Task and function
Professor of human resource management and organization, director of studies in economic and organizational sociology
Place of birth
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe (Hesse)
My professional background is…
I studied sociology at the universities of Marburg, Jena, Düsseldorf and Bamberg, received my doctorate in social sciences at the University of Bamberg and qualified as a university-professor in sociology at the University of Siegen. After completing my doctorate, I implemented personnel development measures for the Free State of Bavaria. In this context, I trained managers in employee motivation, organized team development measures, implemented quality management programs and trained the whole area of “soft-skills”. At the end of my career with the Free State, I taught interrogation techniques and objective hermeneutics for investigators to a wide variety of authorities. This part of my work then led to an appointment as professor at the University of Police and Administration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. On a part-time basis, I direct the Institute for Corruption Prevention and conduct research on corruption in municipalities and state agencies.
The most important thing for me is…
to always do something new, interesting and also important. Unfortunately, I suffer from boredom very often. I worked at a bank for a few months after graduating from high school and quickly realized what boredom really means when it lasts more than 40 hours a week and possibly a lifetime.
What excites me about my field is…
Working with people and consulting them in their professional environment is the most exciting thing you can do for me. Even if the topics in human resources and organizational development are repetitive, on the ground and in practice you always have to deal with new challenges and problems.
For me, being a professor means…
Has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you always have to deal with young people and in this way (if you want) you can always stay young yourself. The disadvantage is that you always have to deal with young people and in this way (even if you don’t want to) you notice more clearly than in other professions that you are getting older and older.
From students, I hope to…
I am happy when students enjoy their studies. At least, it is important to me that they enjoy my lectures. That’s because fun is a great motivator. So “fun” in the sense of “having fun with it.” If you already don’t have fun in your studies, what do you have to look forward to for the next decades? I’m a genuinely happy person when I see students develop joy in a subject and begin to take an interest in things that might not just be learned by rote. And I’m even happier when I’ve been able to contribute to that joy.
In the future…
i will tackle a whole new project/topic. Let’s see what comes up..
What I like about Hof University is…
…that Hof University is a very modern university with all the facilities that make life easier for a scientist. I have never experienced this at this level before, neither at universities nor at other colleges.
In addition, Hof University is very well positioned internationally, which means that we have a large number of foreign students and many lectures are held in English. This is fun for me and allows me to spend my semester off at a foreign university. The year before last, I was at Weber State University in Utah, working on both the economics and sociology departments. The content focus is also crucial at such a small university. Hof’s topics such as ecology, sustainability, technology, and compliance are very congenial to my interests. My Institute for Corruption Prevention has therefore been able to establish itself very well here in terms of topics.
Hof University is a very small international and progressive university. The liberal working atmosphere is very pleasant and differs significantly from the one or other somewhat stuffy university atmosphere from my past.
What I like about Hof is…
A highlight – in normal years – is always the Hof Schlappentag, which I like to attend with my foreign students (see picture).
If I could study again….
…I would study sociology again. Not necessarily in Marburg again. In the meantime, I would rather be drawn to Berlin or Hamburg, but I think after the exciting time in civilian service, the small town already suited me.
If I had one wish free,…
Hypothetical questions are NEVER(!!) valid.
