Focusing Sustainable Human Resource Management—Framework for Sustainability Management in Research Organizations

Abstract

Research organisations are not only contributing to sustainable development but also contribute to scientific findings. As key influencers of innovation; employers and publicly funded research organisations not only have the social mandate to deal with their responsibilities regarding the environment and society, but also drive to understand their social responsibility for their employees and the impact on research and operational processes. Sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), this paper presents the results of the joint research project; LENA—Guidelines for Sustainability Management and describes how 3 of Germany’s biggest research organisations (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Leibniz Association and Helmholtz Association) face current challenges in human resource management of research organisations by the integration of a common understanding of sustainability and a broad-based framework. The empirical basis is built by a qualitative organisational-ethnographical study which reflects the expert knowledge, everyday experiences and the subject-oriented interpretation of sustainability in human resource management. The result derives concrete recommendations for the institutional practice and offers structured and methodologically proven options for action addressing the stakeholders in human resource management in research institutions.