Bettina Stumpp, Ph.D.

Bettina Stumpp, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Zurich University of the Applied Sciences, School of Management and Law

Bettina received her MA in Classical Philology from the University of Tübingen and a Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Tübingen and Constance, Germany. She holds a Diploma in Business Informatics as well as further certificates in Advanced Leadership, Change and Project Management and Agile practices.

Fascinated by programming languages in digital humanities, she spent several years for the Institute for Computer Science at the University of Tübingen and directed the Department of IT education. Moving to Switzerland, she working for the 2 major banks and became a Vice President and Director. She stayed for 18 years, learning a lot about herself, about leading people, success and failure in change and project management and about corporate systems.

Today she is a Senior Lecturer at Zurich University of Applied Sciences at the School of Management and Law, teaching classes in the Master Sc. Economy. Her main subjects are innovation – thinking without barriers, agile ways of work and modern leadership.

She is interested in questions like: “What is appropriate leadership under tough conditions such as global competition, the accumulation of crises and the ongoing transformation of our world through digitalization and climate change?”

She found surprising overlaps especially between entrepreneurial and strategic leadership required in the current economy and the concepts of the philosophy of orientation, e.g., mastering situations, being aware of risks and favorable opportunities – a balancing act between chronos and kairos, etc. Leaders need problem-solving skills, courage and attentiveness, as well as decision-making abilities to drive things forward, change and reshape them in perpetually new situations.

The concepts of the philosophy of orientation could become a helpful way provide young (and advanced) leaders and upcoming talents with a profound mental basis not only for self-questioning and self-leadership but for the nowadays so important readiness and sensitivity to change.

Bettina came across the Foundation for Philosophical Orientation through her interest in Nietzsche and his works that have occupied her time and again since her student days.