Research Themes

Erasmus@Work develops knowledge and insight about new ways of working and provides answers to corporate questions taking into account the pervasive use and impact of new technologies for cooperation. Our five research themes are: :

Theme 1: Impact of New and Sustainable Work

Erasmus@Workinvestigates best practices and innovative forms of new work concepts. For this purpose, various measurement instruments have been developed and applied within different companies. Since 2007, more than 4,000 knowledge workers have participated in these surveys. Research topics include:

• Measurement of the effects of new work concepts on knowledge worker productivity, job flexibility, employee satisfaction, innovation, and work-life balance;
• Analysis of team performance in a distributed and multi-location setting;
• Identification of digital and mobile personae - typologies of information workers
  
  
  
  

Theme 2: Ecological Behaviour and Mobility

Erasmus@Work studies how different work-travel scenarios impact mobility, ecological behaviour and the effects on ecological footprint. Research topics include:

• Analysis of motivational factors for sustainable ecological behaviour;
• Conduct work-travel-location studies;
• Analysis of footprint balance and tradeoffs between people-profit-planet
  
  
  
  

Theme 3: New Media Communication Repertoires

Erasmus@Work analyses effectiveness of communication repertoires and the usage of new media as part of collaboration arrangements, such as the use of Twitter, chat, videoconferencing, and virtual workspaces. Erasmus@Work uses different methodologies, such as social network analysis, surveys and experiments. Research topics include:

• The relationship between knowledge management, social capital, and new ways of working;
• Social network analysis of knowledge worker media choice and media effectiveness;
• Project team effectiveness and media choice: the determination of the physical minimum and the virtual optimum;
• Analysis of human work behaviour via sociometric badges. 
  
  
  
  

Theme 4: Self-organising

Erasmus@Work explores collective behavioural patterns of flexible workforces, while optimising People (freedom to organise work-life balance), Planet (reduce congestion, reduce traffic) and Profit (cost saving on mobility and housing). Research topics include:

• How can agent software help to improve and speed up decentralised decision making in a work context;
• How freedom to choose and organise work will influence work patterns;
• How empowerment contributes to productivity.
  
  
  
  

Theme 5: Transition Process

Erasmus@Work investigates the transition process of moving from a current work situation to a new work situation. One of the challenges for organisations is (mis)alignment between new work concepts and existing organisational structures (such as leadership style, employee benefits etc.). Measurement instruments are used to link work dimensions to performance, which supports management in their choice for interventions in the transition process. Research topics include:

• Developing the business case for implementing new and sustainable work;
• Studying behavioural patterns for different types of interventions;
• The role of management in the implementation of new work concepts;
• Strategies and arrangements for seducing knowledge workers to change their work and travel habits;
• Evidence based interventions to support the transition.