Who are you and what are you doing? Who are your partners?
My name is Tobias Dumont and I am doing my doctorate at the Institute for Information Systems at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence. As part of my PhD I am working on semantic technologies for the integration of business processes and supporting information systems. I work on my Software Campus project ProLIN, which covers a part of this topic, in cooperation with the Scheer Group.
When did you join the Software Campus and why are you in the program?
I joined the Software Campus in 2014. The program combines the opportunities to advance my doctoral thesis and to further my personal and professional development. The numerous contacts to established industrial companies and scientists from related research fields enable me to build an excellent network.
What do you expect from the Software Campus?
With the help of the project I hope to get closer to my goal – the PhD – and to establish interesting contacts to businesses and other research areas.
What is the content of your IT project and how could it be used in the future?
Large and complex process landscapes are usually characteristic of large companies. My IT project deals with the automated generation of “reference processes” and the thereby simplified management of business processes. The aim of the project is to recognize semantic similarities between processes with the help of computer linguistic methods and thus enable a combination of process variants.
What fascinates you about computer science?
What fascinates me about computer science is its extremely rapid growth – not only in terms of technical development, but also in terms of distribution. Especially in industrial nations and emerging countries, information technology has reached a status that can almost be described as a basic need. Public and social infrastructure can no longer exist without information technology. It is precisely for this reason that I consider it to be an issue that will have a major impact on the future. Now I can decide how I want to help shape this future.
What did you like most about Software Campus so far?
What I liked most so far was the exchange with very experienced managers, because you rarely get the chance to do so. But the executive trainings and the interactions with other participants were also very interesting.
What’s your passion – besides your job and Software Campus?
I am passionate about sports and like to try out new disciplines. In addition to handball, running and triathlon, I am also regularly at the gym.
In your opinion, what skills do top executives need to have today in order to be successful?
I believe that communication skills and empathy are the most important qualities of a top executive today or in the future. I’m not sure if it can really be described as “skill”. I associate the term “skill” with something that can be learned and I’m not sure about that. However, start-ups and companies that have grown in recent years show that organizational models no longer correspond to the hierarchical ideal. Rather, it is about being part of a team and still performing the leadership task. In my opinion, this no longer works through autocratic decisions, but only through the motivation of the team for a certain goal. Accordingly, I need to know how my employees think, what motivates them, what drives them.
Do you have an idol – if so, who is it?
Depending on how you interpret it, I either don’t have an idol or I have several. It is rather the qualities of certain personalities that serve as role models than the people themselves. For example, I admire the modesty of Warren Buffett or the persistence and drive of Richard Branson. These qualities, however, only point the way for me and do not necessarily correspond to my ideal.
