This seminar enables participants to make complex decisions in nuclear decommissioning and waste management more systematically, safely and with greater foresight – based on critical thinking, psychological insight and lessons learned from the history of nuclear technology. It is guided by the key question: “What might we be overlooking today – and what consequences could that have tomorrow?”

The focus is on decision-making processes in complex technical and organisational environments – particularly in nuclear decommissioning, radioactive waste management and long-term transformation and safety projects.
The seminar combines psychological findings on perception, judgement, risk assessment and group decision-making with real case studies from the history of nuclear technology. Using major events such as Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, typical patterns of poor decisions, organisational failure, groupthink and inadequate risk analysis are examined.

Participants work interactively on case studies, scenarios and reflection exercises. The aim is to critically question their own thinking and decision-making processes, to recognise warning signs at an early stage and to develop robust decision-making strategies for complex decommissioning and waste management tasks. The particular strength of the seminar lies in combining technical issues, relevant psychological aspects, decades of practical experience in nuclear technology and an interactive learning environment that encourages reflection, discussion and immediate application.