Organized by Dr. Natalia Hartinger, Dr. Reinhard G. Mueller, George Ogata, and Dr. Bettina Stumpp
Weekly meetings will take place on Thursdays 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (US Central Time) beginning on April 10, 2025. There will be at least 8 seminar sessions.
Content
Given the fast-paced nature of technological advances, industries, and global affairs, we expect today that change in life and organizations will continue to accelerate. Change may offer both challenges and opportunities; it may be welcome or feared. It is not only an external force acting upon individuals and organizations, but also an internal process that shapes identities, structures and mindsets.
Especially leaders are required not only to orient themselves to our rapidly changing world, but also take the lead in driving change. If orientation is, in principle, the process of finding one’s way successfully in new situations and continuous change, then the question of leadership in change is inherently connected with orientation. The question arises when people must cope with difficult ever-changing situations, in which some are more successful to orient than others are.
The interplay between stability and transformation is a central challenge for leaders: how to maintain core values and purpose while embracing the necessary evolution of strategies, routines, and structures. Change does not happen in isolation but within a web of interdependencies (economic, social, and psychological), where successful orientation often requires a synthesis of resoluteness, flexibility, and collaboration, both orientation virtues and ethical virtues. In this seminar, we will explore the orientation skills required by leaders to navigate change. We will address how “leadership and change” relate to:
- the concept of the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world
- theories of strategy and how to manage change
- communication skills
- decision-making
- changing routines and habits
- a growth vs. fixed mindset
This seminar is discussion-based; this means participants are expected to read the respective passages before the sessions. The seminar is free. But the number of participants is limited. Please apply by April 03, 2025, via the application form below by briefly explaining 1.) your professional and/or academic background, 2.) your philosophical interests, and 3.) your motivation for joining the seminar (max. 50 words per field).