Corporate culture matters — what kinds of workplaces appeal to highly skilled engineers?

Angelika TrÃ¼bswetter; Karen Genz; Katharina Hochfeld; Martina Schraudner

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2016)

Special Issue: Gendered Motivation and Choice in STEM

Corporate culture matters — what kinds of workplaces appeal to highly skilled engineers?

Published 10-02-2016

Angelika TrÃ¼bswetter
Karen Genz
Katharina Hochfeld
Martina Schraudner

Angelika TrÃ¼bswetter
Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation, Berlin, Germany

Karen Genz
Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation, Berlin

Katharina Hochfeld
Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation, Berlin, Germany

Martina Schraudner
Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation, Berlin, Germany

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How to Cite

Corporate culture matters — what kinds of workplaces appeal to highly skilled engineers?. (2016). International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 8(1), 46-66. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/397

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Abstract

In Europe, and in Germany in particular, many organisations face increasing skills shortages. By deliberately managing their cultures, organisations can attract and retain highly skilled employees more effectively. Seeking to explore the workplace preferences of highly skilled engineers, we conducted 19 semi-structured interviews and one standardised online survey with 170 graduates of the UNITECH International program. The purpose was to identify their (1) approaches to job search and career development, (2) teamwork and communication strategies, (3) personal traits, (4) motivators and sources of frustration, and (5) attitudes toward an academic career and self-employment. Our findings confirmed that the culture and climate in the workplace largely influenced respondents’ career decisions. In addition, we found a number of statistically significant differences between responses of men and women.

Keywords

Organisational culture, workplace preferences, gender, STEM, UNITECH alumni

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