A systematic approach to sustainability: Dr Eva Cronrath takes up the professorship in business management

After studying business administration at the University of Mannheim, Cronrath went on to complete her PhD with top grades at the University of Mannheim and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA. Her academic work focused on the dynamics of complex systems and the question of how well-founded strategic decisions can be made in a changing environment. For her doctoral thesis, she was awarded the Gert von Kortzfleisch Prize by the German Society for System Dynamics.

In recent years, she has gained extensive leadership experience, including at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and, most recently, as Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy, Controlling and Change Management at the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. There, she was responsible for major organisational development and transformation processes and developed management tools that enable economic, social and organisational goals to be pursued in tandem.

At Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, the new professor aims to prepare students to lead their organisations to success through sustainable decisions in their future professional roles. She understands sustainability in the sense of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: Successful organisations take into account Planet, People and Prosperity, that is, environmental impact and social responsibility as well as economic performance.

A particular focus of her work is what is known as ‘system competence’. Using system dynamics, Cronrath investigates how complex interrelationships can be made visible and how the long-term consequences of business decisions can be simulated. It is particularly important to her to enable students to view complex challenges not in isolation, but within the context of the overall system. For only those who understand these interrelationships can develop sustainable solutions to the major challenges of our time.

Cronrath finds a balance to her working life through sport and spending time in nature. There, she enjoys the change of perspective and the opportunity to view things from a distance.