From 28 to 31 January 2014, members of the High Potentials Program at the University of Liechtenstein undertook their first learning journey. In the course of their visit to Berlin, the six Business Administration students and Academic Director Dr. Stephan Berchtold enjoyed access to renowned personalities from the worlds of politics and business.
From 28 to 31 January 2014, members of the High Potentials Program at the University of Liechtenstein undertook their first learning journey. In the course of their visit to Berlin, the six Business Administration students and Academic Director Dr. Stephan Berchtold enjoyed access to renowned personalities from the worlds of politics and business.
The purpose of the High Potentials Program of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Business Administration is to further the personal development of a select group of particularly high-performing and committed students through a series of attractive extra-curricular activities. A learning journey is organized each academic year, enabling students to immerse themselves in an unfamiliar environment and thus expand their horizons and at the same time question ostensibly self-evident points of view from new perspectives.
From left to right: Fabian-Georg Zimmermann, Michael Johannes Weiser, Mathias Mathauer, Raphael Ender, Florian Büchel, Christian Diem, Ambassador Prince Stefan of Liechtenstein.
The aim of the first learning journey to Berlin was to gain as many new impressions as possible of topics such as crisis management and communication within organizations. In addition to enjoying informative discussions with distinguished personalities, the students also used their stay in the German capital to examine these questions from a historical perspective.
During a trip to the Hohenschönhausen memorial, the students learnt how under totalitarian organizations the system is maintained through the restriction of communication.
Network of distinguished personalities
The learning journey programme also included visits to a plenary session of the German Bundestag, the improvisational theatre “Die Gorillas” and the betahaus with its cooperative working practices. Over the course of the four days, participants in the High Potentials Program had the opportunity to talk to renowned experts such as systems theorist, consultant, author and co-founder of the Carl-Auer publishing house, Fritz B. Simon, Lieutenant Colonel Harald Beck of the German Federal Armed Forces Operational Command and Ambassador Prince Stefan of Liechtenstein.
Visiting the media company bloomberg
Further discussions with Carl Graf von Hohenthal, CEO of Brunswick and for many years a senior editor at the FAZ, Guido Schnieders, HSE Manager at Wintershall, and Bernd Koppers, Team Leader at Bloomberg, provided the students with insights into aspects of politics and business that the public do not otherwise get to see.
Support from the Liechtenstein Embassy
The success of the learning journey was in large part due to the wide-ranging support afforded by the Embassy of the Principality of Liechtenstein, represented by the Liechtenstein ambassador in Berlin, Prince Stefan of Liechtenstein, and Dr. Katrin Bastian.
Further information about the High Potentials Program can be found at www.uni.li/highpotentials
First learning journey for the high potentials
“Making the impossible possible”
Student testimonials
Florian Büchel (Liechtenstein)
The meetings with the Liechtenstein Ambassador, HSH Prince Stefan of Liechtenstein, and the Head of Office of the Brunswick Group in Germany, Carl Graf von Hohenthal, were particularly impressive. The trip opened up a whole range of unique opportunities, quite in keeping with HiPo motto “Making the impossible possible”.
Christian Diem (Austria)
For me, it was the diversity of the programme that was particularly exciting. From ambassadors and senior executives through army officers and communications consultants to systems theorists and alternative culture – the trip really covered everything. Despite this breadth, it was possible to interconnect the various areas and topics discussed and view them from an integrated perspective.
Raphael Ender (Austria)
The trip to Berlin gave me the opportunity to gain in-depth insight into organizations such as Bloomberg and Brunswick. Looking at topics such as the development of flexible organizational structures and how these create greater scope for creativity, in particular, left a lasting impression.
Mathias Mathauer (Germany)
The daily feedback and reflection sessions helped me to connect on a meta-level my impressions from the various encounters with the content of our lectures and to analyse them from a number of different perspectives. In the future, I will try to implement and build on these insights in order to deal with complex challenges more effectively.
Michael Johannes Weiser (Austria)
The most irritating and therefore most enlightening aspect of the trip was the visit to the betahaus in Berlin, particularly after a discussion with the systems theorist Fritz Simon about the frequently misunderstood relationship between innovation and organization. What particularly fascinated me was experiencing unconventional value chains and organizational forms up close.
Fabian-Georg Zimmermann (Germany)
I found the trip to the betahaus with its alternative approach to work and communication particularly interesting. The experience was rounded off by a rich and diverse cultural programme, including a tour of the Hohenschönhausen memorial and a visit to an improvisational theatre.