Work and Organizational Psychology
I taught introductory lectures on work and organizational psychology in several universities and universities of applied science. These lectures cover the whole spectrum of the field.
Teaching
I try to design my lectures and seminars in an interactive and inspiring way. I think each participant brings experiences, questions, and ideas to the class room that are of value for everyone else in the room (myself included). Instead of providing answers, my courses are about learning to ask questions and to reflect on observations and other people’s statements.
To get everyone involved and make the best use of everyone’s time, I use techniques such as the jigsaw- and the flipped classroom technique. I also like to do case studies to practice reasoning, argumentation, (self-)reflection, and knowledge application.
So far, I taught courses at universities TU Chemnitz, Uni Leipzig, Uni Lübeck and MLU Halle-Wittenberg, at University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal and PFH Göttingen, and at Durham University Business School.
Main Topics of my Teaching
Leadership
In a seminar series on leadership, participants and I discuss questions like „What is leadership and why do all groups need/develop leadership?“, „Who becomes a leader and why?“, „When is leadership effective?“, „Why do leaders/leadership fail?“, „What is destructive/unethical leadership?“, and „How can leadership be developed?“.
(Organizational) Culture
I find the concept of culture helpful to make sense of the organizations I visit (and the world around me). In lectures and seminars I like to discuss the meaning of culture and try to make people think about the cultures of the groups they are part of. Besides developing an understanding of the concept, we discuss what constitutes cultures, how and why cultures develop, and how cultures can change and be changed.
Architecture Psychology
In lectures and a seminar series I discuss the interplay of psychology and the physical environment. This includes psychological processes that link people and physical environments such as territoriality, privacy and transparency, and crowding. I furthermore discuss ways to create specific environments (e.g., places to learn, care, play, and work) based on psychological research.
Work-related Health and Well-Being
In lectures and seminars, I discuss issues around designing work that facilitates the development of the worker and work that inhibits development or even harms the worker. This includes criteria (e.g., psychological well-being, personal engagement, burnout) and features of the tasks (e.g., autonomy, illegitimacy) and the work environment (e.g., team processes, appreciation, and leadership).
