In an innovative initiative, Lauder Business School and „J-IT“ IT-Dienstleistungs GesmbH partnered last year to offer Business Process and Quality Management (BPQM) courses to the Master´s students in the International Management and Leadership (IML) program. Blending IT with business, the course aimed to equip our students with a solid foundation to optimize business processes and improve the quality of delivered products or services. A year later, the course received an overwhelming amount of appreciation and accomplished what it sought to do. Students reported significant outcomes in grasping the complexities of business processes and the principles of quality management.
Ever since its inception, LBS has pioneered a practice-based approach to teaching by having industry leaders as lecturers with a mentor mentality and co-opting actual businesses in student-based projects. The two lecturers of this course are no exception. Both Gerardo Manzano, BSc, MSc. and Thomas Faistauer have a solid track record of success in aiding companies of all sizes and industries to optimize their business processes and maximize efficiency.
Both engineers at „J-IT“ IT-Dienstleistungs GesmbH, and the lecturers used real-case scenarios to teach students to spot inefficiencies, make critical assessments, and think of strategies to eliminate faulty practices. Students learned to analyze and improve business processes using the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) system, identify bottlenecks, and weed out inefficiencies. By learning the internationally recognized standards for Quality Management Systems such as ISO 9001, Six Sigma, and Lean principles, students learned to enhance product/service quality across industries. These sought-after skills place our students at a competitive advantage in the job market.
Highly interactive, the course engaged our students´ creative thinking abilities and showed them how to apply in business situations across industries. Marked by the professor’s supportive approach and playful teaching methods, the course prioritized practical exercises. Students appreciated the dynamic atmosphere fostered by a variety of teaching techniques, the clarity and accessibility of materials, and the incorporation of active, fun exercises in class. What students cherished above all else were the professors´ attention to questions and their goal to help students gain clarity through the patient explanation of concepts.
“Honing our students’ critical assessment skills and their strategic thinking drives our teaching methodology. We want to instill in them this idea that business processes don´t have to be tedious and that even the most complicated problems can be tackled both strategically and creatively if they are re-framed in a more playful manner. Games are a fun way to frame complex problems to facilitate understanding, and problem-solving takes on a completely new meaning in an environment that encourages thinking outside the box,” agree the two lecturers.
Both lecturers express gratitude for the laurels won over the year, but also agree they won´t rest on them. “We aim to continue to improve our course material by incorporating more real-life case studies and finding new ways to convey our subject matter. We are aware that some of the concepts we teach are not exactly easy, but we are convinced of the benefits of the BPQM course and are always ready to refine our content and delivery,” state the two lecturers.
LBS is grateful to Gerardo Manzano, BSc, MSc. and Thomas Faistauer for their dedication and look forward to seeing similar projects take shape in the near future.
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