Elmar Kutsch

“To be uncertain is uncomfortable, but to be certain is ridiculous.” (Chinese Proverb)

Being uncomfortable is both a challenge and an opportunity for Elmar. As a passionate Skydiver, his private and professional interests revolve around the management of the unexpected. Elmar's first real exposure to the paradoxical world of uncertainty began in 1998 when he held various commercial and senior management positions within the Information Technology (IT) industry. Working for one of the biggest IT service providers in Germany, Elmar was responsible for successfully delivering several large projects, including major roll-out and outsourcing strategies. Clients included the banks Commerzbank, the Deutsche Börse (German Stock Exchange) and the Polizei Rheinland Pfalz (State Police Rhineland Palatinate). His passion for managing risk and uncertainty then led him to pursue a career in academia. He served as a Lecturer in Operations Management at the University of Surrey and has been at Cranfield since 2007.

To raise enthusiasm for his expertise in managing risk and uncertainty and establishing ways of resilient organising, Elmar engages widely with industry and publishes extensively on challenges to managing the unexpected. His recent books include:

Kutsch, Elmar. 2022. Organisational Resilience: Navigating Paradoxical Tensions. London: Routledge.

Kutsch, E., & Hall, M. (2020). Mindful Project Management: Resilient Performance Beyond the Risk Horizon (2nd edition). Abington: Routledge.

Kutsch, E. (2018). The Art of Organisational Resilience: Revisiting the Fall of France in 1940. Abington: Routledge.

Over the past few years, Elmar has become involved in the development and design of Graduate (Apprenticeship) Programmes and Customised Executive Development, providing intuitive and deliverable-based learning methods. In 2017, he received the Cranfield SOM Teaching and Learning Faculty award for excellence in researching, developing, delivering and publishing impactful case studies. As a visiting academic at emLyon (France) and Warwick School of Engineering (UK), he engages students with experiential activities that are not only fun but also result in mindset changes to managing the unexpected.