German PhD student visits Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership

Mr Dominik Fischer, a Lecturer and Research Assistant in the Leadership Excellence Institute at Zeppelin University in Germany visited the Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership (ALCRL) from 10 January to 6 March 2019.

 

Mr Dominik Fischer

 

He first met Prof Derick de Jongh, Director of the ALCRL two years ago in Germany at a Leadership Summit and their paths crossed once again in 2018 at the International Leadership Association Conference. It was during this time that a relationship with the ALCRL emerged, with Prof De Jongh now co-supervising Mr Fischer’s PhD study, titled ‘Leadership as part of governance in global value chains’.

 

Mr Fischer is furthermore involved in an internationally funded research project related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals. The objective of the research project is to look into the role of relational leadership in implementing and achieving the SDGs. Part of the research will be to compare cross-sector partnership practices in Germany and South Africa. The expected research outcomes include academic publications, practice and policy inputs, and a framework for leadership engagement in partnerships for development. The research project will commence formally in mid-2019 and will stretch over a three-year period.  

 

He says getting to know the University of Pretoria and the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was very interesting for him. The most inspiring engagements were with other researchers, where he was able to share knowledge and exchange ideas.

 

He describes his time at the ALCRL as being fruitful. “The Albert Luthuli Centre is a very unique place to work. The people there provided several insights both on South Africa and the research conducted here,” he says. He hopes to visit the ALCRL more often.

 

Mr Dominik Fischer and Prof Derick de Jongh