Moderating Workshops: A Very Brief Introduction

Workshops are moderated and prepared in advance working meetings in which participants devote themselves to a limited topic outside of regular organizational interaction. In recent years, a paradigm shift in the planning and implementation of workshops has emerged in the facilitation and consulting industry. According to the new paradigm, workshops are seen as elements in broader interaction plans, in which they are supplemented by equally important interaction events such as contract talks, exploratory interviews or major conferences. Especially where workshops are aimed at organizational change, they are embedded in a more comprehensive change architecture. This book shows in compact form how workshops can be woven into a comprehensive interaction plan and thus used as an element of organizational change processes.

Stefan Kühl is a sociologist at Bielefeld University and an organizational consultant at Metaplan. His most recent publications are “Organisationen im Labor? Grenzen der Simulation von Formalität in gruppendynamischen Trainings” (Springer VS 2024) and ”Führung und Gefolgschaft. Management im Nationalsozialismus und in der Demokratie” (Suhrkamp 2025).  

Mascha Nolte is a sociologist at Bielefeld University. Her most recent publications are “Visualisierung und Interaktion. Interaktionssoziologische Perspektiven auf die Methode der visualisierten Diskussionsführung“ (Springer VS 2022) and “Workshops. Zu einer besonderen Form der Interaktion in Organisationen“ (Springer VS 2023).