Mens sana in corpore sano 4.0

Scientists are already able to hack human beings thanks to the rapid evolutions in biotechnology, AI, neurosciences etc. At the same time, stress is the number one cause of long-term sickness absence. It’s high time we put scientific and technological progress at the service of well-being and health at work. Melexis and Antwerp Management School have already found each other in a groundbreaking Chair that uses technology and insights from neuroscience to strengthen organizations and people.

Melexis, a leader in innovative semiconductor solutions, has always served as a role model in the field of high performing organizations with an eye to well-being at work. As CEO Françoise Chombar explains, it’s all about "creating a yin yang between people and results". With the Chair in Neurosciences- and Technology-Enabled High Performance Organizations, which was installed on 28 August 2019, Melexis takes it one step further. The Chair gives Antwerp Management School the opportunity to carry out fundamental and applied research into the future-proofing of organizations and the development of balanced leaders.

According to Prof. Dr. Steven Poelmans, holder of the Chair, the adage 'mens sana in corpore sano' is more relevant than ever: "Mental strength and health are essential for knowledge creation and service quality, two pillars of the new economy. Training the brain to make better decisions, even (more so) when under pressure, makes people and organizations more efficient and stress-resistant. Companies that do not invest in health and well-being at work will soon be squeezed out of the market. The companies that are among the first to collect, analyze and apply biometric data to increase performance and well-being, will soon be the frontrunners of Industry 4.0.”

With this Chair, Prof. Dr. Poelmans examines how organizations can ride the wave of the fourth industrial revolution and how they can meet pressing challenges such as developing paradoxical leadership, preventing burnouts, facilitating digital transformation and multidisciplinary decision-making under stress. "We are developing five lines of research. In the unique NeuroTrainingLab™, for example, we look at how participants interact under pressure in real life cases, e.g. a conflict at work. We visualize their reactions through biometric data and teach our participants to embrace paradoxical leadership. The research line Leading Digitization aims at investigating the role of leadership and the implementation of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence."

"The ultimate goal of the Chair is to show both researchers and practitioners how neuroscience principles and insights can reinforce the science and practice of self-leadership, people management and well-being at work.”