Apply acquired knowledge in complex fields of activity: That is the aim of this module in the 5th semester. In cooperation with an external partner, our students work on practical projects - from acquisition to clarifying the assignment, developing a methodology and presenting the project results to the client. The projects reflect the diversity of topics in occupational and organizational psychology. Accompanied by the university, the student teams work on challenging topics from practice and thus combine current knowledge with the necessary skills to apply it in a targeted manner.
Find out more about currently completed projects here.
By Clara Sophie Stegmann and Greta Wagler-Wernecke
As two students of communication psychology in the 5th semester, we ventured our first project with a local practice partner and were able to deliver exciting results with the psychological questionnaire BASA III.
The Görlitz-based association Kultur Brücken Görlitz e.V. organizes various inclusive circus education programs, known as CYRKUS. The aim is to promote points of contact between people and facilitate encounters through the medium of circus.
As part of the seminar "Organizational Psychological Action Skills" , the collaboration focused on the application of an organizational psychological procedure. After consultation and clarification of the assignment, we jointly decided on BASA III, a questionnaire for the psychological assessment of working conditions. The focus of interest of KulturBrücken Görlitz e.V. was on aspects of coordination and communication in the workplace. Accordingly, we added an expanding and specifying part to the chosen procedure. To this end, we researched empirically tested questionnaires and derived our questions from them. The questionnaire was conducted for three weeks using the online survey tool LimeSurvey. With a response rate of 50%, we were able to analyze and process the results.
The outcome was very positive. Many resources, i.e. circumstances and behaviors that promote work and health, were identified and rated positively by the participants. The identified and negatively assessed needs for change or discussion were low both in terms of quantity and urgency.
It was exciting that by using the questionnaire, it was actually possible to confirm assumptions and pick up on perceived moods. The process enabled us to find more specific starting points for these issues and derive concrete procedures or intervention options.
With the possibility of further collaboration, we were able to successfully complete our first practical project as part of our studies with new learnings.
By Paula Jäger, Johanna Westermayr and Johannes Freymann
As part of the Methods of Work and Organizational Psychology module at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, communication psychology students have the opportunity each year to apply the skills they have learned so far in a company of their choice. Paula Jäger, Johanna Westermayr and Johannes Freymann worked with the innovative hydrogen company Sunfire from Dresden in the 2020/2021 winter semester.
In view of the rapid growth of the company, which was founded in 2010, the communications department faces the challenge of keeping all employees up to date with the strategic decisions of the management and current events. In view of the current home office situation and the increasing digitalization of corporate communications, Sunfire would also like to strengthen its internal communications in order to get closer to existing teams - as well as new employees. Communication within and between the various departments is also to be improved.
With this in mind, the aim of the workshops was to analyze the status quo of internal communication and identify wishes and possible solutions. To this end, online workshops were designed, conducted and evaluated with employees, managers and the management. During the process, the students were in close contact with the company's communications department. The results formed the basis for the development of a concept for the internal communication change process at Sunfire.
"The professional moderation of the students and the content of the digital workshops were received very positively by all participants. The results are essential for us to be able to develop a comprehensive concept. Johanna, Paula and Johannes were a great support in getting the change process rolling and involving all employees at the same time," emphasizes Laura Dicke, Manager Communications at Sunfire.
Further information about Sunfire from Dresden can be found here: https://www.sunfire.de
By Ursula Möckel and Danny Peter
Two students of communication psychology at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences supported the local association with its current challenges.
As part of a module in our 5th semester, our task was to apply our knowledge in a project with a company outside the university. The Görlitz für Familie e.V. association was delighted with our interest and we were informed of the current challenges in an initial meeting.
In the next step, we presented analysis tools that show which working conditions could be changed in order to stabilize the good working atmosphere in the long term. We agreed on the BASA as a questionnaire, as it could provide a general overview of the current situation in the association so that working conditions could also be optimized in the next step.
All employees answered the questionnaire, which meant that the data and therefore the results were representative. In our evaluation, we were now able to identify resources and design requirements for working conditions in the association.
The second part of our project consisted of creating a handout with findings from current work science relating to a current challenge facing the association. It has become a small method kit with ideas from agile working on how to deal with the challenges.
In the results presentation, we explained the results of the analysis and outlined initial ideas on how these results can be used to further improve working conditions for employees. During the discussion, we noticed that both the full-time employees and the volunteer board showed a great deal of commitment to change and wanted to continue working creatively with our suggestions.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Görlitz für Familie e.V. for the pleasant cooperation and wish them every success for future projects!
By Anna Vogel and Valerie Neunzig
What is it all about?
As part of the Communication Psychology course and the integrated and practice-oriented module "Action Competence", an exciting project has arisen for students at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
On behalf of the mayor of the town of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf, the students were asked to develop a public relations concept in cooperation with the town.
The town of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf has around 12,000 inhabitants who come into contact with the public relations work on a daily basis. The information published is intended to keep citizens up to date with any events, changes or breaking news. In general, the topic and goal of public relations work is based on the following key questions: What is important and interesting for the residents of the town? How is communication between the individual bodies organized? How and how are citizens reached and what is needed to keep the target groups up to date? How can the content of the existing concept be improved and developed?
These are the many questions and concerns that the two 5th semester students dealt with.
The project
This is an extensive project that will run from October 2020 to February 2021. In addition to the time it took, the project was above all a lot of curiosity and fun.
Some interesting conversations, insights and various experience reports with different target groups resulted in opportunities and the previous concept was successfully updated.
Interviews were evaluated, questionnaires were drawn up and communication with the mayor took place.
Challenges and findings
In general, you don't become a public relations officer overnight and you don't know overnight what public relations actually means in the deeper sense.
Even Mr. Google hasn't yet revealed the true significance of public relations in the 21st century.
The subject is quite extensive and you gain experience little by little. We, Anna and Valerie, have dealt with the topic over the course of the project, acquired knowledge and learned a lot of new things about the subject. Public relations work can start at the bakery next door and becomes more complex the larger and more diverse the areas and elaborations of the public relations concept and its scope and content are. Especially in the Corona period, public relations work is not only an issue due to the lack of events, but also in project work. Unfortunately, we were only able to design and implement the project within the framework of the possibilities offered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Interviews with experienced people who were able to give good tips helped us a lot in the further development and elaboration of the concept.
As a result, our personal learning gain lies particularly in dealing with social media and internet communication itself. Regular contact is particularly important in order not to lose sight of each other metaphorically.
I think we have grown with the individual and existing challenges during this unusual time, have made the best of it and are happy to tackle new topics again. Because only those who ask questions, are courageous and curious will win.
Image source: Ubahnverleih / CC-BY-SA-3.0
By Jasmin Wolff, Laura Garbe and Rudolph Kröner
Satisfaction, health and optimization in the workplace were big topics for us this semester, but achieving this is not always easy. This semester, this also became apparent as we were given the opportunity to investigate these aspects in a company.
We specifically analyzed the team dynamics of a company using the TeamPuls method. This method uses a questionnaire to examine the 7 dimensions of team dynamics. According to TeamPuls, the 7 dimensions of a team dynamic are
With Corona and the lockdown, we found it very cumbersome to get to a company. Of course, we also understand the concerns that come with letting strangers into the company, but we often felt that communication was not transparent enough. Instead of rejections, there were often no answers at all. Nevertheless, we found a great company in Görlitz that was willing to get involved in a joint project even in these times.
During the analysis, we initially found it difficult to evaluate the data objectively, as we were already familiar with the company and its employees. However, it was exciting to observe how differently our perceptions differed from the data collected. We also found it interesting to learn how extensive and varied such a data survey is and what unexpected conclusions we came to.
Finally, we would also like to thank our company for giving us the opportunity to try out this method and gain experience.
Thank you for your attention & stay healthy.
The TeamPuls process is a product of
Management Innovation Dresden
Wiedemann & Partner
By Alexandra Klein, Annika Völkmann and Konrad Speer
The fifth semester communication psychology students from Görlitz have spent the last few months gaining practical experience as part of the work and organizational psychology module. In order to be able to apply the knowledge acquired during their studies in the real world, a joint project was to be realized in cooperation with a company.
Three students took advantage of the close cooperation between Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG at the Görlitz site and the university to implement such a project.
Together with the Transformation department & Innovation, the group identified specific technical skills and soft skills of selected employees from December 2020 to January 2021. Siemens Energy is using the results of the surveys as a data basis for future-oriented skills development, both in terms of methodological skills and in various specialist areas.
By Anna Pauline Dinnebier, Alena Peters and Natalie Möbus
In the winter semester 2020/21, students of communication psychology worked with the dance sports club TSC Excelsior Dresden e.V. and examined the voluntary work of the board. The club's aim was to improve communication and ensure a clear distribution of tasks. They used the TeamPuls, an occupational psychology method, for the application. The analysis results of this procedure were intended to provide initial input for independent further work within the team.
During the lockdown, some stores are still open, but clubs have been closed for a long time. Our work and communication with those responsible therefore had to take place entirely online. This led to technical difficulties in some cases and made it difficult for us to gain an insight into the actual work of the association and the Executive Board. It was therefore also challenging for us to select a suitable analysis method. The "TeamPuls" questionnaire that we then used is intended for a normal company and not for voluntary activities. We only realized afterwards that this could have a problematic effect on the results.
It was an exciting project. The collaboration with TSC Excelsior Dresden e.V. went without a hitch. We had the opportunity to support a committed team in developing their team communication and performance. By working together, we worked on the association's concerns and created perspectives on how to move forward.
As students, this task enabled us to get to know our chosen specialization in work and organizational psychology better and to try our hand at applying an organizational psychology method. We were also able to expand our skills, for example translating the questionnaire into the online survey tool LimeSurvey and experiencing how to work with external partners.
by Jonas Hanschke and Lucas Richter
Just as a mask belongs in every pocket in the current coronavirus situation, every municipality has an official gazette that provides information about current events. Following a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in 2018, precise specifications were developed to regulate the content of official gazettes. As part of these requirements, the town of Ebersbach/Neugersdorf has now carried out the official gazette transparency check: how can the local Spreequellbote be improved and what does the population think?
Teamwork as a fundamental basis
Together with two students from the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Ms. Rica Wittig, head of the main office of the town of Ebersbach/Neugersdorf, launched a project to put the Spreequellbote through its paces. A rough timetable was developed, in the course of which the population was asked to complete a survey on the Spreequellbote. This was distributed to the population with the help of the city administration. The survey was developed and released by the Görlitz students. Citizens had the opportunity to answer the survey in paper form or in an online version. The content of the survey covered topics such as pricing policy, general satisfaction or contribution preferences and whether the Spreequellbote should also be published in a digital online version. At the end of the survey, the city administration handed over the collected results to the students, who then analyzed and evaluated them. The evaluation revealed the numerous views as well as points of criticism from citizens.
Looking to the future
The evaluation shows that the population is satisfied with the current appearance of the Spreequellbote. It also shows that citizens are positive about a possible online version of the Spreequellbote. The city administration can still exploit a lot of potential here to further develop the Spreequellbote. According to the results, the needs of younger citizens should also be taken into account to promote sustainable and future-oriented development so that the Spreequellbote can continue to develop its full potential in the future.
Thanks to this project, more clarity has been brought to the consensus surrounding the Spreequellbote. The Ebersbach/Neugersdorf municipal administration will continue to do its best to make the Spreequellboten appealing to every citizen in the future.
