1. Manager Barometer 2012
February, 2012
A survey to gauge the mood
among Austria’s managers

2. Managers in Times of Uncertainty
Stanton Chase
Manager Barometer 2012
Survey of 1,500 decision-makers:
Uncertainty over future economic development shapes
outlook for 2012
Managers seek work-life balance at home and in the family
Increasing number of managers want to change jobs despite the
economic crisis
Managers in large corporations particularly receptive to a change
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3. Contents
I. Executive Summary
II. General Situation: Uncertainty Takes the Upper Hand
III. On the Move: Willingness to Move at Record High
IV. Career: Networking More Important Than Learning
V. Stanton Chase International
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4. I. Executive Summary
The annual Stanton Chase Manager Barometer corporations and in so-called matrix organizations
provides clients with an overview of the mood (i.e. with several managers of their own) with fairly
among top executives and managers in a wide anonymous communication structures. In this
range of companies across Austria. For this year’s group, the percentage interested in changing jobs
barometer, over 1,500 managers were surveyed is even higher in this group (93.3 percent). “These
about the key issues in the current economic figures clearly indicate a dissatisfaction with the
climate. Along with their feelings on the state of the current work situation,” says Franz Rois, Partner at
economy, they were asked about their levels of Stanton Chase in Vienna. “The increase in job
satisfaction with their current jobs, the outlook for frustration seems to be particularly prevalent in
their particular sectors, as well as their own large corporations. These companies would be
aspirations and career development prospects. well advised to take this situation seriously and
make structural changes to counteract this trend.”
Uncertainty is on the rise. News of the climatic
financial crisis and a threat of stagnation in the
world’s industrial nations have significantly
Brief Summary of Key Points dampened the mood among Austria’s managers.
The level of dissatisfaction among managers – While expectations in the previous year had been
87.8 percent would like to change jobs – should predominantly positive, the outlook for 2012 has
set alarm bells ringing in boardrooms across now turned negative. Only just under 20 percent of
Austria. The desire to change employer is growing managers describe their expectations for 2012 as
rapidly and is a wish that is now expressed by the “positive”, while only 0.2 percent believe
vast majority of managers in Austria. A total of 87.8 developments will be “very positive”.
percent of Austria’s managers would be willing to Individual situations are better than the overall
change employer if they received the right offer. state of affairs. In general, the negative
This figure represents a rise of six percent over the expectations would seem to be more a reflection of
previous year. Over two thirds of managers would the negative reporting in the media than of actual
be prepared to relocate to another country for a experience. Managers assess the situation in their
new job. own company and industry far more positively than
Managers in large corporations are especially the situation in the economy as a whole.
receptive to the possibility of a change. This
applies in particular to those working in large
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5. II. General State of the Economy:
Uncertainty Takes the Upper Hand
The mood has shifted. Times are becoming positive in the technology sector (73.8 percent),
uncertain, and a new – potentially longer – crisis followed by life sciences/healthcare (51.5 percent)
looms on the horizon. Reduced to a common and industry (51.1 percent). The public sector –
denominator, this basically sums up what Austria’s the primary target of the Austrian government’s
managers expect of the future. While expectations budget cutbacks – trails far behind in last place:
for 2011 were essentially still positive, managers only 6.6 percent of the managers surveyed
now clearly have strong doubts. In response to the foresee a positive future for this sector.
question “How do you think the Austrian economy
will develop in the next 12 months?”, only 0.2
percent choose the option “very good”. More than Outlook More Positive in Home
half the survey participants give “neutral” as their
response. Around 25 percent view the outlook as
Sector
“negative”. In contrast, last year 83.1 percent of Low expectations do not necessarily mean that
managers had still felt the outlook was “optimistic”. the effects of the crisis are already being felt. It is
Over half the managers surveyed this year also not without reason that the managers surveyed
feel the negative or uncertain trend will continue assess the general economic situation to be far
for a longer period. worse than the situation in their own industry.
Over 80 percent of the 1,500 executives surveyed
Economic development in Austria are “optimistic” to “very optimistic” about the mood
in their own companies, while only 18 percent are
very positive “pessimistic” about their own situation.
0.2% Nonetheless, only one third feel that the mood has
negative positive
improved in their own company.
24.7% 20.1%
Current mood in home company/sector
very optimistic
3.4%
optimistic
pessimistic
27.9%
18.1%
neutral
55%
Managers now only retain a positive outlook for
“industries of the future” (e.g. technology). This is
also linked to assumptions regarding the need for
innovation and creativity in times of crisis. The somewhat optimistic
outlook for career opportunities is still fairly 50.5%
Career opportunities for top managers
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Technology
Life Sciences/Healthcare
Industry
Professional Services
Consumer Goods
Financial Services
Public Sector/Education/Non Profit
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6. Current stress levels
0% 25% 50% 75%
High, but tolerable
Normal, healthy level
Too high, not tolerable in the long run
No stress - "I am quite happy"
Not enough stress - "I don't have enough to do"
Despite the increasingly bad news presented in the Incidentally, the vast majority (78 percent) of
media, Austria’s managers do not appear to be at all managers look to balance stress at work through their
nervous. Only 8.7 percent of the managers surveyed family lives. 71 percent use exercise to achieve this
indicated that their stress levels were currently “too work-life-balance. 47 percent relax in the company of
high” and “not tolerable in the long term”. 49.5 percent friends. Interestingly, women prefer to relax in the
assessed their stress levels to be “high, but tolerable”. company of friends rather than with their family – a
possible indication of the double load faced by
women in managing career and family commitments.
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7. III. On the Move:
Willingness to Move at Record High
One surprising trend is that despite the fact that managers to such a move. Only 30 percent give
the general situation is clearly less secure, the the possibility of a salary rise as a potential motive
willingness to change jobs has evidently risen for a change in job. This clearly contradicts the
further. Almost 90 percent of managers would be popular opinion that managers are driven by greed
willing to change employer (87.8 percent). This and are only interested in their bonuses.
figure is up six percent even compared to the
previous year. 38.3 percent of this group describe
themselves as “very interested” in a new career Large Corporations Encourage
opportunity. Only 12.3 percent are not interested in
a change in job. Given the current situation and
Frustration Among Managers
the negative expectations for the economy Since the willingness to change jobs had already
described above, this willingness to change can be been unexpectedly high in the previous year,
seen as a sign of great dissatisfaction among Stanton Chase sought to get to the bottom of this
managers. Evidently, the greater share of trend in the current survey. Our goal was to find
companies offer their managers too few out which organizational forms were particularly
opportunities to progress and climb the career strong catalysts for “frustrated managers”. The
ladder, prompting in turn the interest in a move to result: managers who work in large corporations in
another company or indeed to the competition. so-called matrix organizations (i.e. with several
managers of their own) with fairly anonymous
Interest in a new career opportunity communication structures, frequent overlaps in
competences and limited individual freedom to
very interested interested make decisions are particularly “receptive to the
38.3% 49.5% notion of change”. 50 percent of managers in such
organizations are “very interested” in a change in
job. This figure is significantly lower for managers
who only report to one person (38.5 percent). Only
5.3 percent of top managers in companies with a
matrix organizational form indicate that they are
“not interested” in changing jobs.
Willingness to change in matrix
not interested
12.3% organizations
very interested interested
50% 44.7%
Frustration among Managers:
Alarm Bell for Employers
Lack of prospects in the current workplace is one
further explanation why “to progress and realize
my own interests” is the undisputed top reason
(69.1 percent) for interest in a new job. Money not interested
alone does not suffice to motivate Austria’s 5.3%
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8. Relocating Abroad Not a Position/Responsibility Count –
Drawback Money a Secondary Issue
Austria’s managers are also quite willing to The fact that career opportunities number among
relocate to improve their career prospects. 66.9 the main criteria to be met by a potential new
percent would be willing to relocate to another employer fits well with the overall sense of
location in Austria or to a neighboring country. As dissatisfaction. Only 30 percent of the managers
many as 47 percent would also be willing to surveyed view a salary rise as a “very important”
relocate to the Middle East, Asia or the USA. In criterion for a change in job and employer. They
comparison to the 2011 survey, the ascent of the place far more importance on aspects like “more
emerging economies is now also a clear factor of responsibility” (49.5 percent) or a “more important
influence. Asia – including China and India – has position in the company” (53.5 percent). This result
overtaken the USA as the preferred “long- also contradicts the popular preconception that
distance” destination for a career move. Only 21 managers are no more than greedy con artists.
percent of managers indicate a willingness to
relocate to a CIS destination. A notable 47 percent
would be prepared to take up employment with a Fit for a Move
company in Eastern Europe.
Are there any differences between managers who
are willing to change and those who are not
Preferred regions
looking for new jobs? Yes, there are, but in
0% 20% 40% 60% aspects of behavior not normally associated with
job seeking. Managers who are willing to change
Asia are far more physically active than their
Eastern Europe counterparts with no real interest in a move. The
latter usually do far less sport than managers “on
Latin America the move”. A second difference is that managers
Gulf Region with a strong interest in a change in job have a far
more pessimistic view of their current employer’s
CIS
situation (25 percent think their company is going
Africa downhill) than those with little to no interest in a
change (8 percent). It is also striking that
managers who want to change are more willing to
take on more stress at work. They do not view
From a gender perspective, it is interesting to note “stress” to be as decisive a factor in job
that while 69 percent of male managers are willing satisfaction (59.5 percent) as managers who are
to relocate abroad, this figure drops to only 58 not looking to change (75.5 percent).
percent among their female counterparts.
Factors in decision for a new job/employer
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
more mportant role in the company
more responsibility
improvement in market value
better salary and remuneration package
international relocation
change of industry
working with former colleagues
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9. IV. Career Matters: The “Socializing
Manager”
The manner in which managers achieve their Work Seen to be More a Matter of
career goals also says a lot about a country‘s
corporate and business culture. As far as Business than Creativity
Austrian business relationships are concerned, How then do Austria’s managers see their
it is often said that who you know is actually far employers? Which characteristics do they think
more important than what you know and what the economy expects its managers to have?
you can do. This opinion is obviously shared by Essentially, managers take a dry and pragmatic
the country’s managers. When it comes to view of their role: they see themselves as
climbing the career ladder, they assign a lesser problem solvers, not an ethical or creative elite.
role to professional training and development 77 percent of those surveyed consider change
and far more importance to expanding their own management skills to be very important, 66.7
networks and marketing themselves. Of the percent assign great importance to flexibility and
criteria choices listed “obtaining international adaptability. In contrast, a great deal less
experience” is accorded the least relevance importance (42.9 percent) is attached to the
when it comes to achieving career goals. “clear values” regularly demanded in the public
There are however also some very clear gender debates. The importance attached to “creativity”
specific differences here: women attach a far (35.3 percent) and “multicultural” experience”
less important role to networking than men. 72.6 (22.8 percent) is also surprisingly low.
percent of men, but only 54.8 percent of women
feel they should expand their networks to
improve their career opportunities. Women
consider improving their professional and
personal skills to be the most important career
development factor.
Achieving career goals through
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
expanding your network
marketing yourself
developing your professional skills
obtaining international experience
What companies want of their managers
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
change management
flexibility/adaptability
productivity management
clear values
creativity management
mobility
multicultural experience
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10. V. Stanton Chase International
Stanton Chase International was established in Services:
1990 and is now one of the world‘s largest executive
search firms with over 70 offices in 42 countries. Executive Search
Stanton Chase International enjoys an extraordinary Board Services
standing in the “emerging markets” sector and is one Executive Assessment Services
of the leading companies in its field in Austria and in
Central and Southeast Europe. Management Appraisals
Since it was founded, the Stanton Chase office in
Vienna has served as the link between the markets in
International Practice Group Specializations:
Western, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
Together, the five partners in the Vienna team have Consumer Products and Services
over 50 years of executive search experience.
Financial Services
Each of our partners has a clearly defined practice
group focus and extensive local and international Industrial
know-how and expertise. They provide an equally Life Sciences and Healthcare
successful service to both international clients and
local and regional players alike. Logistics and Transportation
In 2010 and 2011, the Stanton Chase office in Vienna Professional Services
was recognized for its achievements with the
company’s “Office Of The Year” award. Technology
Further Specializations:
Natural Resources and Energy
Family-Owned Businesses
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