A Life Devoted to Systemic Thinking
Fritz B. Simon, born in Siegen in 1948, studied medicine and sociology, completed training as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and pursued an academic career up to the professorship. Already in the 1980s, he gained attention as one of the founders of the "Heidelberg School," a group of young and dedicated representatives of systemic therapy. With the founding of the Carl-Auer Verlag in 1989 and the Heidelberg Institute for Systemic Research, Therapy, and Counseling in 1990, he set further milestones in the dissemination and advancement of systemic thinking. Due to his connections to medicine, psychology, and sociology, three main areas occupied Simon over the years: Organizational processes in biological, psychological, and social systems - and the question: What are the interrelationships between these three types of systems? In order to answer them, Simon drew on the communication and system-theoretical approaches of Paul Watzlawick and Niklas Luhmann, among others. Through them, he also recognized that it is easier to work on communication patterns in social systems - such as families and organizations - than to try to change people's psyche. "Through his interdisciplinary work and research that combines psychiatry, psychotherapy, and organizational studies, he has significantly contributed to the establishment and professionalization of systemic counseling. He was one of the first to offer systemic organizational consulting as further education," explains Nicole Bußmann, spokesperson of the LAA committee, justifying the choice of the award winner. Thus, Fritz B. Simon paved the way for systemic thinking to become an integral part of leadership and personnel development. "His work has not only influenced the way organizations are understood but has also shown that communication and trust are the foundation of successful leadership." Simon deepened his insights in over 300 scientific articles and more than 30 books that have been translated into numerous languages. Among his most well-known works are "Living Systems," "Introduction to Systemic Organizational Theory," and "Circular Questions," which are now considered standard works in systemic therapy and organizational consulting. But Fritz B. Simon is not only a visionary but also a practitioner: as a systemic consultant and co-founder of the consulting firm Simon Weber Friends, he has guided numerous organizations through complex change processes. His work is always based on the premise that organizations are self-organized and resist direct control and comprehensive manageability.
Merits and Awards For these achievements and contributions to systemic counseling, Simon has been honored multiple times - for example, with the Margrit-Egnér Prize for Anthropological Psychology and the WinWinno Prize for "Systemic Thinking" from Mediation D-A-CH e.V. Now, another award is added: the Life Achievement Award of the training industry. The honoring of Fritz B. Simon takes place during the Petersberg Trainer Days on the early evening of April 4, 2025, at the Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersberg in Königswinter. The laudation for the awardee will be given by systemic consultant Judith Muster. Simon himself provides insights into his thinking in an interview.
The Life Achievement Award of the Training Industry
The Life Achievement Award (LAA) honors the life's work of a trainer, coach, speaker, author, scientist, or educational organization, and is considered one of the highest accolades in the training industry. It is awarded annually by a committee consisting of leading representatives of the training industry. These include: Anja Myrdal, delegate of the umbrella organization of training organizations (DVWO), Nicole Bußmann, chief editor at managerSeminare publishing house, Gerd Kulhavy, managing director of the Speakers Excellence speakers agency, André Jünger, owner and managing director of Gabal Verlag, as well as a board member of Gabal e.V., and Andreas Buhr, Past President of the German Speakers Association. Previous LAA awardees include: Nikolaus B. Enkelmann, Prof. Dr. Lothar Seiwert, Prof. Dr. Friedemann Schulz von Thun, Prof. h.c. Wolfgang Mewes, Dr. Gunther Schmidt, Prof. Dr. Geert Hofstede, Tony Buzan, Dr. Bernd Schmid, Robert Dilts, Prof. Manfred Kets de Vries, Friedrich Glasl, Prof. Dr. Fredmund Malik, Prof. Dr. Dr. Gerhard Roth, Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Geißler, and Sabine Asgodom. The Petersberg Trainer Days (PTT) are a congress for training professionals and HR experts, organized since 2005 by managerSeminare Verlags GmbH. The awarding of the Life Achievement Award has been part of the industry event since 2009. In 2025, the Petersberg Trainer Days will take place on April 4-5 at the Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersberg.
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