Page 22 - VIA Broschüre

MAREN

KÄMMERER

It must have been in the first few month of dents and professors, interested in the
DISSERTATION TOPIC the PhD program, when we were familiariz- same theoretical background, giving us the
Demographic Diversity in Sales ing ourselves with the concepts and ideas common grounding for debate. This was
Teams, Team Performance and of the program. Our classes gave us the the basis to develop our ideas and test them
the Moderating Role of Service
Climate methodological and professional tools to within our group. But we also became part
discuss our research interests within our of a bigger research community, attending
PERIOD OF STAY student group and with the professors. and joining the conferences and PhD work-
04/2011 – 03/2014 We all started feeling comfortable speaking shops within our fields. In these larger
CURRENT POSITION about our research and the route we assembly our ideas could be shared and
Manager Employment | wanted to take with our PhD thesis. tested against a larger framework and a
Global Immigration Services at different audience. This mixture of collabo-
KPMG Law Rechtsanwalts- During one of our meetings with the pro- ration and learning to target the respective
gesellschaft mbH
fessors, they suggested that we attend our audiences helped focus the research and
first conference: the Academy of Manage- gave it firmer grounding. It also enriched
ment would host its yearly conference in my research leading it along a different
San Antonio, TX, USA. We were all very route to the one I developed in the first few
excited to go and wrote papers, studied the months.
meeting schedules and looked who would
attend. The conference was huge and we I still experience the same today and find
were overwhelmed at first. We soon real- working and addressing different groups
ized, however, that the crowded conference helps the development of ideas and processes
would split up into smaller interest groups greatly. Working in a large international
and everybody would find his/her niche and company, we work within our local teams
people with similar interests that were with the day-to-day business, establishing
eager to discuss and elaborate on new processes and routines of our work on a
ideas. The ideas were then taken back to granular level. In a next step these ideas are
the larger group. rolled out into the community and the inter-
national offices to be tested and, if proven
This concept held true for all gatherings we beneficial, implemented. Looking back at
attended in the next three years, from con- my time in the DCR program, I value this
ferences to PhD workshops. From within open community and the exchange with the
the PhD program we were a group of stu- professors and my fellow colleagues the most.
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