Shaping the working world of tomorrow: Career start as People and Culture Manager at TheDive

03/09/2023

Nathalie Jauch already deeply immersed herself in the topic of New Work and organizational development for her Bachelor's thesis. Immediately after her studies, she joined TheDive as People and Culture Manager. In this interview, she tells us more about her research and how the Systemic Coaching course has helped her in her personal development.

[Translate to englisch:] Nathalie Jauch, Absolventin des B.Sc. Medien- und Wirtschaftspsychologie in Köln sowie des Weiterbildungskurses Systemisches Coaching

You have recently graduated from HMKW with a B.Sc. in Media and Business Psychology. Congratulations! You wrote your bachelor's thesis on the topic of new work and mental health. That sounds exciting! How did you discover this issue and what did you research in particular? Could you please tell us more about it?

Thank you very much for the congratulations! I am very proud and grateful to have completed this chapter with such great success! When I started my systemic coaching training in 2020, I first came in contact with the topics of Purpose, New Work and Organizational Development. Immediately, my enthusiasm was piqued and I couldn't stop digging into these areas and learning more about people-centered work. In the course of this, I came across the Loop Approach and thus also TheDive.

The organizational culture and experimental approaches I experienced there convinced me from the very first moment. So I applied for an internship there. After 6 months on site, I grew incredibly, learned a lot and had a huge learning curve. In addition, I was able to experience what it feels like to be really happy to get up in the morning and to go home from work with inspiration and motivation every day. But at the same time, I realized that in self-organization, completely different skills and competencies are needed to maintain mental health as well.

In our Western socialization, we learn that we are always told what is "important" or "right" and what steps it takes to achieve certain goals. In the process, work is constantly controlled and "mistakes" have a negative connotation and are covered up. We do not learn to take responsibility by addressing tensions (=impulses for change) ourselves and also providing suggestions for solutions ourselves. This also includes prioritizing for ourselves the order in which we approach certain topics and, in connection with this, setting clear boundaries and saying no. The freedom and autonomy that is given here can also lead to disorientation. Particularly because the majority of people have not learned this way of working together, it can quickly become very demanding and overwhelming. So in order to keep the people who work in such organizations healthy, it takes something different than what is taught in traditional books on workplace health management. And this is where I became curious.

Working from anywhere and enjoying flexibility - in addition to these advantages, "New Work" can also have negative effects on employees, as Nathalie Jauch, among others, investigated in more detail in her thesis. (Photo: SHVETS production/Pexels)

I became more and more involved with the topic and noticed that there are hardly any studies at this interface between New Work and mental health. This is also the reason for the topic of my bachelor thesis. There are numerous studies on what positive effects the methods of the "new world of work" can have, but only a few deal with the challenges and associated possible dangers for the mental health of employees. Put simply, I aimed to uncover the "downsides" of New Work and create an understanding of how the two dimensions interact. Thus, the limited amount of studies required an exploratory approach.

I interviewed various experts in the fields of organizational development, New Work, and mental health. For me personally, this part of my bachelor thesis was really eye-opening. The professional exchange was inspiring and I was incredibly grateful for the openness and joy I received from the various experts during the interviews. But the heart of the project was, of course, the results section. It became clear that many New Work approaches and methods have a positive effect on mental health. However, people have different patterns of values and interpretations, whereby different values are pursued, such as security, success, meaning and harmony. These determine whether one perceives certain living and working conditions as health-promoting or endangering. This leads to areas of tension between leadership and self-organization, between striving for meaning and the removal of boundaries, and between guard rails for self-protection and freedom. Since organizations are made up of a large number of people and these have different needs and values, it is all the more significant to introduce holistic health management at all levels (individual, team, cultural and structural) of an organization. However, this work was just the beginning. I see an incredible amount of potential here, as well as a need for further research, and I am excited to see what other new findings will be made here in the coming years.

What did you like most about your studies/the course of study in general? And what was the biggest challenge during your studies?

Definitely the versatility and practical relevance. Since I had already completed an apprenticeship as a tourism clerk and came from the working world, it was very important to me that it was not only about theories. In addition, the small class sizes and the contact to the lecturers made it possible to get involved in professional discussions at any time and to benefit from the practical experience of the lecturers.

The biggest challenge was definitely the lockdown period. I myself have a good ability to discipline and structure myself, which meant that home-studying was not a problem at all. At the same time, I noticed that many of my fellow students really struggled here. Unfortunately, the sense of community and identification with my studies and the university were also very much lost here. I didn't really feel like a student, but rather like I was just doing this part-time. Unfortunately, I was only able to experience very small parts of the great student life that many people always rave about.

You also recently completed the further education course "Systemic Coaching" with Cordula Bestvater. How did you like the course and what did you learn from it for yourself and for your future career?

Honestly? Participating in the continuing education program was a life-changing decision. Even though it was very challenging on top of my full-time studies and my job as a working student.

As mentioned earlier, it was the starting point of my professional journey, which makes me really happy. Although we also started online here at the time, Cordula managed to create an incredibly bonding group dynamic from the very first second. The weekends we have spent together have just passed by in the blink of an eye. I learned a lot about myself as well as how to communicate properly and ask purposeful questions.

The most rewarding experience I have had here is how many opportunities lie in coaching and how life-changing it can be to ask the right questions. The glow with which my coachees and I end the hour is priceless and very fulfilling. I wouldn't want to miss it and am very grateful that Cordula has a warm, inspiring, content-rich and extraordinarily enthusiastic way of conveying content and guiding one into the world of coaching.

Nathalie Jauch has completed the further education course "Systemic Coaching" with Cordula Bestvater (mikusi). (Photo: This is Julia/ thisisjulia.de)

We have heard that you were able to start your career immediately after graduation. So congratulations on that, too! Where are you working now and how do you like your new job?

Thank you very much! I now work at TheDive, a management consultancy in the field of organizational development in Berlin. Here, I'm in the People and Culture role, which means that I'm responsible for all aspects of the employee lifecycle: from job postings and recruiting, to internal potential development, to the improvement of culture and processes, such as onboarding and feedback processes. It's definitely a very people-centric role, in which I can apply the content of my studies very well, and at the same time I'm always faced with new challenges. The immersion in different topics, the complexity of my roles and the inspiring work environment inspire me every day. The confidence and freedom I have in performing my roles fulfill me. I also have the opportunity to participate in strategy processes early in my professional career, which not only allows me to experience self-efficacy, but also to grow a lot. Overall, I am very fulfilled professionally right now and really enjoy being able to work in such a unique and motivating organizational culture.

What are your plans for the future?

Right now I just want to live in the moment, focus on work and prove my skills. I enjoy dedicating myself with my whole heart to one thing and not having to attend to different big projects (studies, further education and work). I notice that my creativity has come back and I can develop myself strongly right now. But I also know very well that I will come to a point where I want to learn something new again and need a new challenge. But at the moment I can't say exactly what this will look like and where my path will lead me. The last few years through education, studies, further training and various internships the past years I have "grown wings", today it's time to use them and fly ;-) I'm looking forward to the adventure that begins with this new stage of life and I'm excited to see what the future holds.

Thank you very much for the insights and the exciting interview. We wish you all the best!