Tjaard Spijpkes

Associate Professor of Advanced System Thinking at TU Delft |
Pioneering “Systems Thinking Beyond the Horizon” |
Former CTO at Ebusco & Head of Technology at GKN/Fokker |

Breaking out of our Bubble to Lead Tomorrow’s Systemic
Transitions Beyond the Horizon

Bio.

Tjaard is Associate Professor Advanced System Thinking at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the TU Delft. Additionally he has held seats in several advisory councils such as TU Delft, Fontys Engineering and NLR.
Tjaard graduated at the TU Delft in 1986 as vehicle dynamics specialist at the faculty of Mechanical Engineering. After his study he worked at DAF Special products and was involved in the development of military vehicles and landing gear of aircraft and helicopters of large international programs such as the Fennek reconnaissance vehicle, the NH90 tactical transport helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. As director of Technology & Engineering he initiated the development of composite technology for landing gear which resulted in 2001 in the first flight worldwide of a composite landing gear on an F16 of the Netherlands Royal Airforce.
In 2004 he obtained the position CTO of Fokker Landing Gear. In 2015 he became Head of Technology of the Fokker Group as part of the merger with GKN Aerospace.
In 2018 Tjaard joined Ebusco, a startup of electric city buses as CTO, where he developed an ultra-light fully composite electric city bus together with a team of previous Fokker engineers.
In 2021 Tjaard was asked to join the faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the TU Delft for innovation strategy and thought leadership in system thinking. His area of research is System Thinking Beyond the Horizon.

Abstract.

Modern systems engineering practices are frequently confined to localized operational
bubbles, optimizing near-term specifications and reacting linearly to market demands. This is
highly efficient and has created highly successful products and companies. However, this
incremental focus blinds us from the second-order systemic shifts occurring just beyond the
horizon. This paper and presentation explores the critical transition from functional systems
engineers to visionary system architects and chief engineers, leading us into the new frontier of
strategic systems leadership beyond the horizon. Further it addresses the challenges for
educating this systems workforce.
Utilizing Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Senge’s Systems Iceberg, we need to look beyond the
superficial metrics of first order immediate products and projects. We need to challenge deeply
ingrained doctrines. We need to foster the cognitive agility required to lead global transitions
such as the energy transition, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. To do this we
need to understand the second order sociotechnical effects that cause the actual systemic
shifts we experience.
Both academic and professional domains need to intensively work together. We need to step
out of our conceptual bubbles and collectively shape the future of beyond the horizon systems leadership.