The ICT industry has brought about tremendous changes in all sectors of life. The rate at which both hardware and software have been adopted has led to a constant need of qualified personnel. According to some recent studies managerial positions are not considered as one of the top career goals for young ICT professionals. In Finland, becoming a manager or leader was ranked only the sixth important career goal for young ICT professionals (Universum 2010). Here the question arises to which extent national cultures differ in their approach to managerial aspirations by applying the example of Finland and Austria.

In this exploratory study a qualitative approach is used to assess differences in managerial aspirations of UAS Master`s ICT students. Using the framework for categorizing cultural differences from the Global Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (GLOBE) study, potential Finnish and Austrian managers are examined by individual cultural dimensions. Taking the GLOBE dimensions performance orientation, assertiveness and gender egalitarianism influenced by Hofstede`s (1980) MAS index we delineate the dimensions that impacted career aspirations most. A hypothesis was set up after evaluating the qualitative data. In a second study the predicted hypotheses will be analyzed and verified with quantitative research.