Joint Leadership, Joint Vision
Dr Margita Hefner and Dr André Sradnick on their new joint leadership of a research group at the IGZ
Starting as co-leaders: Why lead together?
Margita Hefner: “Taking on a leadership role was a logical step in my academic career. But to be honest, I also had a great deal of respect for the responsibility involved. The opportunity to share responsibility made the transition much easier and created space for shared learning.”
André Sradnick: “I considered applying for a leadership position for quite some time. The desire was there, but so was a healthy respect for the responsibility. For me, it was crucial that I could truly fulfil the demands of the role, both in terms of content and time. I thought long and hard about whether to apply. The job-sharing model made the step into this role much more feasible. When Margita approached me about submitting a joint application, it was the right kind of prompt for me.”
Submitting a joint application required intensive coordination, not only in terms of content, but also strategically. Even before submitting their materials, it was clear that the co-leadership would be a central part of their concept. The application was written together, and the presentation for the selection committee was jointly prepared. They also clarified in advance whether the IGZ would support such a model and received a positive response.
Complementary expertise, shared vision
Scientifically, both leaders bring broad but distinct competencies to the table.
Margita Hefner: “We have a strong overlap in subject matter – for example in fertilisation and nutrient cycling – while also bringing different perspectives. André is experienced with modelling and greenhouse gas emissions. My focus is more on soil biology and root growth. I find this combination extremely enriching.”
André Sradnick: “Our CVs have a lot in common, but we’ve approached similar topics from different angles. This allows us to support our group in a its diversity.”
Job-sharing in daily practice: Relief, not extra burden
Both leaders experience the shared responsibility as a relief, particularly in balancing research, project management, and organisational tasks.
Margita Hefner: “One big advantage is that I can offload the less enjoyable tasks onto André! But seriously: we’re able to assign tasks according to our respective strengths. And as co-leaders, we make more informed decisions because we reflect on them together beforehand. On top of that, I find I can think much bigger and ambitiously with André than I would on my own.”
André Sradnick: “Of course there’s pressure to perform – but in this model, it’s spread more evenly. Especially when project leadership and management duties overlap, the workload can become overwhelming. It’s far easier to manage this together. Coordination takes time, of course, but the added clarity and confidence make up for it. Our goal isn’t just to administrate the group, but to actively lead and develop it. That’s demanding.”
Strategy development as a team process
A detailed concept for the group’s future direction wasn’t in place when they took up their roles, which was intentional. Hefner and Sradnick are instead focusing on developing it together with the team.
André Sradnick: “We’re currently in a process of orientation. We want to shape the direction of the group collectively with our staff. Their perspectives and experiences should be actively included. We aim to formulate strategic guidelines within the next year.”
Margita Hefner: “We see the group’s disciplinary breadth as a huge strength. Issues like climate change, labour shortages and digitalisation directly affect vegetable production. We want to define focus areas in collaboration with the team – for instance, during a planned retreat.”
One of their central aims is to better connect the research group with current challenges in open-field vegetable production.
André Sradnick: “We want to create synergies – both within the IGZ and with external partners. There are many specialised actors in the field, but often what’s missing is cross-cutting collaboration. Especially in open-field vegetable production, which still isn’t particularly sustainable, we want to develop more systemic approaches.”
Margita Hefner: “To achieve this, we aim to collaborate more closely with other IGZ Programme Areas and other institutes, and expand our network to drive real change together.”
Further information on projects, publications and the team can be found on the website of the research group “Open Field Horticultural Systems”.