Symposium 2026 with Alumni and Project Partners

Focus on Team Spirit, Courage and Resilience

Under the title “Team spirit, courage and resilience: success factors in the 21st century,” the annual symposium of the Social, Health & Public Management program took place once again on February 16, 2026.

Following the welcome by program director Lukas Kerschbaumer, Markus Stotter, president of the Austrian Federal Council and graduate of the program Nonprofit, Social & Health Care Management (NSGM, 2013), opened the symposium with an inspiring keynote. He traced his path from his time as a student at MCI to his work as a farmer and mayor in Oberlienz and ultimately to his current role in the Federal Council.

Using an example from his professional career, he made the concept of resilience tangible and emphasized how closely individual resilience, employee resilience, and organizational resilience are interconnected. Drawing on further experiences, Markus Stotter illustrated how public management, digitalization, and civic engagement intersect in practice.

Klaus Voss, managing director of Diakonie Rosenheim and network partner, then addressed the importance of self-efficacy and resilience at both the individual and organizational levels in his presentation “Empowered for Impact.” One statement in particular resonated with the audience: “Resilience sets the direction, self-efficacy creates the impact.” For social organizations especially, resilience is essential to remain capable of acting in volatile times and to sustain their societal impact. Self-efficacy, in turn, enables organizations to achieve their goals, maintain competitiveness, and strengthen employee motivation.

Thomas Wakonig (Alumnus NSGM, 2006), sales director Nordics & CEE at DocuWare Europe GmbH, shared insights into best practices and challenges within multinational sales teams. His presentation highlighted how intercultural competence and clear goal setting and alignment contribute to success. With his closing thought, “What would be possible if setbacks were not stop signs but navigation signals?” he encouraged the audience to view challenges as opportunities for growth.

The final presentation was delivered by Astrid Menzl (Alumna, NSGM 2009), program coordinator and education program manager at Kempten Business School / Hochschule Kempten. In her talk, “Resilience in times of change,” she explained why leadership and learning must be rethought to prepare organizations for the future. She particularly emphasized the importance of grit, meaning passion and perseverance, as well as a growth mindset.

The subsequent panel discussion was moderated by Wei Manske-Wang, Head of China Center and professor at MCI. Perspectives from politics, the social sector, business, and higher education were brought together. The discussion focused on leadership, internationalization, responsibility, innovation, and social cohesion.