Listen and change: TU Darmstadt starts groundbreaking wave of surveys!

Listen and change: TU Darmstadt starts groundbreaking wave of surveys!

An exciting year is coming up at TU Darmstadt! With the project “Listen. Understand. Change.” A regular, topic-specific survey will be initiated, which will run over several years. The first survey will take place between June 30 and July 25, 2025. This is primarily about collaboration at the university and how a common understanding of work can be promoted among employees. The project is effectively supported by Professor Christian Stecker from the Department of Social and Historical Sciences, who is responsible for the survey. The planned second survey in the winter semester of 2025/26 will be dedicated to the topic of “leadership” in order to analyze the experiences of employees and record the conditions for good leadership. Further topics are already being planned and should be based, among other things, on suggestions from employees, as the TU Darmstadt describes.

The idea behind all of this is clear: the aim is to improve university culture through active dialogue and employee participation. The topic of leadership is becoming increasingly important in universities, and there are efforts to develop leadership guidelines to raise awareness of leadership responsibility. This is being promoted, among other things, at the TU Dresden, where workshops have been collecting important aspects of good leadership since October 2022. Max Schulz, consultant for strategic personnel development at TU Dresden, emphasizes the role of managers in the motivation and development of employees. Similar efforts should also be implemented in Darmstadt.

Student survey and summer festival

Parallel to the discussion of leadership topics, the 2023 student survey is currently underway at TU Darmstadt. This survey, which lasts until June 30, 2025, offers students the opportunity to give their opinions and suggestions about their studies. The feedback is crucial in order to further develop the courses and services. A higher response rate means more influence on your own study environment - so it makes sense to get involved! If you don't want an excuse, you even have the opportunity to stop by the summer party of the student council in the Kuhle at the Mechanical Engineering Learning Center (L3|01) on July 1, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. There you'll find delicious grilled food, home-brewed beer and Aperol. Another highlight: If the student survey has a high response rate, the drinks will be cheaper, which makes participation even more pleasant, as TU Darmstadt reports.

In summary, it can be said that both the surveys and the summer festival make a valuable contribution to the community and culture at TU Darmstadt. If students and employees become equally active, nothing stands in the way of a positive development of university culture! Reflective conversations about leadership and a relaxed get-together at the summer party – these are the ingredients for a fruitful university environment.

The TU Dresden shows how important it is to raise awareness of leadership responsibility. Various modules are run here to improve the leadership culture, which include comprehensive communication, further training opportunities and incentives for good leadership. These approaches are long overdue and also offer the TU Darmstadt valuable impulses while the “Listen. Understand. Change” project develops. formed.