Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers –
Summary of the internal analysis
and objectives
1
Fraunhofer – Integrated Human Resources
Management
We invent the future! As the largest organization for applied research in Europe, the
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is committed to meeting society’s needs. These serve as a basis
for its areas of research: health care, security, communication, mobility, energy and the
environment. The work Fraunhofer is doing in these areas will have a major impact on
people’s future lives. In short: the future is the driving force for Fraunhofer – with the
future in mind, our employees work creatively, shape technology, improve procedures,
design products and forge new paths. At the same time, we have to continually develop
and improve their ability to perform and achieve. Fraunhofer creates optimum
framework and working conditions for this very purpose.
International markets present many challenges. Fraunhofer rises to these challenges and
asserts its position as a leading European organization for applied research. To ensure
that its efforts here continue to be successful, it is important to
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further develop the Fraunhofer brand and increase its internal and external
appeal, particularly in an international context as well;
cultivate a holistic understanding of management at all levels;
promote a culture of performance and innovation that every employee helps
shape.
The actions of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and its institutes, which are not separate legal
entities, are based on the principle of »as decentralized as possible, as centralized as
needed. « This mindset is also echoed in the holistic approach of human resources
management at Fraunhofer, with different keys leading to success. The strategies of the
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and its institutes must complement one another, but it is also
necessary to understand their mutual requirements.
»Integrated Human Resources Management« creates a basis for values-centered
human resources work at Fraunhofer. This means structuring a framework which is
geared toward various life phases – from top-level qualification, professional
development and active career planning through to needs-based working-time models.
To this end, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft continually adjusts the strategic orientation,
instruments and measures within its integrated human resources management to meet
current and future requirements.
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Closely linked: HR management and overall
objectives in the organization
No two institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are alike. Yet they all have one guiding
principle – one could also say an umbrella strategy. This is expressed in the mission of the
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, which is a part of the Fraunhofer guiding principles:
»Applied research is the foundation of our organization. We partner with companies to
transform original ideas into innovations that benefit society and strengthen both the
German and the European economy. Our employees shape the future – in ambitious
positions at Fraunhofer or in other areas of science and business. Fraunhofer therefore
places great importance on their personal and professional development.«
The umbrella strategy sets common overall objectives such as sustainable development,
collaborations with outstanding partners from science and industry, or diversity. From
these objectives, the Executive Board derives strategic initiatives that determine the
organization’s direction.
Human resources management at Fraunhofer is divided into 12 action areas. In
combination and in synergy with one another, these form the focal areas of
what is known as »Integrated Human Resources Management. « Through the
targeted application of the instruments and measures developed in Integrated Human
Resources Management, progress is made toward achieving the common overall
objectives and thus to the success of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. At the same time, the
overall strategy and the action areas inform and influence one another.
In summary, Integrated Human Resources Management pursues two objectives – one
related to each employee, and the other related to involvement in corporate
development. Regarding the first, each employee should experience human resources
work as »integrated« – from their initial contact as a job applicant until they join the
alumni network, and continuing long after their employment has ended. This is
promoted through strong networking at various personnel levels, be it through
dedicated networks (e.g. HR development coordinators) or centrally organized events
such as the Forum Personal or HR Practice.
As for the second, the whole of HR management is involved in corporate development. It
specifically supports the common overall objectives and the strategic initiatives derived
from them.
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The 12 action areas of Integrated Human
Resources Management as an impact framework
for the »Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers«
Fraunhofer has carved out 12 action areas and identified the strategic relevance of each:
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Management – Employees are offered guidance that balances strategic focus
with room for creativity
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Compensation – Competitiveness in terms of recruiting and retaining
employees – in competition with industry, the higher education sector and
international employers
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Short-term contracts – Responsible use of short-term contracts. Economic
efficiency, attracting employees, and transfer of expertise must be ensured
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Organizational development – Maintenance of scientific excellence and high
innovative capacity through the ability to adapt and through the systematic
further development of the organization
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Recruitment measures – Consistent positioning of the employer brand to
ensure employees are recruited in line with needs
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Internationalization – Further expanding support in all areas of international
human resources work: personnel recruitment, exchange and training
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Diversity – Greater diversity in the composition of teams and thus a key factor
for innovative success
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Health management – Ensuring the long-term performance of the workforce
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Career – Fraunhofer supports personal career development and thus creates
good conditions for recruitment, loyalty and the setting up of networks
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HR support – Service-based HR support assists employees in achieving personal
and organizational success
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Training – The required know-how must be available as needed
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Alumni – Development of a network with Fraunhofer alumni from science and
industry for mutual benefit
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To date, the 12 action areas listed above, along with their instruments, measures and
programs, have been implemented at Fraunhofer in their combination and in synergy
with one another to varying degrees – and will thus pose a challenge in the coming
years. The following in particular are considered relevant for the next four years:
developing a common understanding of management at Fraunhofer, shaping and
promoting diversity, addressing internationalization, further increasing employee
involvement in the organization, supporting the transfer of expertise, and building up an
integrated approach to health management.
We also see a challenge for the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in the coming years in
the area of general principles and requirements for researchers, particularly
from the point of view of research freedom, scientific integrity and compliance
with ethical principles in science. In its statute and in its guiding principles, the
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has committed itself to research freedom and scientific
integrity. The principles of research freedom and scientific integrity and
handling the responsibility this entails have also been defined in detail in the
Code of Conduct of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and in its sustainability report.
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4
Internal analysis and objectives for the
»Human Resources Strategy for Researchers«
4.1
Process
In 2013, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft signed the European Charter for Researchers and
The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, published as a
recommendation by the EU Commission on March 11, 2005. The recommendations had
been implemented for many years at Fraunhofer. By signing the charter, the Executive
Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has now also made this clearly visible to the wider
world.
At the beginning of 2016 and following a strategy meeting held by the Executive Board
function for Human Resources, Legal Affairs and IP Management, the FraunhoferGesellschaft agreed to make applying for the »Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers« designation as a goal for 2016. In February 2016, the Human Resources
division prepared an initial internal analysis. As a next step, members of other Executive
Board functions at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft were called in. The subsequent working
meetings were thus attended by representatives of the executive department –
particularly of the Executive Corporate Strategy department (partly as a contact for
ombudspersons for good scientific practice at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) – as well as
Research Planning, Legal Affairs and Finance, the Information and Communication
departments, the data protection officer, and the IT security coordinator. All parties
contributed to fleshing out the internal analysis in detail.
To involve the scientists, both the Fraunhofer Vintage Class and the Junior Research
Class dealt with this subject in the period from July to September 2016. The Fraunhofer
Vintage Class is an executive management development program for scientific managers
with potential to take on key positions at a Fraunhofer Institute. As an employee
development program, it is an integral part of top management development at
Fraunhofer. The Fraunhofer Junior Research Class is a career development program for
junior scientists which connects the development of original research ideas with
networks across hierarchies, disciplines and institutes, thus making the diversity of
development prospects at Fraunhofer transparent. Involving these two groups ensures
that a good cross-section of all the scientific staff of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft actively
takes part in preparing the internal analysis and the objectives for the »Human Resources
Strategy for Researchers. «
Both the Vintage Class and the Junior Research Class thoroughly discussed the
internal analysis and the objectives in September and made suggestions, which
were taken up by the working group.
On October 17, 2016, the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft approved the
internal analysis and adopted the objectives for the »Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers. «
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4.2
Overview of the objectives
Management model and institute-specific guidelines
To develop a common understanding of management, the specific framework and
leadership requirements distilled from that were developed within a broad participation
process. These requirements were aimed both at managers, who should consistently
refine their leadership skills, and at employees, who should reflect on and adapt their
behavior in collaboration with their manager. The institutes are now called upon to
translate the Fraunhofer-wide management model into institute-specific guidelines.
Action:
Development of institute-specific management guidelines at each of the Fraunhofer
Institutes supported by the central HR development department.
Guiding and actively encouraging diversity
With regard to diversity management, Fraunhofer is currently focusing on the action
areas of »equal career opportunities, « »inclusion, « »internationalization, « and
»combining career and family. « Attracting more women to applied research is a goal
that we are working toward with a broad-based development concept, and the rising
proportion of female scientists shows that our efforts are having an effect.
We also actively support the balancing of work and private life: 87 percent of our
employees stated in our 2015 employee survey that they can combine their work well
with their private life. Flexible working hours and flexible workplaces – in the areas
where it is possible – played a significant role in making this happen. Wide use is made
of the internal »Action program to combine career and family« to increase the number
of preschool places for employees’ children or parent-child offices. Attention is also
being focused on family commitments such as caring for dependents.
To increase the proportion of disabled persons employed, Fraunhofer has set itself
targets to achieve by 2020, which are supported by various measures (e.g. raising
awareness in the workplace; communicating financial, technical and other support and
benefits; establishing an internal development program). The aim is for Fraunhofer to not
only meet its existing commitments regarding the employment rate, but also to enable
the integration of disabled employees through collaboration in a spirit of partnership.
Action:
• Recruiting and developing women scientists
• Raising awareness among and supporting managers in all diversity aspects
through tools, guidelines, personnel development measures, and expanding the
existing internal development program
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Internationalization
In view of the increasing internationalization of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, human
resources work was put through its paces as part of an international HR project in
2014-2015. The aim was to identify challenges arising in the context of increasing
internationalization, to name, analyze and prioritize action areas for international human
resources work, and to implement the instruments and measures developed on this basis
throughout Fraunhofer as needed. The main results of the project included the
publication of a brochure entitled »Welcome to Fraunhofer;« checklists for HR
employees for hiring foreign employees and training for this purpose at central HR
events; updated standard contracts from HR in English; and an increase in the training
opportunities provided for languages and intercultural training. In mid-2016, the
International HR & Labor Law team was then set up with the aim of firmly establishing
the results of the international HR project at Fraunhofer and ensuring a consistently high
level of quality in international HR work.
Action:
• Preparing a qualified overview of international mobility programs
• Supporting the recruitment of foreign nationals through information, forms and
documents in English
• Offering specific training for the international activities of scientists
Promoting comprehensive and preventative healthcare
Good working conditions increase the commitment and innovation of employees.
Part of this involves promoting health management that goes beyond the established
occupational health and safety protections and aims at preventing health problems and
work-related illnesses. From 2016 onward, this has been established as a new
cross-sectional task of health management. Regarding prevention, Fraunhofer has been
offering life coaching since 2015: providing professional advice in times of crisis, such as
stress or risk of burnout or addition.
Action:
• Conducting a survey of mental health risks – Guidelines on assessing mental
health risks
• Providing healthy management and qualification as guidelines for healthcare
Involving employees in the development of the organization
Fraunhofer enacts certain measures, such as discussion panels, workshops or online
blogs, to systematically involve its employees in the further development of current
topics. One important instrument for organizational development is the employee survey
(MAB): this enables strengths to be recognized and potential for improvement to be
identified. The employee survey covers the individual institutes and thus provides
opinions on the immediate environment of individual employees. At the same time, it
spans the entire Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, making it possible to examine employees’
assessments across all employee levels. The response rate of 81.4 percent in the 2015
employee survey shows a high level of commitment and willingness to participate. The
survey results are made available to each individual department or group, so that they
can follow up by identifying action areas from the results and taking concrete steps.
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Action:
Conducting an employee survey in 2019
Growth of the company and transfer of expertise
It is a key part of Fraunhofer’s mission to provide excellently trained specialists and
managers to industry and science. Fraunhofer thus attaches the greatest importance to
their personal and professional development. The annual fluctuation of around 850
scientists and the annual growth of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft require systematic
cultivation of young talent. Various compensation elements are available for recruiting
and retaining employees with the aim of rewarding excellent services. Many former
employees stay in contact with Fraunhofer as cooperation partners, clients or
representatives of bodies. A growing alumni network was first launched in 2015.
Action:
• Expanding the alumni network
• Conducting exit surveys with the aim of shedding more light on the question of
careers at Fraunhofer in terms of training and career development, and thus
being able to show junior scientists possible prospects at Fraunhofer in more
detail. These exit surveys are to be continued after the pilot phase ends in 2016.
Research freedom and ethical principles
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is aware of its responsibility in dealing with
research freedom and research risks. For this reason, it also supports the
initiative of the DFG, the German Research Foundation, and Leopoldina, the
German National Academy of Sciences, dedicated to »Scientific freedom and
scientific responsibility – Recommendations on handling security-relevant
research. « In addition to the legally compliant implementation of the
requirements of foreign trade legislation and the related examinations of dual
use, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft promotes internal and external dialogue on
the responsible handling of research that goes beyond legal requirements.
In its research projects, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft seeks out advice and
rulings from external ethics committees, and thus uses existing structures to
support responsible research. It informs, advises and raises awareness among
its employees. The ethical responsibility of each individual is addressed in the
Fraunhofer Code of Conduct, which also makes reference to structural
measures – such as designating central points of contact or the setting up of
ethics advisory services. Furthermore, there is an internal »Guide on Handling
Ethical Issues« that provides guidance for scientists on the procedures and basic
principles that they need to observe. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft also makes
an important contribution to responsibility in research within the framework of
its broad-based sustainability initiative.
Under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation
Research ISI, the EU project »Joining efforts for responsible research and
innovation,« or JERRI for short, was launched in June 2016. Together with
TNO, a Netherlands organization for applied scientific research, Fraunhofer is
working on anchoring responsible research in all its dimensions. During the
term of the project, which runs for three years, pilot activities will be started at
both organizations in each of the five Responsible Research and Innovation
dimensions: ethics; gender equality; open access; involvement of society in
questions, strategies and activities of science; and science education. The aim
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of the project is to initiate transformation of the organizations in various pilot
activities and to generate learning effects for further applied research
organizations in Europe on this basis.
Action:
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4.3
Guide on handling ethical issues
Training (e.g. managers)
»Joining efforts for responsible research and innovation« project, running until
mid-2019
Specific goals and schedule
See Action plan enclosed
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