SeitenWechsel Deutschland

What SeitenWechsel Deutschland does

SeitenWechsel Deutschland, operated by the Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765 e.V. (Hamburg) since 2000, is a non-profit leadership development program in which executives and managers from German enterprises spend one week working alongside professionals inside social institutions — hospices, prisons, addiction clinics, homeless shelters, youth facilities, and psychiatric services. The program's purpose is to strengthen social competencies (empathy, perspective-taking, active listening) that conventional classroom-based leadership seminars struggle to develop. Program delivery follows a three-stage structure: an introductory Markttag where participants select a host institution, the one-week immersive SeitenWechsel-Woche, and a closing Transfertag for structured reflection; an Individuelle Vermittlung (individual placement) track serves participants who cannot attend a Markttag.

Pricing is a flat 2,700 EUR per participant covering pre-preparation, the placement week, the transfer day, and a contribution to the host social institution; group pricing applies to in-house Markttage from eight participants. The customer base consists of mid-to-large German enterprises and select public-sector organizations, with named participants or programs at Otto, Hamburger Hochbahn, Hapag-Lloyd, eurogate, Beiersdorf, Mercedes-Benz Bank, Axel Springer, Olympus Europa, Airbus Defence and Space, Körber-Stiftung, DEW21, BEW, and several Sparkassen. Program delivery is supported by a network of over 100 vetted social institutions across Germany and an honorary advisory board drawn from corporate and social-sector leaders.

The go-to-market is direct B2B enterprise field sales: info events at client companies, regional Markttage, and HR-network referrals, complemented by content marketing through Erfahrungsberichte, a podcast, and a Patriotische Gesellschaft newsletter. The organization has a small core team of approximately five staff (four named regional program leads plus administrative support) and operates across 17+ German regions, with Hamburg as the historical center (103+ Markttage to date). A reverse program, 'SeitenWechsel in die Wirtschaft', sends social-sector employees into corporate environments, extending the platform to a two-way exchange. As a non-profit registered association, SeitenWechsel has no venture funding, no publicly disclosed financials, and no proprietary software platform; the SeitenWechsel-Kompass is a guided reflection tool rather than a technology product.

Name

SeitenWechsel Deutschland

Legal name

Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765 e.V.

Website

https://seitenwechsel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SeitenWechsel Deutschland is a non-profit leadership development program, operated since 2000 by the Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765 in Hamburg, in which German executives and managers spend one week inside social institutions to build empathy and perspective-taking skills for modern team leadership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Leadership Development

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Emotional Regulation Programs (EDAMAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO)

Keywords

• Executive leadership development
• Experiential learning programs
• Social immersion training
• Management training Germany
• Social competency development

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Leadership Development Program Fees: The primary revenue stream is participation fees for the SeitenWechsel leadership development program. The program fee is 2,700 EUR per participant, which includes pre- and post-preparation, the one-week placement in a social institution, and a transfer/reflection day. A contribution to the social institution is included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SeitenWechsel is a one-week immersive leadership development program that places executives and managers inside German social institutions (homeless shelters, hospices, prisons, addiction clinics, youth facilities) to strengthen social competencies, empathy, and perspective-taking. The program operates through a structured cycle: an introductory Infoveranstaltung, a Markttag matchmaking event where participants select a social institution, the one-week placement, and a Transfertag reflection day. The program is operated by the non-profit Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765 e.V. and charges 2,700 EUR per participant.

Product overview

SeitenWechsel is a single, unified leadership development program offered by the Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765 since 2000. The program consists of a modular structure: participants begin with an Infoveranstaltung (information event) or Markttag (market day) where they learn about various social institutions and select their placement. This is followed by the core SeitenWechsel-Woche (one-week immersive placement) in a chosen social institution, and concludes with a Transfertag (reflection day) for experience exchange. Additional services include Individuelle Vermittlung for personalized placement support, Coffee Break networking events, and a Broadcast/Podcast series. A newer addition is the SeitenWechsel-Kompass tool that guides participants through their experience. The program also offers a reverse variant called 'SeitenWechsel in die Wirtschaft' for social sector employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SeitenWechsel Leadership Development Program A structured leadership development program where executives and managers spend one week in a social institution to strengthen social competencies and gain new perspectives for modern team leadership. The full cycle includes pre-preparation, the one-week placement, and a transfer/reflection day.
• Markttag (Market Day) Full-day regional events held in major German cities (Hamburg, Bremen, Hannover, Stuttgart) where HR professionals and executives meet representatives from social institutions, learn about placement opportunities, and register for the SeitenWechsel week. Each Markttag costs 2,700 EUR per participant.
• SeitenWechsel-Woche (Immersion Week) The one-week immersive placement where participants work alongside professionals in their chosen social institution, experiencing different life worlds without their professional role. Placements span homeless shelters, hospices, prisons, addiction clinics, psychiatric facilities, disability services, and youth welfare institutions.
• Transfertag (Reflection Day) A structured reflection day following the SeitenWechsel week where participants exchange experiences and reflect on how the lessons learned transfer to their daily leadership practice.
• Individuelle Vermittlung (Individual Placement) Personalized matching service for participants unable to attend a Markttag, providing individual guidance to find suitable social institution placements through a direct conversation with program leadership.
• Inhouse / Custom Group Programs (Infoveranstaltung) For groups of 8+ participants, custom Markttage can be organized at the company's location, enabling integration as a module within existing leadership programs. Former participants and program leadership present to the HR department.
• SeitenWechsel in die Wirtschaft (Reverse Program) A reverse program where employees from social institutions gain insights into the business world by working in companies, complementing the classic executive program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of surveyed participants report lasting behavioral change and transfer of learning to their leadership practice
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000The Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765 is the parent organization operating SeitenWechsel in Germany. Founded in 1765, it is the oldest civil society organization in the German-speaking world. It provides institutional infrastructure, staff, venue (Haus der Patriotischen Gesellschaft in Hamburg), and the broader civic network for program delivery.
• Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft (SGG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000The SGG is the Swiss sister organization of the Patriotische Gesellschaft and original developer of the SeitenWechsel program. The German program was adapted from the Swiss model and the two organizations maintain ongoing exchange. SGG also runs SeitenWechsel in Switzerland (seitenwechsel.ch).
• Intersoft Consulting Services AGminorOthersSponsor of the 25th anniversary celebration of SeitenWechsel in Hamburg.
• Chiesi GmbHminorOthersSponsor of the 25th anniversary celebration of SeitenWechsel in Hamburg.
• Warburg Bank (MM Warburg)minorOthersSponsor of the 25th anniversary celebration of SeitenWechsel in Hamburg.
• SAGA UnternehmensgruppeminorOthersSponsor of the 25th anniversary celebration of SeitenWechsel in Hamburg.
• Social Institution Network (100+ institutions)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA network of over 100 vetted social institutions across Germany that host SeitenWechsel participants for one-week placements. Includes facilities for: addiction/homeless services, psychiatric clinics, prisons, hospice/palliative care, disability services, and child/youth welfare. Institutions benefit from publicity, cost contributions, and positive external attention.
• Advisory Board (Ehrenamtlicher Beirat)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn honorary advisory board composed of leaders from partner organizations and corporations. Members include: Dr. Andrea Pilat (bonprix), Anke Ratjen (JesusCenter e.V.), Axel Mangat (hoffnungsorte hamburg), Birte Zöllner (Weser-Elbe Sparkasse), and Thorsten Logemann (intersoft consulting services AG). The board provides strategic guidance and network access.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kienbaum: Large German HR and leadership consultancy offering executive coaching, assessment, and leadership development to mid/large German corporates — overlapping buyer (HR departments) and overlapping competency focus, but broader consulting portfolio rather than immersive placements.
• Hult Executive Education (Ashridge): International executive education brand offering leadership programs and custom corporate solutions; competes for the same enterprise HR budgets and addresses soft-skill/leadership competencies, though typically through modular programs rather than immersive placements.
• ESMT Berlin: Top-ranked German executive-education school offering MBAs, custom programs and leadership development for European corporates; addresses the same enterprise L&D buyer and competes for senior-leader training share, but via degree-style programs.
• Mannheim Business School: German executive-education provider serving senior managers at major DAX and European firms with leadership and transformation programs; same buyer persona and competency-development theme, different delivery format.
• Haufe Akademie: Major German corporate training provider with a broad catalog of seminars, e-learning and leadership programs; competes for the same HR L&D budgets at German enterprises, but delivers mostly classroom/digital rather than immersive social-sector placements.

Direct peers

• Outward Bound International: Global experiential-learning pioneer using outdoor and service immersions to develop leadership and social competencies; comparable in using real-world placements (not classroom) to drive lasting behavioral change in corporate cohorts.
• Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft (SGG): Swiss sister organization that originally developed the SeitenWechsel concept and operates the same immersive social-institution leadership program in Switzerland; nearly identical methodology, customer profile (Swiss corporates), and pricing model.
• Common Purpose: UK-origin non-profit running leadership development programs that immerse senior leaders in unfamiliar social/cultural environments to build perspective-taking and cross-sector understanding — directly analogous mechanism to SeitenWechsel.
• St. Gallen Business School (SGBS): DACH executive education provider offering leadership programs to senior managers of German-speaking corporates; comparable customer segment (executives from large DAX/Swiss firms) and complementary competency-development positioning.

Emerging players

• Dare to Lead (Brené Brown): Corporate training program grounded in courage/empathy research; targets the same SEL-adjacent leadership-competency buyer (HR/L&D at large companies) with a research-validated but lower-touch, scalable alternative to immersive programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seitenwechsel-deutschland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SeitenWechsel Deutschland