Management track instead of a specialist career – Marco Henry V. Neumueller knew this was the right way for him early on. Even during his studies in electric/information technology and law, he was drawn in by anything that would broaden his horizons. Right after finishing his degree, he began pursuing his path to management with a project competence degree at the Steinbeis University Berlin School of Management and Technology. The Master of Business Engineering (MBE) is a unique degree program combining theory and practice.
The transition from a master’s program to a permanent job position wasn’t a problem for Marco Neumueller. Just after completing his degree, he received an offer from a control and automation technology company to head up its development and expansion activities worldwide. The position required, among other things, evaluating marketing opportunities and sales markets, business analysis of clients and competitors, initiating future business deals and follow-up transactions, and presenting new business plan proposals. He would also be responsible for building up internal business networks to ensure success in the longterm. Neumueller was up to the task since he had already acquired the relevant knowledge necessary for such exciting assignments during his Steinbeis degree program and required company project.
In Neumueller‘s everyday working life, a high level of stress resistance and the capacity for problem-solving are essential requirements for success. The MBE program prepares students to cope with such environments. The courses are firmly organized and students work through a cumulative curriculum During the program, students must complete different case studies under intense time pressure. These studies prompt students to deal with problems independently. And Marco Neumueller realized quickly that putting a presentation together the night before wasn’t quite as unusual as he had thought during his undergraduate studies.
Teamwork plays a huge role for Marco Neumueller today. Winking, he explains why the MBE was also beneficial in this area: “Case studies always had to be solved in groups. If you had the urge to put together your own team, the response was always the same: in the real world, you can’t always pick the people you want to work with.” This helps tremendously by developing students’ soft skills which will allow them to solve problems successfully in a team in their professional endeavors. Students of the MBE program also acquire soft skills necessary for interactions with people from different cultures during their study time abroad. Trips to the US, Sweden, Japan and South Korea assist them in learning to communicate and work together with people from various cultural backgrounds. Communication skills and presentation techniques even play a huge role in working with colleagues and clients within their home country: The MBE program also allows students to fine-tune this ability. Case study results have to be presented, for example; whether it’s in front of instructors with simulated case studies or in front of directors with real cases in other countries – success rates are enormous.
The demands placed on the managers of tomorrow are constantly changing. They will have to find their way in a tense environment consisting of flexible organizational structures, fickle work relationships and self-determined co-workers. The significance of management as an integrative figure and team builder in a global context will grow in the future – Marco Neumueller is sure of that. His advice? A Master’s program can be a building block for picking up the necessary skills.
Nina Klingenberger
School of Management and Technology (Berlin/Filderstadt), Steinbeis University Berlin (SHB, Berlin/Filderstadt)
Marco Henry V. Neumueller
Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG (Denkendorf)