MEDIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

ORGANISATIONS

4th workshop of the working group

Leipzig

10-11 November 2025

Organisational anticipation and prevention of conflicts

  • Knowledge: What can science and research organisations do to make constructive use of the potential for conflict that arises?

  • Experience: How is constructive conflict management put into practice by the organisation?

  • Reflection and exchange in an intimate group: How do organisations effectively learn to use conflicts constructively? (From each other!)

  • Comprehensive course and accompanying material based on our learning and knowledge management tool Elements of mediation

Profit from

from our practical counselling and mediation experience

in universities, research organisations and scientific projects

Become a part of the working group!

OBJECTIVES OF THE ANNUAL WORKSHOPS

  • Identify specific potential for conflict in your own scientific or research organisation

  • Exchange and reflection on current conflict potentials and ways of dealing with them – among like-minded people, like-minded representatives and like-minded people.

  • Thinking about the organisation as an actor in the conflict and an interested party in finding a solution (organisational perspective).

  • Expansion of the participants' counselling toolkit and mutual support in the working group. 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Didactic training concept for organisational perspectives

  • They are trained on the basis of our didactically well thought-out and unique training and further education concept.
  • Right from the start, we train you to think about the organisation's perspective and act accordingly.
  • You benefit from our extensive and high-quality practical experience in complex, scientific organisational contexts.
  • You will be given constructive space and time for supervisory and professional exchange with colleagues from other organisations

Moderator and initiator Prof Dr Sascha Weigel

Prof. Dr. Sascha Weigel, mediator and licensed trainer of the Federal Association for Mediation (BM) as well as teaching transactional analyst under supervision (PTSTA-O; EATA/DGTA), specialised in constructive conflict management and mediation in scientific and research organisations; pool mediator of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the Max Planck Society, honorary professor of mediation and conflict management at MLU Halle.

DATE FOR THE WORKSHOP

10-11 November 2025

FOCUS TOPIC 2025

Organisational conflict anticipation and prevention – Measures for an Odysseus Pact

Odysseus was a brave man. He wanted to hear the sirens' voices and take a dangerous risk. He knew that it was every man's undoing to hear the sirens' voices, as they made everyone set course for the island where the ships were wrecked by the surf. And yet, he wanted to hear the sirens sing.

But Odysseus was also a clever man. He knew that his later self, hearing the sirens, would not make wise decisions but would set course for the coast. The clever "Odysseus now" had to protect the stupid "Odysseus later" from such folly.

The important thing is to arrange things now for later,

that smart decisions are still implemented,

when the perception of those involved is severely limited.

According to legend, Odysseus heard the sirens singing and mastered the dangers: he ordered his men to tie him to the mast and not to obey his later "orders" to set course for the coast. The entire ship's crew covered their ears with melted wax so that the siren song did not reach them and they could "stubbornly" stay on course. The future problem of an irrational Odysseus is solved in advance by a rational Odysseus. Such a pact - in this case - with himself at an early stage, which ensures rationality and prudence, is called the Odysseus pact.

Significance for conflict management in organisations: When people want to create something new together, whether privately or professionally, there will be conflicting interests and realisation intentions. In short, they will come into conflict with each other. Sometimes more, sometimes less. And after all that is known about the dynamics of conflicts, it is not the worst idea to take precautions: To make smart decisions in advance for the cases in which you are no longer in your right mind and have lost sight of the big picture or the actual and common goal.

WORKSHOP CONTENTS

Organisational conflict anticipation and prevention

Measures for a sustainable Ulysses Pact

FAQ WORKSHOP MEDIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS

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Preliminary discussion

VOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS

Paul Seidel, TU Chemnitz, Employer Representative Conflict Resolution at the Workplace (Bullying)

The workshop on conflict resolution was a very good opportunity to rethink and shed new light on my previous working methods. Sascha's personal combination of lawyer and mediator creates many exciting synergies and ensures a varied and interesting exchange with the other seminar participants. The discussion environment was very well-founded and objectively structured.

Paul Seidel, TU Chemnitz, Employer Representative Conflict Resolution at the Workplace (Bullying)

Dr Christian Helgert, CEO, Deputy Officer of the Profile Line LIGHT, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Abbe Center of Photonics & Abbe School of Photonics, seminar participant 2019

The workshop helped me a lot to gain clarity; especially the Collegial case counselling has helped me in my specific situation. I now know what I can do.

Dr Christian Helgert, CEO, Deputy Officer of the Profile Line LIGHT, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Abbe Center of Photonics & Abbe School of Photonics, seminar participant 2019

DR. UTA BOCK, Head of Human Resources, FSU Jena, Mediation Training 2019

What training can achieve can be found here at INKOVEMA. I learnt many new methods and was able to try them out straight away and then integrate them into my work practice.

DR. UTA BOCK, Head of Human Resources, FSU Jena, Mediation Training 2019

Dr Stefanie Buchmann, Head of the Legal Department, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, mediation training 2019

The training you offer with INKOVEMA is very demanding, very appealing and rhetorically so pleasant and so well-founded in terms of content

Dr Stefanie Buchmann, Head of the Legal Department, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, mediation training 2019