Daniel Andreas Ziegele, M.A., was awarded the degree of Dr. rer. pol. with “magna cum laude” (“very good”) by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy at Leipzig University in October 2024. The doctorate was supervised by Professor Dr. Ansgar Zerfaß. Professor Dr. Cornelia Wolf was the second reviewer of the dissertation.
Daniel Andreas Ziegele's dissertation examines the quality of communication consulting and develops a multidimensional quality model for analyzing consultant-client interaction in corporate communication. The work emphasizes that the practical field of communication consulting is opaque and diverse, which makes it difficult to differentiate between good and bad consulting.
Against this background, Daniel Ziegele examines what constitutes quality in communication consulting and which quality criteria are relevant for the assessment of consultant-client interaction. The work combines theoretical and empirical approaches in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of quality in communication consulting. The developed model comprises a factual and an interpersonal quality level, which depict different process phases and the relationship between counselor and client. The model is validated in four empirical studies and the understanding of quality from the perspective of consultants and clients is examined.
The dissertation provides new insights into the most important criteria for quality assurance and frequent conflicts in counseling processes. It offers a comprehensive view of the topic and supports consultants and clients in distinguishing between good and bad communication consulting. The work thus represents a significant contribution to the research and practice of communication consulting and provides impetus for the discussion on formal quality standards.
Daniel Ziegele was a research assistant at the Chair of Strategic Communication at Leipzig University from 2020 to 2024. During this time, he published numerous articles and presented the results of his research at international conferences. He has received several awards for outstanding research and teaching. From 2020, Daniel Ziegele also helped to develop the Communications Trend Radar as a project member of the Academic Society for Corporate Management and Communication and managed the project until 2023. Prior to this, Daniel Ziegele studied in Ilmenau and Leipzig and spent time abroad in South Africa and the USA. Since summer 2024, he has been working for a leading international management consultancy, where he is responsible for corporate communications in Europe and thought leadership.