Organisationale Herausforderungen der Karriereentwicklungen des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses am Beispiel der Textilbranche aus organisationssoziologischer Sicht

• Organisational challenges concerning the career development of young researchers on the example of the textile industry from an organisational-sociological point of view

Lemm, Jacqueline; Häußling, Roger (Thesis advisor); Gries, Thomas (Thesis advisor)

Aachen : Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University (2016)
Dissertation / PhD Thesis

Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2015

Abstract

The demand of the companies for well-trained young scientists rises. The companies cooperate with science for the purpose of progress in products and processes, but also, in order to get to know the best minds directly at universities and to win them over. The need for scientific communities (WiB) to intensify their effort to acquire research- and development assignments from industry due to a sinking basic configuration also facilitates the access for this knowledge transfer via heads for companies. The aim of the study was to identify the organisational challenges of the career development of young scientists in scientific communities in contrast to economic organisations on the example of the textile industry. By this, reasons for the migration of postdocs from the WiB should be determined and approaches for the continuance of postdocs in the engineering- and natural science can be designed.For this purpose, first the theoretical foundations of the topic have been processed in chapter 2. The term of work and of profession have been considered i.a. with regard to the related personality stabilisation. Building on these fundamental theoretical elements, science has been regarded as a profession by Max Weber and as a way of life by Jürgen Mittelstraß, in order to capture the specifics of work and profession of young scientists. Hereinafter, specific characteristics of the situation of young scientists have been considered. Following Luhmann, science has finally been described as an autonomic, operatively closed, self-referential system. Subsequent to these implementations, Weingarts thoughts concerning the increasingly close linkings between the science system and the economic system have been implemented (cf. Weingart 2001: 28 f.). With a view to the economic system, a definitional basis for commercial enterprises has been introduced to finally consider the exchange as well as the permeability of scientific- and economic enterprises.Building upon the theoretical basics, the current state of research has been pointed out in chapter 3. A comprehensive compilation of current research concerning the situation of young scientists depicts the significance and change (of the form) as well as the special features of promotion. Concluding the current state of research, the interactions between science and economy have been considered. Components of the empirical argumentation have been a system comparison, a needs analysis of scientific- and economic organisations as well as of graduating and postdoc engineers and scientists with respect to their career planning. The status-quo of current career- and incentive options in the scientific system and approaches in form of new structures and models for a long-term strengthening of young researchers have been presented in chapter 7 as answers to the existing deficits and migration reasons. The implementation of such models could help scientific enterprises to proactively design the increasingly close linkings with the system economy, to consolidate third party funding by the professionalisation of knowledge transfer via heads, to use money for specific trainings and personnel development measures and to involve postdocs compensated into the mediation process.Against the background of relevant university-political measures, it became clear that the awareness for the importance of universities as a training instance of young scientists in society still requires a sensitisation and sharpening.

Institutions

• Chair of Sociology with a Focus on Technical and Organizational Sociology [761310]