Coaching and Consulting

Leaders frequently encounter new and uniquely challenging situations. The University of Kassel aims to individually support its executives from academia and administration with the following coaching and consulting services.

What do we understand by coaching?

Coaching is a person-oriented, goal-oriented and interactive process in which coach and client work together on the client’s individual work-related questions and issues. The coach guides the process through inquiry, observation, and/or other interventions that help the client define or revise their goals, develop individual solutions and make best use of their individual resources. While refraining from giving direct advice, the coach encourages the client‘s self-reflection and self-perception. Coaching aims to foster awareness and responsibility to attain or improve the client’s self-regulation competencies. As a result of the coaching process new perspectives and ways of interpretation are inspired, broadening the client’s scope of action.

*Definition Coaching, Vgl. Rauen, Christopher (2021): Handbuch Coaching. Göttingen, Hogrefe.

Leadership Coaching

Individual coaching

Executives often face special challenges due to changing circumstances or internal team developments. Professors, department heads and leaders in central administration can receive individual coaching support in such cases.
There are no costs incurred by the executives for the first coaching session.

If you are interested, the Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development can arrange for professional coaches who have experience in the higher education sector and in advising executives.

Contact:
Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development
E-Mail: manuela.kaiser-belz[at]uni-kassel[dot]de


Upcoming events
Coaching days (virtual)


This offer is for professors, heads of departments, leaders in central administration and employees with responsibilities in science or administration
(e.g. group leaders in administration, group leaders in the scientific field)

Content:
During coaching days, executives from academia and administration can take advantage of a free one-hour coaching session with a professional coach to address their questions and current personal challenges. Registration and appointment scheduling are handled through the Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development.
*please note that coaching days can only be provided in German.

Next dates
09 and 10 December 2024


Coach:
Anke Böttcher

Registration:
Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development
E-Mail: sekretariat-EPEO[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Coa­ching for Newly Appointed Professors

The focus of this coaching format with an external coach is on the individual questions and concerns of the newly appointed professors. The coaching format, successfully established since 2006, includes both individual coaching sessions and three-hour group coaching sessions (4-6 participants per group). The aim is to sharpen one’s understanding of leadership, gain more role clarity, acquire tools for managing employees, and deepen knowledge of communicative and organizational processes. The costs are centrally covered. Further information can be found in the flyer below.

Next information session is on 12 November 2024 at 5 p.m. (online)

Coach:
Dr. Kerstin Mauth

Registration:
Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development
E-Mail: sekretariat-EPEO[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Coaching for Tenure-Track Professors (or equivalent)

Individuals with so-called tenutre track professorships find themselves in a unique tension within their career, unlike newly appointed or established professors. On the one hand, they are fully integrated as professors in all aspects of academic life including research, teaching, and academic self-administration. On the other hand, they are still on a probrationary phase, where they must place particular emphasis on their professional development. To optimally support these individuals, especially in the initial phases of this career stage, the University of Kassel offers individual coaching for all tenure track professors. This offer is in line with the national trend to systematically foster transparent career paths in academia.
Coaching can be held in German or English.

Registration:
There are no fixed application periods. Please send an email with your request to the contact below. We will then discuss the next steps together.


Contact:
Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development
E-Mail: juliane.friedrichs[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Career Coaching for Postdocs (R2)

Due to a rapidly changing working environment, an increase in diversification of job opportunities as well as the difficulty in planning academic careers, the need for career orientation among postdoctoral researchers (R2) is continuously rising. As part of systematic career promotion, the University of Kassel offers individual career coaching for all postdoctoral researchers. The aim of the coaching is to gain clarity about one's career goals, achieve a well-founded assessment of one's competence profile, and acquire skills for active career development. Career coaching can be conducted in both English and German.

Registration:
There are no fixed application periods. Please send an email with your request to the contact below. We will then discuss the next steps together.


Contact:
Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development
E-Mail: juliane.friedrichs[at]uni-kassel[dot]de



Stages of an academic career
R1: First Stage Researcher (up to the point of PhD)
R2: Recognized Researcher (PhD holders or equivalent who are not yet fully independent)
R3: Established Researcher (researchers who have developed a level of independence)
R4: Leading Researcher (researchers leading their research area or field)

Accompanying Coaching for Teaching

Based on individualized counseling, even experienced professors can further develop their teaching skills. The Servicecenter Lehre offers a variety of services.

Team­ Coaching, Buil­ding and Development

When taking on a new leadership role or during restructuring processes, professional support for the leader from a coach or trainer can be helpful and can prevent or mitigate potential conflicts. Executives from administration and academia can obtain information about support options, such as professionally guided team development processes from the Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development.

Effective interventions can also include team-building workshops at the beginning of a project or team development activities to support effective collaboration. Regularly implemented – e.g. on an annual basis – these formats promote the creativity and productivity of teams. Additionally, they improve team climate and prevent conflicts.

The costs for a team- building workshop or team development process can be subsidized by the Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development from central funds up to a maximum amount of 750€.

Contact:
Department of Strategic Personnel and Organizational Development
E-Mail: manuela.kaiser-belz[at]uni-kassel[dot]de