Adult education institutions face many different and often contradictive demands. Those institutions deciding to internationalise, have to develop professional strategies to cope with both, the already existing demands and the new requests due to the international engagement. This brings up the question how institutions and staff do so. The paper focuses on strategies professionals in adult education institutions use, here in the German Volkshochschulen, to engage in EU-projects, focusing on both the motivation to participate in such projects as well as on the organisational strategies that develop within the institutions to cope with the new requests.

theoretical background, methodology

The paper is based on qualitative research in the form of interviews with staff in Volkshochschulen who work on EU-projects. The interviews have been analysed with the content analysis (Mayring). Core of the analysis is a typology focussing on real types based on four Volkshochschulen. The theoretical spine of the work is organisation theory, especially the work of Ortfried Schäffter, as well as of Edgar Schein (organisational culture) and the core documents on EU educational policy.

essential findings

1. though structural preconditions are similar, all institutions have their very individual motivation to participate in EU-Projects and develop their own professional strategies

2. motivations of staff differ within and between organisations as well as within and between different hierarchy levels

3. professional strategies differ from institution to institution and are often connected to further strategic aims

4. both motivation and strategy are linked to the prevalent organisational culture (real types)