Internationalisation: Universidad Ramon Llull-LaSalle is visiting Leuphana

"No matter what it is - with more than one person involved, it has to be organised," explains Prof. Dr Matthias Wenzel, Dean of Studies Graduate School of the School of Management and Technology, and LaSalle cooperation coordinator. "Hence, it is our ambition to teach students in the context of our cooperation: How do you organise ventures? How do you manage projects? How, to put it colloquially, do you get something sorted? The great obstacle to good organisation is the phrase 'That's just how we do it' and perhaps no other area of work is as susceptible to this as organisation. That's why it was so important for us to establish international collaborations like this one: to sensitise students to be open, to look beyond national borders, to learn that things can be done differently."

The visit will be complemented by an ongoing Global Classroom seminar on "New Technology Ventures" co-led by Dr Sarah Stanske. The seminar will not only involve students from both universities, but also start-ups and established companies from both locations.  

"I was very keen to organise the excursion to the Port of Hamburg," says Prof. Wenzel, "because you can identify many key aspects at this location: How organisation and strategy intertwine, the concrete effects of change and how a company can remain flexible even in the course of complex large-scale projects such as the construction of the new Hachmannkai. Barcelona also has a harbour, a very different one, but also a harbour. I was surprised when some of the LaSalle students pointed out that insights into the special embedding of the Port of Hamburg in public structures were only possible through their visit. This clearly highlights how beneficial it still is to go out into the world to learn about and adopt other perspectives."

"We also visited web-netz GmbH, an innovative Lüneburg-based company that has grown to an impressive size in just a few years with a unique start-up idea. The start-up culture and the legal and administrative requirements for start-ups are extremely different in Germany and Spain, but one thing is the same," continues Prof Wenzel. "However, it really only becomes apparent when you look at both countries, namely that start-ups rarely prosper on their own, but need a thriving ecosystem to do so. This is one of the reasons why LaSalle and Leuphana have teamed up. Both universities see themselves as innovators in the regional start-up ecosystems in which they are embedded and want to provide further impetus through networking."

Prof. Laurentiu Neamtu, Vice Dean for Strategic and Organisational Development at LaSalle, has already signalled his interest in sending more LaSalle students to Leuphana in the future, and in initiating talks regarding the development of double degree programmes. The study trip can therefore make a decisive contribution to Leuphana's internationalisation efforts.