Management at Fraunhofer

The diversity of the Fraunhofer institutes is the lifeblood of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Every institute is unique, whether in size, focus or organizational structure. This diversity is a strength that allows the organization to respond flexibly to specific challenges. At the same time, it also requires shared models, such as an understanding of leadership that serves as a binding foundation and provides guidance across the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft as a whole.
 

Leadership principles

To be a leader, you must know where you’re going and how to get there. The Fraunhofer-wide leadership principles provide our managers with guidance relating to their tasks and the expectations that go with them.

At Fraunhofer, the goal is to enable excellence in applied research. For our managers, this means balancing contrasting requirements on a day-to-day basis. On the one hand, managers need to give their employees as much freedom as possible so there is room for creativity and innovation to grow and thrive. On the other, they are also tasked with ensuring that ideas translate into concrete, actionable results.

Our guiding principles for leaders describe the scope of action and the tasks that managers handle within it, from shared responsibility for entrepreneurial success to leading employees, shaping the overall environment, spurring growth and evolution and acting as role models. 

 

Leadership competency model

The Fraunhofer Leadership Competency Model is highly important to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, as it offers a systematic and objective basis for selecting, developing and assessing employees. It is based on the requirements set out in the leadership principles, defining the skills that managers need in order to succeed: leadership and management expertise and key personal attributes.

The competency model also contributes to sustainable HR development by supporting career planning and efforts to keep skills and expertise within the organization in the long term.