Leadership & Diversity – Understanding People, Perspectives, and Power Dynamics

Participants will develop a deep theoretical understanding of the issues that confront managers who lead diverse organisational units. In addition, students will explore their own strengths and weaknesses in managing diverse others. Through business cases and experiential exercises the course strives to explore knowledge in leading diverse people in global organisations. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills to manage diverse units.

Classes are scheduled from Monday to Thursday, 9 am – 1 pm, CET (except on the first day of the course) and end with a final exam or presentation on the last day.

Dr Meir Shemla is a Full-professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at EBS Business School and a guest lecturer at the University of Cologne. He received his PhD in Work & Organizational Psychology in 2011.

His work focuses on the impact of team composition on team performance, and he has particular interest in how diversity in teams can be leveraged to increase innovation and performance. In his work he also explores the consequences of diversity policies on organisational performance and talent acquisition. Other research topics he is exploring include the role of followers in successful leadership and the effect of emotions in teams.

Nomination and registration
CISU-MBA is open to international (E)MBA students enrolled at the WiSo Faculty's partner universities and takes place on an exchange basis. Students require an English language proficiency at a level of B2 (CEFR) or higher.

Students need to be nominated directly through their home university's international office (or equivalent).

The application process may include a telephone interview. After nomination, students will receive a web link where they will be asked to enter their personal details.

Nomination period: 15 February – 31 March 2026
via the WEX nomination portal

To take part in the programme, students have to pay an administrative charge of €300.

After successful completion of the course, students will receive an academic transcript showing the course title, the ECTS earned and the final grades.

The course is worth 5 ECTS. We strongly recommend that students ensure that the course is approved for credit transfer by their home institution.

The workload of the course is not limited to in-class activity. Students are expected to work on projects, assignments and/or case analyses outside of class.

CISU-MBA also offers students cultural and social events. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other and discover Cologne as well as its surroundings.

To welcome our international students, we arrange a get-together for all participants and faculty at the beginning of the course. During the programme itself, students can take part in interesting trips, such as an excursion to the neighbouring city of Bonn, and a rooftop tour of the Cologne Cathedral, as well as and company visits, subject to speaker availability.

Please note that we will share the full details of this year's social programme nearer to the event. 

Details regarding accommodation (possible special rates etc.) will be made available at a later date. Students are responsible for booking their accommodation themselves.

All participants must have adequate health insurance for the duration of the programme. We also recommend having an additional accident insurance.

Students' insurers may provide them with the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

Students that do not come from an EU/EEA state should request the relevant information from their health insurance company. Students may have to take out an additional insurance policy.

After the confirmation of their personal details on our WiSo Exchange Platform (WEX), students will receive an official letter of acceptance from ZIB WiSo, which can then be downloaded from their WEX profile. This document is proof of acceptance to the course and the student's formal invitation to Germany. Non-EU students in particular may need this for visa purposes.

Please note that students are responsible for organising their own visa in a timely fashion (some procedures take months to complete).

New EU travel regulations - starting mid-2025
For travelers from visa-exempt countries, a travel authorisation called ETIAS (also known as the 90-day tourist visa) will be required to enter most European countries. This has to be done before traveling. See details here: European Union - ETIAS

Email: wiso-cisuuni-koeln.de