Workshop: Leaders of tomorrow - Democratic responsibility in polarized times

The Gesellschaft von Freunden und Förderern der TUD e.V. invites students to an event on April 22, 2026, which will deal with the role of leaders in socially challenging times.

The event consists of a workshop and a panel discussion.

The focus will be on the question of how future leaders can deal with anti-democratic statements and increasing polarization in the professional environment. The starting point is a practical scenario: a manager is confronted with critical or extreme positions in the team and has to react appropriately. The course offers space for reflection, discussion and the development of concrete strategies for action.

Theaim is to sensitize students to their responsibility as future decision-makers at an early stage and to strengthen them in dealing with conflicts of values and social tensions.

Dr. Benedikt Kapteina, postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Business Administration, in particular Responsible Management at the IHI Zittau at TU Dresden, will provide scientific and content-related support for the workshop. Dr. Kapteina conducts research on issues at the interface of corporate responsibility, political polarization and democratic stability in organizations. His work focuses in particular on the role of companies as social actors in conflictual political contexts and on forms of responsible leadership in dealing with democracy-related conflicts of values. As a Research Fellow at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), he combines an international research perspective with practical experience from positions at HSBC, Volkswagen and the Economic Committee of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia. He also advises the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) on the promotion of democracy in the corporate and working context.

Dr. Kapteina will be joined in the panel discussion by Sebastian Thielmann, Deputy Member of the Board of Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden, and Sylvia Pfefferkorn, Managing Director of Wirtschaft für ein weltoffenes Sachsen e.V..

The format thus addresses a highly topical issue: In times of increasing social polarization, organizations and their managers are also faced with the challenge of actively representing democratic values and promoting respectful coexistence.

The event is aimed in particular at students who are interested in leadership issues, societal responsibility and democratic processes.

Further information and registration details can be found in the official invitation under this link.

We look forward to many participants!