Corporate Competitiveness Classes with Mediators

On April 23, 2026, economics students majoring in “Managerial Economics” had the opportunity to participate in a workshop with guest representatives from a non-governmental organization as part of classes on “Corporate Competitiveness” led by Kamil Marszycki. The workshop was led by Elżbieta Damm, President of the “Mediatorzy Polscy” Association. Anna Droździk, a member of the Association from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, also participated in the workshop, as she is conducting a mediation internship under the supervision of President Elżbieta Damm. The Association representatives’ participation in the workshop was pro bono.

The workshop aimed to demonstrate practical alternative dispute resolution methods for conflicts involving businesses, facilitating long-term relationships with other participants in socio-economic life and reaching agreements in a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation. The primary focus was on mediation in commercial and labor disputes. Thanks to the participation of the mediators, the students had the opportunity to learn about real-world conflicts that arise in the economy and can be resolved through mediation. They gained perspectives from both a longtime expert and a mediator just starting her practice.

The meeting began with a brief introduction to various types of mediation involving enterprises and the role of the mediator in conflict resolution. In the second part of the meeting, the students conducted simulations of real business disputes (to respect the confidentiality of mediation, these were slightly modified but based on real situations). The first simulation concerned a business dispute involving a public administration unit. The second concerned a typical commercial dispute between entrepreneurs. The students developed solutions in both situations. They then had the opportunity to discuss their experiences from the simulation. This discussion served as a substitute for mediation supervision. The meeting concluded with a series of questions from the students to President Elżbieta Damm. Particular attention in this part of the meeting was devoted to employee mediation. The workshops with representatives of the “Mediatorzy Polscy” Association are part of our department’s efforts to show students the practical functioning of the economy in cooperation with representatives of the socio-economic environment. Given the positive response to these workshops from students, we hope to continue this cooperation in the coming years.