The blend that binds
Karen says that the hands-on and practical aspects of the Master’s study were the most helpful to shaping her perspectives on the subject matter. ‘We weren’t just studying theories. We were also thrown into the deep end, at companies, applying what we learned. We were encouraged to develop our own perspectives. I learned how to take what I was taught at VU Amsterdam and make it my own.’
Karen says it was the blend of management theory with psychology, anthropology and other disciplines that gave her the most well-rounded view of an organisational structure. ‘Culture is the company’s brand,’ she says. ‘You can have cool processes and awesome products, but that can all be copied. A company’s culture is unique. It can’t be copied.’
Encouragement to look beyond
Although she had her own theories about organisational culture when she started her Master’s, Karen says most of them got thrown out the window. ‘You can read all the theories you want, but when you put them into practice, you discover the nuances that help you think more critically. After all, organisational culture is only one aspect. There are all kinds of business and strategic considerations to take into account. It’s your own critical thinking that helps you truly understand organisational culture and its role in the business.’
Karen prepared her Master’s thesis on the Mennonite community in Belize. She spent three months living in the community to gather her research. ‘That experience taught me how crucial it is to swiftly adapt to my surroundings and how to gain an understanding of a culture. Those skills have served me well throughout my international career.’
Through it all, Karen says the faculty at VU Amsterdam encouraged her to continue exploring. ‘The faculty are open to every student’s perspectives and opinions,’ she recalls. ‘They encouraged me to explore, to just get out and discover for myself.’
A cross-border career
Karen continued to explore. Her PhD led her to Panama to study cross-cultural collaboration in the Panama Canal Expansion Program. Today, she teaches at Argentinian Business School ADEN, and is a Culture and Change Management specialist at Practical Thinking Group – a global consultancy. She has supported people in companies around the world, especially in Latin America, Australia and Asia.
’It gives me a thrill to get to know organisations up close and in person. Experiencing cultural aspects like beliefs, values, behaviour, as well as artefacts, rituals and gatherings provide a wealth of information about an organisation,’ she says.
Karen says it’s all about combining a natural curiosity with a business mind-set. ‘I know that I have all of the foundations I need to blend a strategic point of view with the crucial components of organisational culture. The COM Master’s at VU Amsterdam gave me the skills to find the balance in all those perspectives, and use them to affect real change in an organisation.’
