Stephanie Dinkelaker on mastering her Digital Transformation MBA under difficult circumstances.

I believe that digital transformation is the topic of the future disrupting each and every industry as the way we communicate, we consume, we work; or simply: the way we live as humans is changing. When I heard about the new MBA program "Master of Digital Transformation Management" at Goethe Business School in 2017, I was interested immediately. I have been dealing with strategic questions concerning digitalization for nearly 10 years now, ever since I started working in different departments of Goethe University.

So I was thrilled when I found that I could pursue an MBA in Digital Transformation. Holding a PhD in biochemistry, I was keen to learn the basics in economics, gaining insights into methods like design thinking and getting to develop a real business model with some of my classmates. In the first three semesters, we had classes every second week on Friday afternoons and Saturdays. You would expect it to be quite exhausting to study after work, but I was surprised that it took me only five minutes in class and I forgot about everything else. I love learning new things and I think lifelong learning is essential for employees to constantly develop new skills.

In addition to being a part-time student, I am a mother of two. My youngest turned 12 right before the first Corona lockdown. Luckily, we were able to finish all of our MBA courses in February 2020, just as the lockdown was announced. For my classmates and me it meant: time to work on our master thesis. Unfortunately, all schools had to close from March to August. These were the longest five months in my life. My children's school was not ready for online classes yet, so they mostly received homework via the parents’ email. Life completely changed and all family members had to get used to staying at home altogether - all the time. Suddenly, we as parents had to juggle work, supervising homework, motivating kids to do sports or go outside and maintaining household. Even though GBS granted us extra time to complete our master thesis, I was under great pressure to write mine in time. I knew I wouldn’t have enough hours in silence to focus on my thesis. On top of daily tasks, developing your own ideas in a scientific fashion requires a certain amount of time without being disturbed by someone else – in this case, other family members.

In spite of everything, I was determined to finish my MBA in time and I was not willing to sacrifice it for the sake of Corona. It put me into a serious role conflict; to look after my kids or to write my thesis. So, I made a plan: The first step was writing the exposé, searching literature and defining the research question. I had a topic about female leadership in mind and found Dr. Nina Junkers, the most wonderful supervisor I could wish for.

During summer, I used the time to develop a questionnaire and evaluate my results by using the self-taught software SPSS. After the summer holidays schools were open again, but I wasn’t sure for how long. So, I took advantage of this change to finally write, since I knew the writing had to be done while schools were open. I booked time slots in the library of the university. I find the contemplative atmosphere in libraries really inspiring. I calculated how much time I would need for each chapter, I had fixed time slots and I stuck to that plan no matter how tired or worn out I was. I worked through my plan step by step. In my experience it is most important to break down big tasks into small ones and get on constantly. It also pushes your motivation if you keep in touch with some of your classmates, who are also writing their theses. Having a library partner helped me a lot, because I would never skip my library slot.

When the Corona numbers increased again in October, I was afraid of the upcoming consequences like getting sick, being quarantined or schools closing again, so I handed in my master thesis three weeks before the actual deadline. While I am writing this, schools have been closed again since the middle of December and nobody knows for how long. It seems that I was able to efficiently take advantage of open schools between each lockdown. I think in order to reach your goals, it is key not to give up! To sum it up, reaching my goals sounds quite easy:

• Divide big tasks into small ones.
• Block enough time slots and define your best workplace, e.g. in the library.
• Support each other by keeping in touch with fellow students.
• Do a little every day and proceed constantly, without excuses.
• Don’t give up. You’re always one step closer to the finish line.

What makes our master programs so innovative and special? One reason is the fact that GBS can draw on a vast pool of renowned experts that enables access to a wide range of topics. Managing Director at TechQuartier Dr. Sebastian Schäfer is a great example for the interdisciplinarity and interconnectedness of the GBS network of experts. We asked Sebastian what he can take from his years of teaching in the GBS MBA programs into the newly offered Master in Finance course "Digitalization in Banking & Finance".

"The financial industry is in a state of digital disruption. Changing customer preferences, regulatory pressure, new technologies and business models are reshaping the rules of the banking industry. BigTechs and challenger banks are taking market share and forcing established financial institutions to rethink their customer relationships and revenue models. This is also leading to new cooperation models such as open banking and a dissolution of traditional industry boundaries.

Our previous courses have always aimed to underpin major trends, theoretical models and concepts with practical insights from the startup and digital scene. In the course "Digitalization in Banking & Finance" we will keep this tradition and dive into selected FinTech solutions to provide an authentic view behind the scenes."

Combining theory and practice by transferring this knowledge gained in class to current challenges in the areas of finance, digital transformation and pharma, is a key objective of GBS faculty members use to prepare part-time students for the next step in their career. Professionals also have the possibility to choose from a wide range of open programs and create their individual training portfolio along our main topics in order to either gain and up-skill their knowledge in certain areas or simply refreshen the knowledge they already have acquired. Take this chance and browse through our new Open and Auditing program!