Round Table Mediation and Conflict Management of the German Economy

In May 2008, SAP and E.ON initiated a round table on the topics of Mediation and Conflict Management in companies. The original invitation to participate went out to numerous companies in Germany. Today, the group includes around 70 people, including representatives from Airbus, Alstom, Bayer, Daimler Benz, Deutsche Bahn AG, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Telekom, EnBW, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Hamburger Sparkasse, SAP and Siemens. The 32nd meeting took place in mid-2023.

The Round Table Mediation and Conflict Management of the German Economy (RTMKM) is designed as a working group of company representatives who exchange ideas on the topic of conflict management in a cooperative framework. Regular meetings serve as a platform to share experiences in the field of conflict management independently of consultants and associations. The aim is to further develop the interests and requirement profiles of users of conflict management procedures. In 2011, the RTMKM received the Socrates Prize for Mediation, which is awarded by the Centrale für Mediation, for its innovative approach to the implementation of mediation as an important component of a modern conflict management system. In particular, the promotion of the acceptance and establishment of Mediation and Conflict Management in business and the new, groundbreaking impulses provided by the group were recognised.

The scientific support of the Round Table has been provided since May 2008 by the Institute for Conflict Management at the European University Viadrina, initially by Prof Dr Lars Kirchhoff, Prof Dr Ulla Gläßer, LL.M. (UC Berkeley) and Dr Felix Wendenburg. Meanwhile, Jenny Laube, LL.M. Viadrina, accompanies the RTMKM. Among other undertakings, the Institute for Conflict Management develops practice-oriented formats for scientific background analyses and accompanying studies. A key task of the IKM was the creation of the study series on conflict management in the German economy as well as the (co-)conception and development of the RTMKM procedure selection tools DiReCt and KOMPASS.

In addition, the IKM and the RTMKM jointly organised various meetings and conferences in which the perspectives of users, providers and advisors as well as other stakeholders (politicians, academics, trainers, etc.) in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) were brought together in order to gain insights into ADR usage behaviour and barriers to use. In its role as scientific support for the RTMKM, the IKM bundled those topics that are of particular relevance from a practical perspective and developed these further into issues with overarching significance for the development of conflict management in business. In addition, the IKM has been involved for more than 15 years in the RTMKM strategy team and the juries that decide on the awards for innovation and excellence in the field of Mediation and Conflict Management.