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Leading the Organization & Change
Leading confidently and powerfully in turbulent times – with clear principles and low-risk approaches to change
January 22–24, 2026 (Thu–Sat) | 3 days | German | TU Wien
What to expect
Leading in turbulent times: Staying the course without resorting to micromanagement
Experienced managers are taking on increasingly demanding roles. The challenge: providing guidance in turbulent times without resorting to “tightening the reins.” Many managers are faced with conflicting expectations. They are expected to ensure stability while also responding flexibly. They are expected to deliver on day-to-day business while shaping the future. They are expected to control while delegating responsibility.
In complex environments, familiar management approaches often fall short. Reports become denser, escalations increase, and decisions slow down. The burden on managers increases, while the organization shows signs of change fatigue. Traditional change programs tend to create additional complexity rather than relief.
At the same time, the pressure to implement transformations effectively is growing. Technology, regulation, market requirements, and hybrid collaboration are exacerbating the situation. The question is: How do you lead your organization in a highly uncertain environment in such a way that you stay on course, ensure your ability to act, and relieve yourself of some of the burden?
The solution: let go of the reins and treat change as an experiment
The program focuses on two specific changes in perspective. First: a military-style leadership logic in which leadership is understood as the art of letting go. Instead of micromanagement, you use clear guidelines, the principle of subsidiarity, and robust decision-making frameworks. This allows you to shift responsibility to where information and expertise lie.
Second: a science-based change logic that understands leading change as an experiment. Based on the experimental logic of science, “experimental spaces” are created for low-risk, open-ended testing. Approaches that work are then scaled up in a targeted manner. This combines a structured approach with a high degree of adaptability.
In the seminar, you will work with tried-and-tested frameworks, systems theory models, and concrete tools for your everyday work. The focus is on your own cases. You will benefit from exchanging experiences with fellow managers from different industries and reflect on your own understanding of leadership.
Your benefits at a glance
- You gain a clear leadership framework that enables you to “let go of the reins” in turbulent situations instead of trying to control everything.
- You develop an experiment-based approach to change with “experimentation spaces” that reduces complexity and increases acceptance.
- You will learn to translate subsidiarity, self-restraint, and systems theory perspectives into concrete leadership decisions.
- You will gain personal relief by sharpening priorities, designing robust delegation, and aligning collaboration with your view of human nature.
Target group: Leadership in complex organizations
- Division, department, and site managers in technology, industry, and services
- Program, project, and transformation managers with leadership roles
- Executives with professional experience and responsibility for change
- Decision-makers who want to strengthen agile, evidence-based leadership and change
- HR and L&D leads who want to specifically develop leadership and change skills
Program Overview & Methods
- Module 1: Rethinking Leadership in Turbulence You sharpen your understanding of leadership in complex, dynamic environments. The focus lies on typical response patterns such as "tightening control" and their side effects. You assess your current situation and clarify where control is needed and where autonomy is required.
- Module 2: Subsidiarity and Leadership Principles from the Military You transfer battle-tested military leadership principles to your organization. Subsidiarity, mission command, and clear decision boundaries form the framework. You work through concrete delegation and escalation chains from your area of responsibility.
- Module 3: Self-Restraint and Leadership Focus You analyze your operational overload and typical escalation paths. Building on this, you define areas of deliberate self-restraint. You develop mechanisms through which your team assumes greater responsibility while you secure strategic tasks.
- Module 4: Understanding Organization as System You examine your company through a systems-theoretical lens. Power, informal structures, feedback loops, and side effects become visible. This perspective helps shape goal conflicts—such as cost versus innovation or speed versus risk—in sustainable ways.
- Module 5: Leading Change as Experiment You transfer scientific experimental logic to change processes. "Trial realities" and "experimental spaces" stand at the center. You develop an experiment-based change architecture for your own case and define how successful approaches can be scaled.
- Module 6: Beliefs About People, Culture, and Daily Implementation You reflect on your own beliefs about people and their influence on control, trust, and oversight. Building on this, you define concrete leadership practices, meeting formats, and decision processes. In conclusion, you translate your insights into a personal implementation roadmap.
- Input from military leadership, systems theory, and change research
- Work on your own practical cases and current change initiatives
- Structured exchange of experience with peer feedback in small groups
- Visualizations, decision frameworks, and action guides for daily practice
- Reflection on your own leadership role with individual transfer plan
You gain a robust leadership framework to deliberately let go in turbulent contexts, shift responsibility, and secure capacity to act. You become capable of designing change as a series of low-risk experiments and systematically scaling viable solutions. You learn to read your organization through a systems-theoretical lens, consciously balance goal conflicts, and better assess the side effects of decisions. You develop a reflected understanding of human nature that strengthens collaboration, reduces communication overhead, and sustainably lowers your personal workload.
Your lecturer: Prof. Dr. Philipp David Schaller
Professor for business administration and Management at Harz University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Philipp David Schaller is Professor of Business Administration and Management at Harz University of Applied Sciences, where he coordinates the degree program "Sustainable Management." As co-initiator of KlimaPlanReal, he advances the connection between climate protection and strategic planning. Prior to his academic career, he served as an officer in the German Armed Forces, where he specialized in leadership and organization.
Dates & registration
| Next start: | Jan. 17, 2026 |
| Fee: | €2,500 (incl. materials and refreshments) |
| Next dates: | tbd |
Prerequisite: Professional experience in technical/business management roles. No academic degree required.