Combining theory and practice: Witten management students present project results for the Douglas beauty group

The start of the 2021/22 winter semester was a special one for students at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H): after several predominantly digital semesters, teaching was finally able to take place in person again in compliance with the 3G rules. For students on the General Management (M. A.) and Strategy & Organization (M. Sc.) degree programmes, the start of their studies had another highlight in store: the Master's kick-off project in cooperation with the well-known company Douglas. Right at the start of the programme, the students experienced how entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary management studies can be, how theory and practice intertwine and how creative methods can be used.

Over the course of the week, the students worked on a case study for a well-known project partner from the beauty industry. Working in teams, they developed their solutions to sustainability issues using design thinking, an innovative approach to developing concepts by focussing on the user perspective. They worked with market research data and conducted interviews themselves. "The students have to work hard until the final presentation," says programme director Prof. Dr Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, "but they also have a lot of fun because they can design things themselves." Ideas and concepts were developed with the help of prototypes and the results were presented to the experts from the field and the seminar leaders. This innovative teaching format links theory and practice, which, in combination with feedback and reflection loops, enables continuous further development.

UW/H graduates pass on their experience

Under the direction of Prof Dr Sabine Bohnet-Joschko and Prof Dr Erik Strauß, graduate Leopold Rosenthal once again introduced the teams to the methods of design thinking this year. He studied cultural studies and economics in Witten, later Design Thinking at the Hasso Plattner Institute, and now draws on his many years of experience as an Innovation Manager at the IT consultancy Senacor. "Working with the students is inspiring," he says, "which is why I always enjoy coming back to the faculty."

Konstanze Gallinatus also originally studied in Witten and is now a member of the management team at Douglas. She is responsible for the Group's PMO (Project Management Office), which oversees all strategic initiatives, as well as the pricing department, which uses artificial intelligence to dynamically set prices in all of the Group's countries. The Master's students received the practical project and extensive feedback on the final presentations from her: "I benefited from the direct practical contact during my studies at Witten/Herdecke University and was very pleased to be able to bring my experience to the students as a graduate in the first week of the Master's programme." From December 2021, Konstanze Gallinatus will also be responsible for the Group's demand forecasting and re-order management as Chief Pricing & Demand Officer and Executive Vice President PMO. Douglas is also pushing the use of machine learning in this area.

Successful start to the Master's programme

And what did the students themselves think of the first week? "It was a great introduction to the world of management," says Nina Gerhards, who is now enrolled in the non-consecutive Master's degree programme in General Management after completing a Bachelor's degree in Social Work, "I would like to work in such a committed team later on." Hagen Schütte, who has a degree in political science, adds: "Exciting task, inquisitive students, steep learning curve - all in all an inspiring start to the Master's programme!" Johanna Stibi is now studying Strategy & Organization after completing a Bachelor's degree in Management: "We were able to get to know each other well in the interdisciplinary teams and all received detailed feedback from our graduates - it was a great start to the Master's programme."

The General Management Master's degree programme at Witten/Herdecke University offers Bachelor's graduates from all disciplines (social sciences, humanities, natural sciences) the opportunity to gain further qualifications in business management and thus open up new career opportunities. Those who already have a Bachelor's degree in business management, on the other hand, can specialise in the Master's degree in Strategy & Organisation.