Dear WiSo professors, WiSo staff and student representatives,

besides having another interesting WiSo Alumni Interview for you ready, we would like to introduce you to our WiSo values in this newsletter. We also want to welcome some new faces to the WiSo while sadly saying goodbye to others. See for yourself!

Contents

• News from the Faculty Meeting
• Introduction of the WiSo Values
• The WiSo Values – Plurality
• News from the Business School
• WiSo Personalia: New Arrivals and Other
• WiSo Alumni Interview: Jana Kielwein
• Campus Tour Video
• WiSo in the Media – December 2023 to January 2023

The current status of the University’s Strategic Development Plan was presented during the last faculty meeting. The plan covers the period from 2022 to 2030.

The Strategic Development Plan 2022-2030 (SDP 2030) ‘Inspiring people, connecting minds and shaping innovation’ builds on the successful development and substantial achievements of the University of Cologne (UoC) over recent decades and sets out how we intend to develop and shape the University in the coming decade.

Please note that the invitations and minutes of the public session of the Faculty Council will be made available on the public server.

Dear Prof. Jacob,

Last year, internal and external participants of several workshops developed the WiSo values from the inside out. These values largely reflect how we already work, but they are also intended to introduce new members of the WiSo community to our way of thinking and working.

One of the four values that emerged from this process is plurality. In your function as our Vice Dean of Academic Careers, this term also has a special significance. What does this term mean to you in this regard?

In my function as Vice Dean of Academic Careers, plurality is an important aspect both for the academic and personal development of young researchers at WiSo as well as with regard to the variety of academic careers.

Having plurality as a WiSo value means that we appreciate a variety of perspectives, ideas and approaches in management, economics and social sciences. Put simply, plurality is the acceptance of multiple perspectives and the belief that no single perspective holds the entire truth. Including a variety of perspectives helps to create an environment of collaboration and open-mindedness, which fosters the academic growth of junior scholars.

In relation to the variety of academic careers, plurality means that we value and acknowledge different pathways and careers. We appreciate different academic and professional experiences as well as different individual backgrounds and personal situations, for example regarding family. We acknowledge this kind of plurality in academic careers as a source of professional growth and development.

Finally, the plurality of perspectives and experiences at WiSo helps to foster an environment of inclusivity. This is especially important for faculty, staff and students who are new or are part of a minority group. Having a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds represented at WiSo can support a more comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.

For us, plurality in the academic context also means that we value academic freedom, including open discussions of opposing views. What does this mean in concrete cases? Does this freedom also entail limitations or framework conditions?

Academic freedom ensures that institutions and scholars can study, teach and publish without fear of negative consequences or censorship. In this sense, academic freedom implies plurality – the right to freely express and explore different perspectives. Academic freedom gives faculty the right to conduct research on freely chosen topics and to draw conclusions as long as they are consistent with research results. However, it does not prevent others from evaluating and judging whether the chosen approach was appropriate and the conclusion sound. Academic freedom is bounded by standards of professional and social responsibility.

However, plurality and academic freedom may be threatened in academic environments if scholars and students feel the need to conform to existing norms or ideologies. It is the task of WiSo, as an institution that values academic freedom, to particularly encourage young scholars and students to challenge existing beliefs through research without fear of sanctions.

Independent thinking is part of this value element as well. Where do you see opportunities here?

Independent thinking is the basic foundation of scientific progress and the prerequisite for a successful academic career. It is the ability to think creatively and critically, to come up with unique solutions to problems and to make decisions without relying on external guidance or authority. Fostering independent thinking encourages junior scholars and students to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to problems. By putting independent thinking at the forefront of our WiSo values, the faculty aims to foster and nurture independent thinking skills in our faculty, junior researchers and students.

What role does multidisciplinary research play here?

Multidisciplinary research draws upon multiple areas of expertise to better understand a complex topic or phenomenon. Multidisciplinary research is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, as the complexity of many of global problems requires a wide range of expertise crossing disciplinary boundaries. By bringing together experts from different fields, researchers can learn from each other’s expertise and create an environment where new ideas can be explored. The Research Centres and Key Research Initiatives at WiSo are examples of how today’s grand challenges are approached in multidisciplinary collaborations.

One aspect of plurality includes striving for diverse and international faculty, staff and students. This also has an impact on your function as Vice Dean of Academic Careers. How do you and the WiSo Faculty as a whole contribute to this?

In today’s globalised world, universities are increasingly looking to attract diverse and international researchers and students. Diverse and international faculty, staff and students bring with them unique perspectives, skills and knowledge. However, it is not always easy to attract, for example, top-tier professionals and students to Germany. For this reason, we take efforts on multiple fronts, such as offering study programmes in English, and strive to take further steps to improve the situation.

In addition, international faculty, staff and students or new members from less represented social groups face specific challenges when arriving and integrating into a new environment. In my members role as Vice Dean of Academic Careers, I encounter such challenges of young scholars and try to smooth their integration into WiSo, for example, through individual meetings with junior professors in their first weeks at WiSo or the annual Welcome@WiSo event.

We also want to be particularly appreciative of international cooperation within networks of academic institutions. Can you please give us some examples of this?

The WiSo Faculty appreciates international cooperation in teaching and research. For example, the CEMS programme is a prestigious international study programme in particular for students interested in international management. In addition, we offer double master programmes with renowned partner universities in Groningen for the study programme “Demography and Social Inequality”, Maastricht for “European Studies” and Keio University, Tokyo for “Economics.”

In terms of research, the Research Centres as well as the Key Research Initiatives are well integrated into international networks and are internationally prominent as shown by the many collaborations with international co-authors, conferences presentations and international publications.

Finally, we would like to connect our WiSo value “plurality” to our claim “Today’s ideas. Tomorrow’s impact.” Can you describe in one sentence where you see the impact in plurality?

Plurality creates an open-minded environment allowing all WiSo Faculty members to develop academically and personally for today’s ideas and tomorrow’s impact.

Thank you for this interview!

The University of Cologne Business School starts 2023 full of energy!

The first weeks of the new year have passed and there is already a lot going on at the Business School. A number of events have already been offered to students and alumni as well as interested parties. A few days ago, our alumni had the opportunity to take part in an additional course on omnichannel marketing. The course was led by Dr Jörn Küpper, lecturer at the University of Cologne and senior partner at McKinsey & Co. Due to his extensive experience in the field, this was a great asset for the Business School and an all-round successful course.

While our EMBA Class of 2023 students are in the middle of their third semester, the Class of 2024 cohort have enjoyed RSM Week. During this week, the participants spent the entire time in Rotterdam. The aim was to get to know the Rotterdam School of Management at the Erasmus University. Networking plays a key role, but the focus is also on the EMBA courses, such as Strategic Management and Management Science. An exciting week for our students!

We are also looking forward to the launch of our new Leading Insurance Transformation programme, which is run in cooperation with InsurLab Germany. This will prepare leaders from the insurance industry for digital transformation. The programme will start in May 2023, with a second run planned for September 2023. Over six seminar days (three modules of two days each), the participants will go through courses on Leading Change, Re-Designing the Insurance Value Chain and Exploring New Business. The programme is characterised by practical and interactive discussions, case studies and best practices. Other benefits are the networking opportunities and the great exchange with executives from other companies.

Further information on all programmes and events of the University of Cologne Business School can be found here: https://www.business-school.uni-koeln.de/

There are also permanent discounts for alumni of the University of Cologne.

About the University of Cologne Business School

The University of Cologne Business School has been offering executive programmes and management seminars in English and German since 2015. The Business School is affiliated with the WiSo Faculty of the University of Cologne. The programmes are taught by professors from the faculty, the Rotterdam School of Management, and Erasmus University, and by industry experts.

Contact:

Sabine Kuschel, Marketing & Admissions Manager, e-mail:  sabine.kuscheluni-koeln.de
Janna Pressentin, Marketing & Programme Manager, e-mail: janna.pressentinuni-koeln.de

Stefan Seidel

Good news for the WiSo Faculty: Prof. Dr Stefan Seidel has accepted a call to the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne. As of 1 January 2023, he will hold the professorship for Information Systems at the Cologne Institute for Information Systems (CIIS). We are pleased to have gained a renowned researcher and university lecturer in the field of business informatics for our Faculty.

Prof. Dr Stefan Seidel’s research focus to date has been in the areas of digital innovation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence. Besides receiving multiple awards for his work, his research has also been published in renowned journals such as Management Information Systems Quarterly, Information Systems Research and the Journal of Management Information Systems. Moreover, he is an associate editor of Management Information Systems Quarterly.

After obtaining his Master of Science in Information Systems (MSc IS) at the University of Münster, Prof. Dr Seidel earned his doctorate there in addition to working as a research assistant. He completed his postdoctoral lecture qualification and Venia Legendi at the University of Lichtenstein. He gained extensive experience in research and teaching as an associated researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) Australia, as professor of information systems and innovation at the University of Liechtenstein and as honorary professor of information systems at the National University of Ireland.

We are pleased to have gained Prof. Dr Stefan Seidel for the WiSo Faculty and congratulate him on his appointment. A warm welcome!

WiSo’s next generation: Katrin Posch

We are pleased to announce that Julian Richard Posch was born on 7 June 2022. His mother, Katrin Posch, has not only recently finished her PhD with us, but is also working in the WiSo-Credit Transfer Centre. Both parents are delighted by their healthy baby, measuring 52 cm and 4.4 kg. Many congratulations from us!

Pascal Tambornino

Pascal Tambornino joined the WiSo Marketing Team in January and is responsible for maintaining and expanding the alumni network of the WiSo Faculty. Previously, he worked at UoC’s Mercator Institute for Literacy and Language Education. He studied philosophy, political science and modern German literature at the University of Bonn.

We welcome him warmly to our team and are looking forward to working with him!

New faces at the ZIB

Catalina Albu joined the International Relations Center (ZIB) at the WiSo in October 2022. She is part of our Outgoings team and takes care of students who are interested in gaining international experiences like spending a term abroad with our STAP programme at one of our 156 partner universities, participating in a summer school or going abroad as a freemover. Together with her colleagues Jutta Reusch and Mareike Laub, she advises students on the possibilities the WiSo offers. We are very glad to have her with us!

Anna-Luisa Liedtke recently joined the International Relations Center (ZIB) at the WiSo in February 2023. She is part of our Incomings team and takes care of international students who are spending an exchange semester in Cologne. Together with her colleagues, Natasha Turner, Jens Funk and Christoph Karl, she helps students to make the most of their exchange semester in Cologne. We are very glad to have her with us!

Angelika Weiland and Sebastian Winterhagen

We also have two departures to report. Angelika Weiland and Sebastian Winterhagen are leaving the Department of Studies. Both were responsible for supervising the master degree programmes within the Department of Studies. Sebastian Winterhagen will nevertheless remain with us as a member of staff at the chair of Prof. Fetchenhauer. 

We wish both colleagues all the best for the future!

Margit Schön

It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our colleague Margit Schön from the WiSo Library and Campus Service. Margit joined us in 2007 and has made a lot of changes since then. In addition to founding the VWL Library and establishing the Data Library, Margit was a key leader of the Library and Campus Services as Senior Library Manager. We wish her all the best for her next professional step at Forschungszentrum Jülich!

Death of Prof. em. Werner Link

In deep mourning, we unfortunately also have to say goodbye forever to an admired colleague: Prof. Dr Werner Link, who passed away on 3 January 2023. Werner Link was an internationally renowned expert on foreign policy and international relations at the Institute for Political Science and European Affairs. His academic career took him from Marburg first to the University of Kassel, then via Georgetown University and Trier, finally in 1990 to the University of Cologne, where he remained loyal until his retirement in 1999. He was a wonderful person with an outstanding personality whom we will remember fondly.

Death of Prof. em. Udo Koppelmann

Also in deep mourning we are saying goodbye forever to Prof. Dr. Udo Koppelmann, who passed away on 13 January 2023. With him, we have lost a colleague and person who was closely associated with the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne for many decades.

He studied business administration at the University of Cologne, as well as receiving his doctorate in Cologne in 1965 and completed his habilitation in 1970. From 1972 until his retirement, he was a full professor and director of the Department of Business Administration, Procurement and Product Policy at the University of Cologne. In this position, as well as Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and member of the Senate of the University of Cologne, he contributed significantly to the reputation of the faculty and university.

We remember Udo Koppelmann as a very committed, generous and loyal colleague and person and look back on his work with deep appreciation and respect. Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences go to his family.

Our alumna Jana Kielwein graduated in 2013 (Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Education). She had a specific career plan early on and started her first job full of anticipation, directly after graduating from WiSo. Everything went according to plan!

However, she then came to the realisation that the job did not live up to her expectations and was not as good a fit as she had hoped. She changed jobs several times, but the disillusionment remained. At that time, she started asking herself what really suits her. Eventually she started her own business as a job coach and career consultant in 2019 – looking back, a decision she never regretted. She turned her supposed weaknesses into real strengths. Since then, she has been helping others to gain clarity about their career and, as an expert in new work and mindfulness, brings quite unconventional elements into her coaching.

In our alumni interview, Jana told us how her own development has shaped her professionally as well as personally.

Hello, Jana. You graduated from WiSo with a bachelor degree in business administration and a master degree in business education. Did you have a specific career plan when you decided to study here?

Yes, in fact I already had a very specific career plan. I already knew after my training as a travel agent that I wanted to work with people. A career in HR seemed to be exactly the right choice at the time. So, I focused my entire studies on this goal. I picked side jobs that matched this goal and eventually even took over all HR issues of the General Student Committee as 2nd AStA Chairwoman.

What did your first career steps look like?

After my bachelor degree and during my master studies, I started my first part-time job at a large German bank. It was exactly what I had wished for. A big company name, great salary and fancy title... jackpot! I could already see a great HR career ahead of me. So, I started this first real job full of anticipation. Unfortunately, disillusionment soon set in.

I started my career with the desire to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to their personal development. I wanted to have an impact. But representing the bank, I could not do that to the extent I really wanted. In my view, the needs and potentials of individual employees were far too rarely addressed. I was very frustrated by this.

I changed jobs several times hoping that things might get better. But that didn’t work out, either. My self-doubt grew and grew. However, I didn’t reflect on my situation. Unfortunately, I didn’t ask myself the really important questions at that time.

My turning point came in 2017 during my training as a systemic coach at the Institute for Applied Psychology. I realised that the be-all and end-all for my professional satisfaction is working in harmony with my own personality, strengths and values.

Every job and experience I’ve had during my professional life has ultimately led me to now do the job I’m passionate about and that really suits me. I am very grateful for that. But if I had thought about what really suits me already during my studies, it might have saved me a few frustrating experiences.

After your training as a systemic coach, you finally started your own business as a job coach and career consultant in the summer of 2019. How did this decision come about?

At some point during my old job, I came to the point where I realised I cannot go on like this. I was burned out and had to admit that it was about time to fundamentally change something. But I had no idea what to do next.

I therefore asked myself some basic questions: Who am I? What can I do? What is important to me? What contribution do I want to make? And what conditions do I need for this? A strong “why” then finally tipped the scales in favour of self-employment. I have a vision of a working world, in which in the end striving for higher levels of performance is not always sought – a working world, in which every single person counts and everyone can develop their full potential. A world in which every employee finds their professional stage that suits them. Of course, this is a very ambitious goal, but I am convinced that many small steps can trigger an entire movement. By supporting clients in finding their job with meaning, I can contribute to gradually changing the big picture.

Today, I am proud that I made this courageous decision. I redefined success for myself and, with my self-employment as a job coach and career consultant, I created a working condition that is the perfect fit for me and my personal life. It turns my supposed weaknesses into real strengths. It fills me with pride and meaning. And it is compatible with my role as a mother.

You are an expert in new work and mindfulness and also incorporate these ideas into your coaching. Can you explain what new work and mindfulness exactly are and why do you cover them?

For me, new work and mindfulness are both very closely linked to achieving professional satisfaction. New work is a mega-trend that is currently changing our working world dramatically. The term was coined by Frithjof Bergmann in the 70s. At the heart of the concept is the question: “What is it that you really, really want?” New work thus brings the question of meaning to the forefront. And this is precisely what I work on during my coaching.

Mindfulness is another important building block in my approach as a job coach. It originates from Buddhism and revolves around being in the moment with your whole body and mind, without any kind of prejudice. It may sound trivial at first, but most of the time we do things on autopilot and don’t really notice what is going on around us or how we are feeling in the moment. However, in order to find the right profession for ourselves in a process of self-reflection, it is essential that we step out of this automatism, come to rest and develop a sense of how we are doing and what we really need. Furthermore, in my work as a Mindful2Work trainer, along with exercise and yoga, increasing mindfulness is an important element of strengthening resilience at the same time. A competence that performs an increasingly important role in today’s working world.

What blogs, podcasts, social media channels, etc. do you follow to keep up to date?

For the topics of “fulfilling work” and “professional (re)orientation” I can highly recommend the podcasts by Juliane Rosier “Der Generation WHY Podcast” and Jannike Stöhr’s “Kopf Herz Erfolg”. Apart from that, I always enjoy reading STRIVE magazine or Neue Narrative and regularly visit the Zukunftsinstitut website.

What would you like our students to take away at the end of this interview?

I would like to preface the answer to this question with one of my favourite quotes attributed to Albert Einstein: “Each of us has incredible potential. But if a fish is measured by how well it can climb a tree, it will always think it’s stupid.”

And that’s exactly how it is. I learned this in numerous coaching sessions on professional reorientation over the past few years. There is just the right context for each and every one of you. Maybe not everyone is lucky enough to find it right away. But that’s ok; that’s part of the process. Be brave, try things and be willing to make mistakes. You can correct your course at any time.

You all have an incredible potential. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be studying at this prestigious university. Never stop believing in yourself and stay true to yourself. Stay authentic, work on your strengths and don’t focus on your weaknesses. Always keep in mind: “No one is like me and that is my greatest asset!”

Thank you for your time and for the interview.

WiSo Marketing regularly checks the press review of the University of Cologne for articles and mentions of the WiSo Faculty and its professors in the national and international media. These press clippings are constantly reviewed and collected after WiSo reports. Here we would like to give you an overview of the publications in the national media in which WiSo professors serve as experts or which publish articles written by them. If the article is available online, you will find a link to it below. Press articles that are only available in print media are mostly available via the electronic journals database of the University and City Library.

The list is compiled according to available data. If an article is missing, please send us an email.