Corporate Culture Matter: Alumni of UNITECH International and their workplace preferences an exploratory study

Fraunhofer Society is one of the leading applied research organizations in Europe. Seeking to explore what kinds of organizational cultures might be most effective in attracting and retaining highly skilled and internationally mobile engineers, it conducted an exploratory study in cooperation with ETH ZURICH and the UNITECH INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY. This study included semi-structured individual interviews with 19 UNITECH alumni and a standardized online survey of 172 registered members of the alumni association about their career development strategies, motivators, sources of frustration, experiences with different organizations, etc. Due to their outstanding qualifications, international experiences, and broad educational backgrounds, UNITECH alumni constitute a unique and scientifically relevant
group. This booklet presents the conducted study, which is intended
— to provide scientific evidence about the workplace preferences of UNITECH alumni;
— to help individual organizations adjust their HR strategies, re-shape their cultures, and, ultimately, more effectively utilize the potential of diversity; and
— to better familiarize the UNITECH INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY with the preferences of their alumni and provide a solid basis for mutual communication.
OUR THREE MAJOR FINDINGS ARE:
1 — Corporate culture matters. By establishing an atmosphere of trust and personal and professional recognition and by ensuring intellectually stimulating work and opportunities for learning, organizations can more effectively attract and retain highly skilled employees.
2 — Workplace preferences may differ between men and women. Among surveyed UNITECH alumni, a significantly greater proportion of women than men prioritized job security and work-life balance. Among those who had more than five years of professional experience, a greater proportion of men had come to prioritize a high income over time.
3 — Priorities change with time. Respondents who had more than five years of professional experience agreed that they were now less mobile than in the past and a greater proportion of women than men among them had come to place a higher value on job security. Respondents with less professional experience expected for their priorities to change in a similar way in the future.