Previous Editions

Time: 16:00 – 19:00

Location: University of Antwerp, City Campus, Room S.B.203

“From Risk to Reality: Reading the Drift and How Systems Absorb Stress”

Speaker: Dr. Frank Imans

What if safety wasn’t about ever-tighter rules, traditional risk models, or post-mortem analyses — but about understanding how entropy and capacity influence outcomes together? In this edition of our Antwerp Crisis Conversation, we introduce a new perspective that reveals how entropy — the noise, drift, and disorder inherent in real work — interacts with capacity, which encompasses the structures, resources, and adaptability that maintain systems. From oil and gas to construction, from nuclear to aviation, we’ll explore why some systems break while others adapt, and how stress ratios can help us predict failure before it occurs. This approach connects industries, providing a common language for understanding safety in complex environments.

​Dr. Frank Imans has spent over 25 years in HSE management across multiple industries, including oil & gas, steelmaking, construction, logistics, and (petro)chemicals. Much of his career has been abroad, leading safety functions in complex, high-hazard environments.His work combines the practical aspects of safety with a scientific curiosity about how systems cope under stress. This journey has led to the development of a new model that redefines safety by balancing entropy and capacity. He offers a rare mix of operational experience, cross-industry insight, and clear conceptual thinking to one of today’s most urgent questions: how do we design for resilience, not just compliance?

Time: 16:00 - 18:00

Location: University of Antwerp, City Campus, Room S.B.203

“Governing Crisis Networks: Supra-Regional Coordination”

Speakers: Niels Bouwens & Dr. Steven van den Oord 

This session will focus on the challenges of supra-regional coordination within the Belgian fire services. Coordination across fire zones raises complex questions of governance, legitimacy, and effectiveness, especially in times of crisis. To explore this theme, they will examine three concrete cases: Legitimacy, Education and Training, and Crisis Management. Each case highlights specific coordination challenges that transcend individual fire zones, shedding light on the dynamics of collaboration in critical contexts.

As an analytical lens, they draw on Henry Mintzberg’s work on organizational design to structure their discussion, offering both theoretical and practical insights into how crisis networks are governed when they transcend established boundaries.

This conversation provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the evolving role of the fire services in Belgium and to engage with peers on the broader implications of above-zone crisis governance.

Steven van den Oord is Assistant Professor of Organization Studies at Tilburg University and Research Fellow at the Chair of Crisis Governance at the University of Antwerp. He also serves as a Visiting Lecturer at both the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School. Steven earned his Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Antwerp and studied Organization Studies at Tilburg University. He combines teaching and research, lecturing on management and organizational studies, as well as interorganizational relations and networks. He supervises students from bachelor’s to executive master’s level and currently mentors two Ph.D. candidates working on network accountability, social value creation, and network membership. Steven has extensive experience in social science research, often in collaboration with public and private partners. His research focuses on organizational networks—how they are designed, governed, developed, and assessed in terms of effectiveness. His work has been published in leading academic journals, professional outlets, and books, including Public Administration Review, Journal of International Education in Business, Journal of Change Management, Frontiers in Big Data, and Case Studies on Transport Policy.

Time: 16:00 - 19:00

Location: Antwerp Management School

Key Considerations for Crisis Simulations Robbert Meulemeester and Alexander Nieuwborg focused on how organizations regularly test their crisis preparedness and resilience through simulations. While scenarios are carefully designed, choosing the right type of simulation is often overlooked. In this session, they explored key considerations to ensure you get the most value from your next crisis simulation. Those wishing to explore the content of the conversation in greater depth can consult the Issue Paper prepared by the speakers.

Time: 16:00 - 19:00

Location: Antwerp Management School

Preparation often proves insufficient when managing a prolonged crisis. In such situations, we tend to fall back on fundamental principles that consistently hold true. In this edition of “Antwerp Crisis Conversations,” Raf Hendrickx, Communication Director at SCK CEN, will share his insights into a set of practical principles for crisis management and communication. We will explore the logical and scientific foundations of these principles. Expect an interactive, insightful, and highly practical discussion on crisis management and communication.

Time: 16:00 - 19:00

Location: Antwerp Management School

The opening lecture, "Governing Crisis Networks," shed light on our perspectives on crises, offering theoretical insights into managing crisis networks. Dr. Steven van den Oord presented this lecture. As an organizational scientist, Dr. van den Oord specializes in organizations' design, governance, development, and effectiveness. At the end of the lecture, the possibility was there to network with peers allowing for discussions to be continued. This event presented a unique opportunity to engage in vital crisis management and governance discussions, exploring essential insights and strategies crucial for today’s organizations.