Our MBA contract lecturer Jonas Wenke is a service designer by profession. He currently works at SQUARED, Obi's innovation factory, where he designs new products and services that lead to extraordinary experiences for customers. He teaches the module "AI Design Sprint", which is part of the module "Current Topics in Leadership and Management". Here he introduces himself in a short interview.
What motivated you to teach at The Hochschule Niederrhein? In my comparatively short working life, I have already experienced quite a bit. In particular, I've noticed time and again how experts from different fields have had difficulty working with each other because they think differently due to their different specializations and often can't exchange ideas well. This causes frustration for many people. For this reason, and because of my passion for design, I was pleased to be able to take on the sub-module of the MBA program and teach future leaders about design with a focus on design sprints. In addition, as the surname suggests, due to my background, my module also touches on the topic of AI. In Copenhagen, I co-founded a company and helped build it up over 3 ½ years, in which we introduced customers to the possibilities of AI. Thus, in this module, I also accompany the students' first exposure to this topic area. And since my father already teaches at The Hochschule Niederrhein, it made sense for me to teach here as well.
How did you feel about your first courses at the Hochschule Niederrhein? My first course took place two years ago. It was planned on site at the time, but we had to reschedule at short notice and then held it remotely. Since I often work with people in my work context who didn't have much insight into the topics before and I had also been a guest lecturer before, teaching was not new to me. The students have had interesting discussions and collaboratively developed AI-based solution concepts. For me, it was also exciting to see where the students were already at, and I got interesting insights into their day-to-day work. My last event in the fall took place physically for the first time. Unfortunately, teamwork, which is very important to me, was extremely limited here due to the Corona requirements. However, the experience, working physically, was better for the students compared to the remote event.
What can students expect from your course? Students can look forward to very hands-on work with me with a good mix of individual assignments and group work. This promotes togetherness and allows them to get the most out of the event. In it, students go through a design process. Meanwhile, they learn what AI is, and more importantly, what concrete possibilities AI opens up. The goal is to use this knowledge to develop initial solution concepts. For me, the focus is on "talk less, do more." And we do it together!
What tip would you give first-year students of a career-integrated MBA? Take away as many impressions as possible. Don't just focus on the more classic commercial content, but also look at what else will be important for you future managers. Look beyond the end of your nose, especially with regard to technology.
