Workshop for students of TUD: Leaders of tomorrow - Democratic responsibility in polarized times

A manager is confronted with anti-democratic comments in the team. Employees expect a clear position; others warn against political polarization. Which decision is professional - and responsible?

In an increasingly polarized society, companies and other organizations are facing precisely these kinds of challenges. Questions of positioning, neutrality and democratic responsibility have long been concrete management issues.

As future leaders, our students will also be confronted with similar conflicts of interest in their respective professional contexts. In such situations, leadership means making decisions under normative uncertainty. We therefore cordially invite you to this event on April 22, 2026 in the Fritz-Foerster-Bau (room 401).

The following schedule awaits the participants:
14:30-16:00: Workshop
16:00-16:30: Coffee break
16:30-17:30: Panel discussion

Participation is also possible in the individual parts of the event. Please note that the event will be held in german language.

Participation: Free of charge; registration by email until 17.04.2026

Workshop: What to expect - 14:30-16:00
The focus is on the decision-making perspective: How can responsible leadership be shaped in politically sensitive situations?

• Structured thought experiments on realistic leadership scenarios
• Case-based group work with defined decision alternatives
• Role simulations with different attributions of responsibility
• Moderated interdisciplinary exchange on well-founded leadership decisions

Objective: to strengthen your professional judgment, regardless of the professional field in which you later assume responsibility. To register by email.

The expert

© Crispin-Iven Mokry

Together with Dr. Benedikt Kapteina, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Chair of Business Administration, in particular Responsible Management, at the International University Institute Zittau at TU Dresden, we are systematically exploring these questions. Dr. Kapteina conducts research on Corporate Democratic Action and investigates how and under what conditions companies actively defend democratic values and how leadership can be shaped responsibly in politically sensitive contexts. 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 and was a scholarship holder of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation for many years.

Panel discussion: Corporate responsibility? Leadership between market logic and democracy - 16:30-17:30

Key questions:
When is political restraint strategically wise - and when is it problematic?
What responsibility do leaders bear when democratic principles come under pressure?
What criteria should leaders use to make decisions in politically sensitive situations?

Thematic focus

• Scope and limits of institutional positioning
• Responsibility towards employees and the public
• Risks of engagement - and risks of silence

Participants in the discussion
Dr. Benedikt Kapteina, Postdoctoral Fellow, International University Institute Zittau (TU Dresden)
Sebastian Thielmann, Deputy Member of the Management Board of Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Balancing economic stability and social expectations in managerial responsibility
Sylvia Pfefferkorn, Managing Director, Wirtschaft für ein weltoffenes Sachsen e.V. (Business for a cosmopolitan Saxony)
Accompanies companies in questions of democratic positioning and public responsibility

The panel will take place in a fishbowl format. A free chair allows all guests to actively participate in the discussion and contribute their own perspectives. This creates an open decision-making space instead of a pure panel of experts.

Interested accompanying persons are very welcome. Please register by email by 15.04.2026.