Religiös-konfessionelle Kultur und individuelle Religiosität: Ein Vergleich zwischen West- und Ostdeutschland

In religious terms, East and West Germany are still two separate societies more than 20 years after reunification. While the large majority of the population in West Germany belongs to one of the two main Christian churches, the proportion of those without a denomination in East Germany is now more than 70 %. Moreover, as far as church involvement, confidence in the church and individual religiosity are concerned, the West Germans have a much stronger religious affiliation to the church than their East German counterparts. The main reason for this difference is the influence of different political systems and legal cultures in East and West during the period when the two parts of Germany were divided. The fact, though, that the process of secularization has continued unabated in East Germany since 1989, and that the religious and ecclesiastical discrepancies between the two parts of the country have, if anything, become stronger rather than weaker since then, would suggest that there are other factors at work here, too. In this contribution, we argue that one of the factors that needs to be considered is the dominant denominational culture that exists in each of the two parts of the country, a culture which is highly persistent, can easily reproduce itself, puts pressure on the respective minority cultures, and is able to diffuse into them. While the dominant denominational culture in West Germany is able to slow down the current processes of secularization, the secular, non-denominational majority culture in the East tends rather to produce effects which accelerate these processes. In this essay, we use a variety of empirical indicators (effectiveness of religious socialization, denominational affiliation, churchly affiliation, faith in God) to demonstrate these effects.     

Gestaltpädagogische Konzepte und Praxen von Beratung und Förderung sozialer und personaler Kompetenzen in der Aus- und Fortbildung von Erwachsenenbildnern und -bildnerinnen

The article describes pedagogical Gestalt concepts of consultancy and professional development of adult educators. The focus change of the adult educators from teachers to consultants is outlined at the beginning. The changed role demands concepts of consultancy and professional development that can reflect and strengthen the self and social competence of the actors. It is shown that the design pedagogical concepts are particularly suitable because the promotion of the conscious perception of one owns’ body, needs, feelings and imagination and their integration into the self image of the learning person (client) are in the center of such approach. The concept and practice of ‘role-playing’ as part of the course instructors’ further professional training related to the design pedagogical concepts are documented in details using case-studies. It is furthermore detailed where the learning opportunities lie, related to the perception, self reflection and enhancement of one owns’ action potential for teaching and consultancy activities. The summary emphasizes one of the most important axioms of the design approach: It is not about a somehow newly defined nice person but about the paradox of change through precise perception of the actual situation.     

Körper-Kunst in der Kinderklinik – ein interdisziplinäres Projekt zwischen Pädiatrie, Tanztheater und Psychosomatik

On the basis of the deconstructive idea of dance as a means to experience inner coherences as well as dehiscences within the body, an interdisciplinary project between psychosomatic medicine, pediatrics and dance is outlined. Social processes between dancers, adolescents and trainer within a single clinically more in detail described workshop are presented and related to the situation of chronically ill children. Hereby, a reintegration of the rejected and negatively charged body in chronic conditions is initialized.     

Auswirkungen von Macht auf das ��berleben in Extremsituationen: Ein Vergleich der Titanic und Lusitania Schiffskatastrophen

Comparing the Titanic and Lusitania disaster the impact of financial and physical power as well as the emergence of social norms on survival during life-and-death situations is analyzed. Despite the fact that some maritime disasters have become famous, a quantitative understanding of survival in life-and-death situations is still lacking. In a quasi-natural experiment multivariate probit estimations are conducted based on publicly available data. The paper suggests that in life-and-death situations differences in time restrictions are crucial. When time is scarce individual self-interested fight-or-flight behavior will predominate and result in a stronger competition for survival. In contrast, altruism and adherence to social norms emerge when there is sufficient time to reflect on the event and circumstances: Social norms require time to evolve, and they loose against physical strength in a shorter window of opportunity.     

Autoritäre Einstellung und Statusmerkmale von ehemaligen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS und SS und der Wehrmacht

This is an updated study of the research published in 1970 on authoritarianism and its complexities with additional findings based on questionnaires. The respondents were 229 former members of the Waffen-SS and other formations of the SS matched and compared with 202 former members of the German Armed Forces. The questionnaires returned between the years 1962 and 1966 have not been completely analyzed. The additionally evaluated items have now enhanced the sample of authoritarian personality traits (F-scale) and thus their understanding. The originally reported group differences were confounded with socio-demographic characteristics such as schooling, occupational standing and service rank. In the present analysis, such variables were controlled by matching subjects. The earlier findings were confirmed. The methodological limitations of this post hoc investigation with its shortcomings are obvious. However, the findings nevertheless make a significant contribution to a better understanding of the function of authoritarianism in the context of differential psychological as well as situational conditions that promote unreflected obedience and its consequences. Last but not least, the findings also reflect a high correlation between authoritarianism and susceptibility to absolutist ideology such as National Socialism.     

Nah der Wissenschaft und fern der Führung in einer Fach‑/Expertenlaufbahn?

In order to motivate and retain technical employees, representatives of strategic career management face the challenge of establishing alternative career paths in addition to the common leadership/management career. Surveying a sample of 629 doctorate holders from the STEM fields, we differentiated between five career paths within and beyond structured career models. Structured career ladders were predominantly present in major enterprises. Female participants less frequently reported to be part of a structured career path. Entering a leadership/management career seems to occur at a later stage compared to other paths. Generally, advancement on a leadership/management path was related to stronger increases in incentives than climbing up the technical/expert or project management ladders. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find members of a technical/expert career to work closer to basic research and their initial qualification than their colleagues on other career paths. Members of leadership/management paths reported to have significantly more leadership responsibility than those working on alternative paths.     

„Gekommen,um zu bleiben“ – eine Analyse des Zusammenhangs zwischen personen- und kontextbezogenen Faktoren und Studienerfolg in Studiengängen der öffentlichen Verwaltung

The present study aims to investigate impact factors on study success and turnover intentions for students from different fields of public administration and management. The empirical analysis focuses on interrelations between individual (e.?g., personality, achievement satisfaction, self-efficacy) and contextual factors (procedural justice, social integration) and general study satisfaction and the intention to leave the university. The sample consisted of N?=?147 students from police and general public administration. The results indicated that there is an empirical evidence for the relevance of realistic academic and job expectations, individal personality facets, as well as for perceived justice and social integration of the students related to the discipline. Regression models showed that the expected person-job-fit predicted aspects of study satisfaction and turnover intention. In addition, individual and contextual factors moderated the interrelation, however, differently for the evaluated disciplines. Implications for students and for the design of different study programs as well as for a target group oriented communication are discussed.     

Begrenzte Wahl – Gelegenheitsstrukturen und Erwerbsmuster in Paarhaushalten im europäischen Vergleich

This article investigates employment patterns in couple households—and in particular their variability according to the presence and age of children. The aim of the comparative analysis of ten European countries, using data from the European Social Survey (2004/05 and 2006/07), is to explain the pronounced cross-country differences with regard to empirically relevant household employment patterns—focusing on their variability across an ideal-typical family life-cycle. Explanatory factors include the social policy framework (family and tax policies), socio-economic and labor market conditions (wage level, unemployment, the availability of part-time work) as well as national gender cultures (societal ideals regarding gender roles and childcare). The article discusses the relationship between these structural and cultural factors, on the one hand, and actual practices of gendered employment behaviour, on the other. It concludes that, in order to account for the complexity of causal relations, the explanation of gendered employment patterns ought to be country-specific.     

Etablierung einer Vertrauenskultur zwischen Führungskräften und ihren Mitarbeitern/Mitarbeiterinnen

Trust is considered to be fundamental for satisfactory social relationships. In organizational systems, trust is also necessary, but sometimes neglected and underestimated. Considering young adults (millennials), trust and its power as a social resource seem to be highly relevant for the future: In public perception young adults show low involvement and commitment, for example in social or organizational assignments. But, participation and commitment are closely linked with the experience of trust. Authentic and fair behaviour as well as presenting oneself as a role model are crucial to promote a culture of trust between leaders and employees. To outline this, a leadership-model for promoting commitment and participation by trust actions is presented.     

Deutsch-polnisches Training: Persönliche und professionelle Erfahrungen mit Bikulturalität und Interkulturalität – Anspruch und Wirklichkeit

This report contains several experiences and authentic examples taken from highly professional German-Polish and Polish-German coaching groups. Accordingly, ideas are in part presented from a very personal point of view. Running “Intercultural activities” is very much praised in a world that becomes more and more globalized. But how do these activities work out in practice? The author’s goal is to explain the cultural differences in order for managers to be able to work effectively in international projects. The author illustrates her method and her goals by giving characteristic examples. She talks about demands as far as the personality of the coach is concerned, as well as about interferences within the coaching situation. A prevailing common culture in Europe does not (yet) exist which makes it even more important to talk about differences openly so that they can be understood and be overcome. Useful experiences are shared which shall help to build a ‘working’ trust level between representatives of different cultures. Cultural factors of power usage are described which show how power can be applied in different ways. The influence of language problems is also analyzed in detail. Finally, this paper shows that the most important is to keep an atmosphere based on cooperation: only when such an atmosphere is accepted as a natural daily routine can contacts among participants of different cultures be established as among equals and it is then possible to overcome the challenges related to differences of cultures.     

Stabilität und Wandel der nationalen Identität in der deutschen BevölkerungContinuity and change of national identity in the German public

In this article we study the content dimension of German national identity at three points in time. We run multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with data from the ISSP modules on national identity to demonstrate that in 1995, 2004, and 2014 three distinct latent dimensions can be identified in the meaning Germans attach to their nation, namely civic pride, ethnoculturalism, and chauvinism. These dimensions correlate substantially higher in 1995 than in 2004 and 2014. Exploratory latent class analyses show both continuity and change in the combination of positions citizens manifest on these dimensions. We discuss the implications of these findings for the conceptualization and measurement of national identities as well as for the development of German citizens’ relationship to their nation in the period studied.     

Ausgrenzung,Klassenzusammenhalt, Kooperation und Selbstbehauptung. Eine quasi-experimentelle Untersuchung der personal-sozialen Kompetenzen bei Schüler/-innen mit einer erlebnispädagogischen Intervention

With a classic quasi-experimental design (two measuring points, treatment and control group) the two questionnaires have been raised in the 2nd/3rd school week and after the first quarter with the constructs “class cohesion” and “exclusion” and “cooperation” and “self-assertion”. The treatment took place in the fourth week of beginning secundary classes (Switzerland). After the treatment the students showed significantly less exclusion ambitions and a better class cohesion than the control group. This finding should take into account the disturbing variables which must be meaningfully interpreted. And with respect to the sample the treatment group was – compared to the German standard – either socially more competent or biased.     

Zwischen Säkularisierung und religiöser Reorganisation – Eine Analyse der Religiosität türkischer und polnischer Neuzuwanderer in Deutschland

This paper addresses the role of religion in the process of immigrant integration in Germany. Based on novel data (SCIP 2010/11) from a survey among new Polish and Turkish migrants, it particularly focuses on the impact of the migratory event upon religious participation and private religious practice as well as on early trends of changing religiosity in the receiving context. The study confirms, first of all, that both groups of newcomers experience a decrease in religious practices after the migratory event. This decrease is more pronounced among Muslim Turks than among Catholic Poles and more pertinent for worship attendance than for prayer, thus attesting to the relevance of religious opportunity structure. Secondly, it can be shown that among new Polish immigrants, religious decrease is more pronounced among individuals with stronger social ties to the secular German mainstream, while this is not the case for Turks. For them, thirdly, it seems that religious practices are being re-captured after the rather disruptive first couple of months in what may a called a process of religious re-organizations. These group-comparative findings attest to limits of classical assimilation theory and to the relevance of symbolic boundary dynamics. Overall, they underline that publicly visible religious diversity will remain a permanent feature of modern immigrant societies.     

Lose Zugehörigkeiten von globalen Identitäten (Glopats) in internationalen Unternehmen – Konflikte zwischen Nationalkulturen und Hyperkultur

The article gives attention to the multiple diversity of cultural imprints in the international companies as well as consultancy and emphasizes intercultural interpersonal communication conflicts. The focus is on the meeting of people with different cultural influences and experiences in international companies, their communication with each other and the resulting conflicts. The approach is multidimensional and transdisciplinary. In a mixed methods study current challenges can be identified. On the one hand, hyperculture and global identity develop, on the other hand, cultures try to contour and separate themselves from each other. In the context of affiliations, selected results of this study are summarized, discussed and classified. Virtual communication and cooperation (digital transformation) as well as the fluid change of generations (millennials) are also addressed. It is about investigating the phenomena and sensitizing the persons involved. The article derives implications for international management and consultancy in a culturally heterogeneous work environment. Finally, there are a critical appraisal and suggestions for future research.