KÖNIG & DRESCHER
About Us
Our Story
In autumn 2016, our doctoral supervisor Prof. Dr. Joachim Knape carried out a small restructuring at the “Seminar for General Rhetoric” at the University of Tübingen. He put us in the same office and accompanied this with the words: "I hope you two get along."
In the years that followed, we worked as a team to further develop the BA and MA program of the Rhetoric Department. We also wrote research papers, newspaper articles and books together on the topics of rhetoric and communication, change processes and leadership development. During our time as researchers, we raised various project funds, including the project "Disruptive Rhetoric – Strategic Innovation Promotion in Companies" initiated by the Innovation Grants. This research and consulting project, funded by the Excellence Strategy of the University of Tübingen, was carried out in cooperation with business partners from the automotive and pharmaceutical industry.
The management consultancy König & Drescher emerged from the needs of our partners and the joy of working together on sustainable change and development projects. After seven years of intensive and flexible cooperation, which was driven by a cheerful and friendly spirit, one can also unreservedly say that Prof. Dr. Joachim Knape's wish has come true: "We two are getting along."
Dr. Sebastian König
As a consultant and lecturer, I accompany organizations, teams and people on their individual development journey with great passion. My focus is sustainability in the development of skills and in changing culture. As a committee-experienced rhetorician with an eye for detail, I help organizations to make clear, constructive decisions on strategic issues and enable them to create participatory processes that allow them to reach consensus and acceptance even when facing the most controversial issues.
I like to use my experience as a researcher and teacher to bring current models and findings from the field of communication and psychology to life for practical management work. The starting point of my approach is my research in rhetoric and organizational communication. I have been conveying my knowledge to various target groups in publications, lectures, and seminars for more than 10 years.
After studying philosophy and general rhetoric at the Harvard University and University of Tübingen, I did my PhD with a thesis about the use of narratives in conversations. For 14 years I worked as a researcher at the Seminar for General Rhetoric. There I redesigned the BA and MA program, which I then supervised centrally. I took on responsibility for personnel in teaching and research projects with many different tutors and research assistants. For more than 7 years I was a member of various advisory and decision-making bodies, including the Senate of the University of Tübingen, the structure commission of the rectorate, the faculty council of the Humanities Faculty and central search committees for leading positions. With enthusiasm for rhetorical practice, I supported managers and teams in the further development of their communication skills and accompanied organizations in transformation processes and cultural change as a consultant for over 10 years.
Dr. Simon Drescher
I am a trainer and consultant for communication and cooperation in organizations. In my role as a trainer, I am concerned with the question of how people can learn successfully and develop new skills with their individual potential. As a consultant, I deal with structures of goal-oriented communication, methods of effective decision-making and strategy processes. I am interested in both the structural requirements for successful cooperation and the analysis and processing of disruptions and conflicts.
I also pursue my passion for imparting knowledge and training practical skills as an author of scientific and didactic publications. I also work regularly as a moderator or speaker at public events and for media productions. In this way, I sharpen my own rhetorical appearance and can speak from personal experience in my training sessions. This combination of theoretical and practical rhetoric has accompanied me since my studies in general rhetoric and philosophy and the subsequent doctorate at the University of Tübingen.
Through my work with companies, government agencies and foundations, I know different organizational forms and the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles.
My own project experience in leading the project "Disruptive Rhetoric – Strategic Innovation Promotion in Companies" and the external management of projects in the government and foundation environment helps me to convey project management methods in practice and to apply them myself.
Maria Spohr
As a research assistant I develop research-based training concepts and support the creation of scientific publications. In both cases, I am driven by the desire to make complex research findings understandable in order to empower people to act. I design training courses that are logically structured, application-oriented and interactive, because I see the key to maximum learning success in formats that are fun and offer space for working on your own problems. Ultimately, the quality of a training must always be judged by the developed ability of the participants in dealing with specific organizational challenges.
In my conceptual, editorial, design and research work at König & Drescher, I draw on a wide range of experience from the last 10 years. Project-based and freelance, I have gained knowledge and practical skills in the areas of communication design, public relations, project management, business development, research and training. Working in different industries, organizational forms and team constellations has sharpened my eye for constructive forms of cooperation and the organization of projects. My interest in new ways of working was initiated by my design thinking training at the D-School Potsdam, which I completed in addition to my studies in General Rhetoric at the University of Tübingen and further training at the MedTech Startup School Tübingen.
Our network and our partners
We want to provide excellent consulting for all your requirements and needs. Therefore, we cooperate with experts from different fields who contribute their experience and knowledge to our projects. Our international network includes practitioners with C-level experience, specialists for various consulting topics and researchers who ensure a constant connection to current research and methodological seriousness.