Murat Saydam, CAS in General Management
Murat Saydam, 41, lives with his family in Birmensdorf and is completing the new CAS in General Management programme alongside his work.
When did you first become interested in management?
I sort of slipped into management through my career. I will now be leading a team of five people. I already have leadership experience from previous positions, but I am now looking forward to learning from the leadership modules (Leadership and Leadership Communication). Leading organisations and people is complex, multifaceted and challenging. Accordingly, I think it is important to bring my knowledge in this area up to date.
How did you find out about the new CAS in General Management programme?
As a real estate expert with over 25 years of experience in the industry, I wanted to expand my knowledge and broaden my management skills. I was looking for a continuing education programme at a renowned institution that could provide both the theoretical foundation for management and leadership challenges and practical knowledge. This would allow me to apply the knowledge I had learned in a variety of ways. That's why I chose General Management at the University of Zurich.
I had often researched what courses were available in this field. Often, these were courses with a rigid programme, and certain modules did not appeal to me. When I discovered that the CAS in General Management has a modular structure and that you can put together your own exciting programme, I decided to apply to Executive Education.
Originally, I was only interested in individual modules. After an informative consultation with the programme director, I was advised that the modules could be credited towards a CAS degree. After that, the decision to complete the CAS in General Management was quickly made.
When did you first become interested in management?
I sort of slipped into management through my career. I will now be leading a team of five people. I already have leadership experience from previous positions, but I am now looking forward to learning from the leadership modules (Leadership andLeadership Communication). Leading organisations and people is complex, multifaceted and challenging. Accordingly, I think it is important to bring my knowledge in this area up to date.
How did you find out about the new CAS in General Management programme?
As a real estate expert with over 25 years of experience in the industry, I wanted to expand my knowledge and broaden my management skills. I was looking for a continuing education programme at a renowned institution that could provide both the theoretical foundation for management and leadership challenges and practical knowledge. This would allow me to apply the knowledge I had learned in a variety of ways. That's why I chose General Management at the University of Zurich.
I had often researched what courses were available in this field. Often, these were courses with a rigid programme, and certain modules did not appeal to me. When I discovered that the CAS in General Management has a modular structure and that you can put together your own exciting programme, I decided to apply to Executive Education.
Originally, I was only interested in individual modules. After an informative consultation with the programme director, I was advised that the modules could be credited towards a CAS degree. After that, the decision to complete the CAS in General Management was quickly made.
Why did you decide to accept an offer from the University of Zurich?
It was important to me that I could complete further training at a renowned university. I researched this and talked to friends and colleagues both within and outside my industry.
I have learned that the University of Zurich, especially the Faculty of Economics, is a leader in the fields of management and economics. It was also important to me that a theoretically sound institution could also bridge the gap to practical application. I would like to use this continuing education programme to learn from the experiences of other leaders from various industries and to develop myself personally. It is a welcome opportunity to broaden my horizons.
What is your impression of the CAS programme so far?
Really very good! I am pleasantly surprised at how broadly the knowledge I have acquired can be applied.
I was completely blown away – in a positive sense – by my very first classroom module, Unternehmenssimulation. When I read in advance that it was board game-based, I expected something along the lines of Monopoly. We were able to playfully analyse the entire value chain of a young company and simulate it over several rounds (years). The game offered deep insights into complex leadership and management decisions that can later have a massive impact on the health and performance of a company. Within two days, we dealt with essential analyses and decisions in the areas of strategy, production, logistics, marketing and finance. I was impressed by how this method allows you to play through the whole reality.
In Strategic Management, I liked the fact that theoretical elements were presented, linked to practical applications and then placed in a broader context with real-life case studies of well-known successful organisations. My group was assigned the Harvard case study on Uber. Uber is struggling with regulatory hurdles, intense competition and safety issues, while at the same time having to ensure long-term profitability and driver satisfaction. This led to interesting discussions with the other groups, who were assigned case studies on companies such as NIO, Manchester City, Roche, etc.
Normally, one associates university with theoretical and analytical content, but I was pleasantly surprised by how realistic and practical the modules have been so far. In this respect, the level and pace have always been very high. The learning curve was extremely steep. On the one hand, we learned the theoretical foundations behind the various frameworks and models for strategic management. On the other hand, the models were applied directly to real-life examples.
I also thought it was great that the module descriptions included information about the lecturers and their backgrounds. This gave me an idea that many people with practical experience would be sharing their knowledge. But I didn't expect the connection between theory and practice to be so strong. And the theoretical background is also covered, with the teaching materials and literature references that are provided.
Which topics from the first modules did you find particularly exciting for your professional activity?
In the business simulation module, I became very aware of the importance of liquidity and long-term planning, in addition to topics such as strategy, production, logistics and marketing. In large companies with thousands of specialised employees, this topic can quickly fade into the background in everyday life. However, it is omnipresent and of utmost importance. In my work, I rely on little external capital and have finance specialists who closely monitor liquidity requirements. But when you are responsible for liquidity planning yourself, the simulation makes it clear what a bottleneck means.
What I take away from the Strategic Management module is that a framework or model is not a restrictive straitjacket, but rather that these frameworks help us to structure our analyses and thoughts clearly in order to derive solutions for the company. In addition, working with the numerous models has helped me to apply the insights to my job in developing real estate portfolio strategies.
How have you found working with your fellow students so far?
I was really impressed by the diversity of the participants: I had the opportunity to develop strategic solutions in a class with (future) leaders from a wide range of sectors and industries. Our cohort consists of people with master's and doctoral degrees or with many years of experience – a harmonious mix. It was clear that the programme directors had given careful thought to the composition of the participants to ensure a diverse exchange.
What challenges have you encountered?
With family, work and further education, I don't have much free time. I have decided to pay attention to time management and to organise my time well. I need to develop a sense of how I can organise everything.
What are your expectations or hopes for the rest of the further education programme?
After the first modules, my expectations are very high! (laughs) My hope is that the content will continue to strike an ideal balance between theoretical foundations and real, practical implications in everyday business life. But based on my experience so far, I am very confident. In addition to the leadership modules, I am also eagerly awaiting the AI for Business module, because now is the time to get involved in the topic and help develop it.
Would you recommend this continuing education programme to others, and if so, to whom?
I have already done so on several occasions.
The CAS in General Management is for anyone who values practical training and doesn't just want dry theory. The modular structure is perfect for people with practical experience. For example, I recommended the business simulation module to a colleague who founded a start-up. Anyone who founds a start-up should complete this module – the insights are invaluable.
Thanks to the modular structure, people who want to pursue further education on a selective basis can do so very easily. And it is possible to continue spontaneously and book additional courses at any time. So you might start with a single course and end up completing an MAS. There is certainly no shortage of exciting content.
Thank you very much, Murat Saydam!