Researcher Ignaas Caryn: 'They are all people who make decisions'

Ignaas Caryn worked for 23 years for the Dutch airline KLM when he decided it was time for a change. He moved from The Hague to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, opened a B&B in an old church in Hoofdplaat with his wife, and started teaching at HZ University of Applied Sciences. He also began a PhD program on disruptive technologies at the renowned ETH Zurich. For four years, he immersed himself in the subject, focusing specifically on his former work environment.

Ignaas Caryn, originally from West Flanders, is no longer a lecturer, but a researcher at the HZ Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. "I'm really enjoying it there. When I saw the vacancy, I was immediately sold. I've been working in this field for over twenty years and find it interesting to conduct research in and for the region, especially at an institution I already knew," says Ignaas, who was a lecturer at HZ between 2021 and 2024. "Because I spent the better part of the year in Zurich to complete my PhD, I resigned from my teaching position. However, I wanted to return to Zeeland afterwards. We were already living in Hoofdplaat and had invested in our B&B, Eglizen. My wife has also built a second career here. She advises on psychosocial safety and preventing absenteeism in organizations."

'Among other things, I have developed a role-playing game in which students experience what it is like to be a senior manager'

Albert Einstein

Ignaas received his PhD in 2024. In his role as Director of Innovation at KLM, he regularly collaborated with universities and professors. One of them was Bart Clarysse, whom Ignaas knew from his MBA program at Vlerick and who was now a professor of Entrepreneurship at the prestigious ETH. The university in Zurich counts Albert Einstein among its former employees. Ignaas approached Clarysse with his idea. The Flemish native responded enthusiastically. “ETH has a very good reputation in the academic world. It has been among the top three universities in Europe for years. The focus is primarily on the exact sciences, but there is also a faculty that focuses on management, technology, and economics. I was part of that faculty.”

Intermediaries

As part of his PhD, Caryn wrote a scientific and management article and developed a teaching case. “The latter was very important in my trajectory, because ETH also wants to utilize the research in education. In the teaching note, I developed, among other things, a role-playing game in which students experience what it's like to be a senior manager having to make major decisions.”

His PhD research stemmed from his experiences at KLM. About ten years ago, the international aviation world was introduced to a new distribution technology that would make intermediaries redundant and allow airlines to connect directly with end customers, both business and private. “For years, intermediaries ensured that airlines' offerings reached travel agencies. Today, you would call such a service a digital platform. However, these intermediaries became increasingly expensive, their operations were opaque, and innovation was lacking. It was unclear what position an airline had with the customer and how its offerings were perceived.”

New Distribution Capability

You would therefore expect the new technology – the New Distribution Capability – to be welcomed with open arms. "That wasn't the case," says Ignaas. Lufthansa was the exception to the rule. The German airline immediately adopted the technology and immediately cut all intermediaries loose. "Ultimately, that proved too drastic. The airline suffered considerable losses as a result." KLM was positive from the start, but initially took a cautious approach. "We took a more pragmatic approach," Ignaas reflects on his role as director. As a result, the Dutch company suffered less damage than its German counterpart.

The researcher also examined two American airlines: American Airlines and Delta. "The latter still doesn't accept the new technology, and American hesitated a lot. A lot of money went up in smoke there because they ultimately introduced it poorly."

Ignaas examined the role of senior management in these kinds of processes. The background of the executives didn't seem to matter. Most had similar educational backgrounds, had worked at the companies for a long time, and were familiar with their environment. The ecosystem, however, was a determining factor, and how the executives experienced and interpreted the dynamics within it. The intermediary platforms were originally established by the airlines themselves, but later spun off. However, there are still many relationships, including financial ones, especially with the American airlines.

Delta Airlines is a good example. Their loyalty card, for example, is also an American Express credit card, earning Delta approximately seven billion dollars a year. That company also owns one of the largest corporate travel agencies in the world. They weren't eager for a technology that would require significant investments from travel agencies, nor did they want to part with the intermediaries they'd been working with for decades. This prevented Delta from making the switch. While the damage to the existing ecosystem was limited, it also meant missed revenue opportunities for Delta. American's approach was ultimately the worst. Their flip-flopping policies antagonized everyone. Ultimately, their commercial management was also ousted.

Five important factors

From the companies' experiences, Ignaas distilled five factors that are important for senior management when making a major decision.

Five important factors

Ignaas distilled five factors from the companies' experiences that are important for senior management when making a major decision. Firstly, it concerns the dependence and the risk of retaliation from current ecosystem partners. Secondly, management's confidence in the existing partners' adaptability to embrace the technology and thus remain relevant plays a role. "Furthermore, management's perception of reciprocity within the ecosystem is relevant." The internal departments' perspective is also important, as they have conflicting interests. Finally, the question is whether or not a differentiated strategy can be implemented with regard to ecosystem partners. "For example, you might focus on the leisure sector first and only later on the business market."

Although his PhD program had a strong international focus, it has been very useful for his current work at the knowledge center. "First and foremost, I developed my research skills enormously during my PhD. That is, of course, important for my work."

According to him, the differences between executives of international companies and SMEs are also not that significant. "They're all people making decisions. Do we embrace an innovation or not? What are the consequences? These are questions they all ask themselves and for which they have to weigh up the pros and cons. Plenty of parallels can be drawn. My focus on the importance of ecosystems also proves important. Thirty or forty years ago, you could operate relatively independently as a company, whether you were an airline or an SME in Zeeland. Now that's impossible. You're part of an ecosystem; that's no different for SMEs than for large companies. For example, with our knowledge center, we've already conducted research on entrepreneurial ecosystems in the agrifood sector and tourism and recreation in Zeeland. I find that incredibly fascinating. My focus is also on the transition to a circular economy and the new business models and ecosystems needed for that."

HZ Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

HZ Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation researches issues surrounding sustainable innovations and entrepreneurship on behalf of SMEs, interest groups, governments, residents and education.

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