Michael Dunst

Dr. Michael Dunst is a Lecturer in the Innovation Management M.Sc. program at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, where he also serves as the program contact person and is a member of the Faculty Council. He works at the Institute for Change Management and Innovation (CMI), conducting research on the intersection of innovation and quality management. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Dunst gained industry experience as a technical project manager at Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH and in marketing/business development at Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co. KG.

His research interests focus on the synergistic relationship between innovation management and quality management, examining effectiveness of agile methods, success factors in innovation processes, interdisciplinary collaboration in product development, and quality awareness throughout development cycles. Since 2023, he has expanded his research to include empirical studies on AI acceptance in SMEs, applications of AI in product development, and change management for AI implementation through the AI Lab AnalyzES!.

Dr. Dunst's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output, with numerous journal articles and books focusing on innovation-quality synergies. His 2021 book 'Innovations- und Qualitätspotenziale optimal kombinieren' presents the 'IQ Formula' framework based on a study of 232 companies. His recent work (2023-2024) increasingly focuses on AI acceptance challenges in SMEs and sustainable manufacturing practices.

• Quality-aware innovation processes
• Interdisciplinary collaboration in product development
• AI adoption barriers in SMEs
• Time-to-market and quality tradeoffs
• Sustainable business practices

As a researcher and educator with both academic credentials (Dr.-Ing. from TU Berlin) and practical industry experience, Dr. Dunst bridges theory and practice in innovation and quality management. His work with the Institute for Change Management and Innovation involves partnerships with major industry associations like VDMA and DGQ, ensuring his research addresses real-world business challenges.