With
a degree in business from the Berufsacademie in Lorrrach, Hans-Juergen Huber had
already built a successful career in the multi-media sector when he decided it
was time to take an MBA or Masters in Business Administration. “I felt that I
needed a greater appreciation of strategy and organisational development if I
really wanted to make significant progress up the career ladder,” he says,
“and I wanted to build on the knowledge I’d picked up in my first degree. I
also wanted the option to be able to work overseas, to see more of the world
than just Germany and if I was going to satisfy this ambition, I knew I would
need to get some sort of internationally recognised business qualification. An
MBA was the logical choice.”
Alfred
Dietel from Munich, currently studying at Manchester Business School in the UK
shares Hans-Juergen’s view that an international career calls for an
international qualification. “I had got used to working in an international
environment whilst with Siemens,” he says. “I’d spent time in the USA in a
business development role and I’d been a part of teams with members from right
around the world. After that, the idea of being confined to the boundaries of
Germany held little appeal. An MBA seemed an ideal way of developing new skills
and at the same time building an international network of contacts that would be
invaluable in my future career.”
Despite
a downturn in recruitment over the past few years, MBAs are now coming back into
demand with major corporations, banks and management consultancies. But, while
there seems little doubt that an MBA is a worthwhile investment for Germans
looking to work on the global stage, how is it regarded in Germany itself?
Huber, who is also studying for his MBA in the UK, comments: “It’s true that
the qualification doesn’t yet have the profile and respect in Germany that it
has in many other countries. However it’s certainly gaining ground, with more
and more people aware of it. And, while smaller companies still seem more
interested in domestic qualifications, the bigger, international, organisations
based in Germany are now beginning to insist on the qualification for some of
their more high profile roles.”
One
of the international organisations, which has shown a real commitment to the
value of an MBA is the global healthcare company Bayer, headquartered in
Leverkusen. Bayer recruits potential future managers into a professional
apprenticeship scheme, which encompasses sponsorship of an MBA at a school in
the USA, UK, Spain or Singapore. Susann Blankenhagel from Dresden joined the
scheme straight from university and has now been sent by the company to study
for an MBA at the Spanish business school, IE-Instituto de Empresa, which is
based in Madrid. “One of the main reasons for joining Bayer was because it
offered the chance to work overseas,” says Susann, “so it was a real bonus
to be able to study for what is now recognised as the top international business
qualification.”
The
increasing interest in the MBA for young professionals seems to be stemming from
a distinct trend amongst Germany’s leading companies to focus outside the
country rather than within it. Deutsche Post World Net, for example, has
undergone a transformation since the reunification of Germany, changing from a
domestic postal service into a key player in the global logistics market. Now
they are seeking to develop the management team that will keep them in that role
in years to come. “In our current phase of development the international
experience and outlook of MBAs is extremely attractive,” says Joerg Staff, who
heads up the company’s Human Resources Development function, “as is their
experience of working in multi-national, multi-cultural teams and their capacity
for lateral thinking. In the longer term I envisage them forming a significant
proportion of our management team in all areas of our operations.” Staff goes
on to admit, “Like a lot of international companies with their roots in
Germany, we came relatively late to the systematic recruitment of MBAs, but we
are keen to make up for lost time. We’re currently working with careers
departments of a group of major schools in the USA and Europe as well as a
number of the newer players in developing economies such as India and China.”
Another
German company that has developed a global business is Allianz, which now owns
businesses in some 70 countries around the globe. According to Michael Diekmann,
Chairman of the Board of Management, Allianz sees MBAs as an important source of
international management talent in the same way as Deutsche Post World Net.
“In Germany, for example, top MBA graduates with prior work experience may
enter the ‘Fast-Track’ Management Development program in insurance, finance
or IT”, says Diekmann. “This consists of assignments over three to four
years building towards a significant strategic management role. The employee is
mentored and supported in their professional development by a member of the
Board of Management.”
The
MBA Tour arrives in Frankfurt am Main on Saturday 13th March and
registration is now underway. For more information, visit: www.topmba.com
TopMBA, 04.03.2004