Press release
21.11.2014

Manager Study: Private and public sector in Germany hardly cooperate

Managers and executives in Germany believe the private and public sector to be worlds apart.

Download a summary of the results here (in German).

Berlin, 21 November 2014 – Managers and executives in Germany believe the private and public sector to be worlds apart. Career paths in the two sectors are clearly separate; furthermore contact in daily work life is very rare. Not surprisingly, the insight into routines and processes in the other sector is very low on both sides. These are just some of the key findings of a study conducted by the Hertie School and the professional services firm Egon Zehnder. “The public sector is sealing itself off and that is alarming. The successful cooperation of the public and the private sector is crucial in many fields to solve pressing social problems – from infrastructure to demographic change. Germany is far behind other industrialised countries in this regard”, says the study’s director Prof. Dr. Gerhard Hammerschmid.

An overview of the key results:

  • Career paths rarely cross: Less than ten percent of managers have at least five years’ work experience in the other sector.
  • Work experience in other sectors is not appreciated: Only ten percent of private sector managers believe that work experience in the public sector is a clear plus for someone’s career.
  • Hardly any contact: Stakeholders in the public sector are the second to last when it comes to contacts for private businesses in daily work life; managers in the public sector name the private sector to be fifth (out of ten).
  • Differing experience with each other: The private sector in general recalls a more positive experience with the public sector than the other way around.
  • Stark differences in goal setting: The private sector lists “customer satisfaction” and “cost-effectiveness/efficiency” as their top goals, the public sector favours “a long-term orientation” and “a company culture of participation”.
  • Both sides see the necessity for reforms in the public sector – the public sector however less so.

Download a summary of the results here (in German).