Irine Kurtanidze is an assistant professor at Caucasus University, Georgia, as well as the head of the Bachelor’s  Degree Program at the School of Communications. In addition to her work at the university she holds a position as strategic communications advisor at the EECMD (Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy).  She visited Business School Pforzheim at the beginning of the winter semester 2023 in order to teach the Master’s course Communication Management.
    
Welcome to our campus, Irine and thank you very much for taking the time for an interview. You arrived in Pforzheim at the beginning of October. Is this your first time teaching at Business School Pforzheim?
It is my first time teaching in Pforzheim. I have been to Germany a lot of times but never to this part of the country. I like it a lot - especially because it’s surrounded by so much nature. I walk to university every day just to enjoy the nature and the fall colors.
  
Upon your arrival what was your first impression of our school?
I arrived not knowing what to expect since I hadn’t been to this part of Germany or the Business School yet. Upon my arrival I received a very warm welcome. All faculty members were super nice and very welcoming. Also, the students here are exceptionally involved in class, ask questions, are very knowledgeable and interested. I taught an elective course on “communication management” on a Master’s level, as part of the Corporate Communication Management program. The class consisted of students from some of the school’s Master’s programs as well as of students from partner universites. They challenged me a lot. I was very impressed how they stayed alert and attentive throughout the whole lecture. I am not used to this much participation and attention from my students in Georgia.  Furthermore, I did not expect such an international group. There were students from India, France, Japan, China and Germany in my class. That was very impressive.
  
Why did you decide to come here to Business School Pforzheim?
I had recently participated in a foreign exchange program in Lithuania for a few weeks which was a very good experience for me. After that I was looking for a longer experience abroad. The teaching offer at Business School Pforzheim came at the perfect time and seemed like a good opportunity to me so I took the chance.
  
You are teaching a course on “Communication Management” for our graduate students. What fascinates you most about that topic?
Everything about communications fascinates me. Back in Georgia, I teach political communication, like strategy skills that are very important in today’s corporate world. The way I see it, without communication skills one cannot succeed in today’s global business environment. Communication is one of the most important skills that one needs to have in order to achieve anything. It applies to everything.
  
In your opinion what are three of the most important communication skills to be successful in the business world?
In my opinion, the three most important communication skills are crisis resolution, adaptability as well as public speaking. There are so many crisis situations on a daily basis nowadays that it is very important to be able to manage a crisis situation as effectively as possible. I might even go as far as to say that the ability to manage a crisis situation is the most important skill in today’s business world. In addition to conflict resolution skills you should also be able to adapt to different situations. In our current business world there is this multinational, multicultural, dynamic environment in which you need to be able to adapt to different cultures. Communication is different from culture to culture, from society to society. It applies to everything but is also very different, so one needs to be able to adapt somehow. Last but not least, presentation and verbal skills are also very important to be able to succeed in today’s corporate world. One needs to know how to present themselves as well as speak in an articulate and precise way like in an elevator pitch for example.
  
You work as an assistant professor at Caucacus University at the moment. Are you pursuing any research projects?
Yes, I do. I am currently researching the question of how stability and the fear of war effects peoples’ voting behavior in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. The voting behavior of people with memories of war for example differs considerably from the behavior people in a state of war display. Moldova, Ukraine as well as Georgia present a more or less similar research situation. In Georgia and Moldova there is a high fear of war or a considerable potential for conflict so it is interesting to find out who people vote for, whether or not fear effects their voting behavior and their decision to vote or if it even influences the outcome of the elections. The upcoming parliamentary election in 2024 make my research even more interesting and I am observing the dynamics at the moment.
  
You also work as a communications manager at the EECMD (Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy). What do you do there and has the Ukrainian war affected your work there?
Yes, unfortunately, it has. We used to have offices in Ukraine and we were not able to continue to keep them open. We have a few small projects running again but not on site. It has become very hard for us to operate in Ukraine. I manage everything that is related to communications at our offices in Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. I also work on Ukraine related projects. On top of that I give trainings in political communications and elections and campaigning as well.
  
What do you love most about your job?
For me, it is all about having an impact. I think I have never had a job I didn’t believe in. I believe in the cause, want to make an impact and do good for society. I believe in democracy, in multiparty democracy and working for that fulfills me.
  
You speak English, Russian and French and you worked in Austria and studied in England. Would you say that speaking several languages and having international work experience are important factors in today’s business world?
Yes, absolutely. I think it’s crucial in today’s business world. Speaking several languages provides you with opportunities you would not have otherwise. You can communicate with so many people and if you speak their language it creates a whole new level of connection that might last for years to come. I did several internships abroad and feel like everything I know today I’ve learned back then and developed my skills overtime. I always tell my students that whenever they have the opportunity to go somewhere, even if it is just for a short period, to just do it. One grows as a professional and as a person so much so quickly.
  
Living in a fast-paced, ever-changing world, do you have any personal advice for your students?
Personal advice… I would say: challenge yourself as much as you can. Never stop exploring. Always be open minded and never stop learning. That is in fact one of my favorite parts of teaching. I teach the students but learn so much from them in return. It’s a continuous growing and learning process for me and I think that should be everyone’s goal in life as well.
 

Thank you very much for this interesting interview, Irine.

The history of Caucasus University began in 1998 when Caucasus School of Business was established. Its motto is "Studium Pretium Libertatis". CU offers students a high level of education, international programs, as well as practice-oriented teaching. The training of highly qualified specialists is provided by lecturers with international qualifications.
Caucasus University consists of the schools of Business, Law, Media, Technology, Architecture and Design, Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tourism, Medicine and Healthcare Management, Economics and Education. Caucasus University became a member of the AACSB in 2007, and in 2018 gained the right to start the accreditation process. Caucasus School of Business has successfully passed several important stages and is preparing for the final stage of the accreditation process. Caucasus University has been cooperating with various universities around the world since its establishment and currently has 207 partner universities in 61 countries. This fact allows the university to receive foreign students and lecturers, have dual degree programs, as well as exchange programs for students, academic and administrative staff.