Willem STANDAERT
The core role of teaching lies in translating academic research into action, in developing hands-on skills through small group discussions on real-life examples and cases, and in facilitating extensive class interactions.
Willem STANDAERT, Associate Professor in the field of Marketing and Service Innovation. Picture : ©Michel Houet.
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pon obtaining a Master degree in Business Engineering from Ghent University, Willem Standaert became a teaching assistant and PhD student at the same university, in the Marketing Department. His teaching activities were in the domain of B2B Marketing and his dissertation was on the subject Effectiveness of Communication Technologies for Distributed Business Meetings. In 2015, Willem joined Vlerick Business School as a post-doctoral researcher to conduct (business) research on digital topics. This was in collaboration with Accenture, Ageas, and Financieele Dagblad. In 2017, Willem additionally became a lecturer at Vlerick, responsible for teaching B2B Marketing and Digital Strategy in master programs. At the same time, he became a guest lecturer at University College Ghent (HoGent) and IÉSEG Management School in Lille, France. Willem joined HEC Liège in October 2019, where he teaches Business Engineering and Business Strategy courses in the new Master in Sales Program.
Willem’s research interests are in the areas of technology-mediated business meetings, digitally-enabled buyer-supplier interactions, and digital innovation. Willem’s academic work has been presented at scientific and business conferences and published in academic journals such as Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, Psychology & Marketing, and Information Technology and Management.
The link between teaching and research
"In my opinion, the core role of teaching lies in translating academic research into action, in developing hands-on skills through small group discussions on real-life examples and cases, and in facilitating extensive class interactions. First of all, I believe our essential role in academic teaching is in bringing theories – both established and new ones – to the classroom. Secondly, students should not just understand concepts, but also be able to turn knowledge into action, a key mechanism for this is using real-life cases. I have developed teaching cases on technology-mediated banking experiences at BNP Paribas Fortis, on digital fan engagement at Formula E, on the digitalization of Barco ClickShare, and on the go-to-market strategy for Ruby Chocolate of Barry Callebaut. Finally, I believe the true virtue of teaching lies in turning students into critical thinkers, through extensive class interactions. Given the same information, different directions can be taken in complex and uncertain business contexts, which pushes students to critically evaluate their assumptions."
"In the near future, I believe teachers will have to become the designers of “student learning journeys” in which content is developed to appeal to audiences at different stages in their learning trajectory, geared towards a life-long learning experience."
