are appropriate. That boundary is personal and cultural, so dialogue about it is important. Terms like ‘work happiness’ also carry emotional weight. Setting such high expectations may be unrealistic. What’s wrong with people enjoying their work but seeking identity beyond it? We need to rethink inclusivity and work happiness without losing their core values.”
Lou Van Beirendonck: “Inclusion and diversity come with deeply human and ethical aspects. If ignored, it can lead to unacceptable situations like racism and bullying. But we also need to consider functionality—it can be stretched to the point where it no longer works.”
Innovation requires teamwork, communication, and participation. Are employees open to that?
Peggy De Prins: “In 2021, I conducted the first ‘participation barometer’ during the COVID crisis. One of the questions was: How often do you stay silent at work despite having good ideas? A third of Flemish employees reported staying silent regularly or always. That’s huge. By 2024, that number dropped to 26%, but we’re still missing out on a lot of innovation potential as people don’t speak up due to fear, lack of confidence, or disengagement.”
Since the COVID crisis, hybrid work has become the new norm. What does that mean for innovation?
Peggy De Prins: “Hybrid work reduces informal contact moments, and those are crucial for team innovation and fostering good ideas.”
Lou Van Beirendonck: “I’m concerned about organizations where employees work remotely four days a week, with only one day in the office. There’s a lot to be gained from being connected—discussions, debates, exchanges of ideas. We need each other to create new things, and many ideas spark spontaneously in conversations. Online meetings can’t replace that.”
Peggy De Prins: “There’s still a strong core of historically formed mature teams in many organizations. But for new or starting teams, physical proximity is essential. It’s also critical for leaders, who need to be present to set an example and maintain credibility. A motivational talk on Teams just doesn’t have the same impact.”
Lou Van Beirendonck: “Remote management works functionally—trusting, setting goals, and expecting tasks to be done. But the creative side is much harder. One of the basics of good leadership is presence. But if a leader is present at the workplace while the employees are rarely there, that’s a problem. Much can be done online, but the original form of genuine human contact is still superior.”
Many local governments are in transition. Can you say something about innovation in municipalities?
Lou Van Beirendonck: “The integration of social welfare offices with municipalities and the merging of municipalities are real drivers of innovation. Many inspiring things are happening despite limited resources, as we see in our Master in Public Governance and Leadership. Increased government investment in management training for local governments aligns with public officials’ desire to develop skills for future challenges.”
Peggy De Prins: “Themes like diversity and corporate social responsibility resonate strongly in local governments. Citizens expect their city or municipality to embody social relevance. Innovation isn’t limited to big cities. I recently visited De Panne, which is doing impressive work with citizen participation and workplace democracy, collaborating on concrete projects.”
Employees in local government often have long tenures. Does this create a “golden cage” where they’re resistant to change?
Peggy De Prins: “Research confirms that nearly 40% of employees in both the public and private sectors feel trapped in a ‘golden cage.’ It’s a taboo, rarely discussed. Staying long with one employer isn’t wrong—it’s valuable. But if employees feel trapped and burnt out, it’s a motivation issue. Both the employee and the manager need to regularly renew their psychological contract and align their shared ambitions. They mustn’t become complacent but keep a sense of renewal within a familiar structure. There are many motivational techniques and tools available for this.”
Organizational culture must then support open communication and dialogue.
Peggy De Prins: “Absolutely. Research shows there’s still much room for improvement in open dialogue culture. Over 60% of our employees do not feel comfortable giving feedback up the hierarchy, and 50% don’t even give feedback to colleagues. There are still many ‘silence taboos.’”
Lou Van Beirendonck: “People don’t become demotivated by working somewhere long-term; it’s when they’re no longer challenged or appreciated for their skills, or when they can’t see opportunities anymore.”
How can local governments position themselves as attractive employers?
Lou Van Beirendonck: “Factors like proximity and flexibility are important, but societal impact makes the difference. People are drawn to meaningful work, yet local governments often don’t emphasize this enough. If a municipal organization uses modern management practices and fosters an innovative and improving environment, it will attract good employees. Increasingly, people aren’t motivated by shareholders but by the chance to contribute meaningfully.”
Peggy De Prins: “Identity also matters—the pride of working for your city or town and being its ambassador. Of course, this assumes the government presents itself as a modern, dynamic organization.”
Finally, what does the growing impact of AI mean for HR?
Lou Van Beirendonck: “Many organizations and HR departments are experimenting with AI, sometimes with high expectations, sometimes cautiously. The question is how to use AI wisely. Operational tasks like payroll administration may eventually be automated, but strategic skills will become more important. The World Economic Forum predicts a growing emphasis on interpersonal and creative competencies. Innovation and human interaction will be critical. Yet, we must be vigilant about AI-related ethical challenges. Using algorithms to rank employees or candidates by productivity and loyalty can be dangerous. AI can indeed optimize, but human judgment remains essential.”
Peggy De Prins: "Last week, I was at the HR-tech conference. AI featured in the storytelling of every speaker. We’re at a historic turning point, but the human element—the quality of dialogue—will remain important."
Lou Van Beirendonck: "Moreover, technology advances much faster than behavioral change within people and organizations, so there's always a delay. And that’s a good thing, as it gives us time to adjust and reflect."
