The Experimental Making of the Future of Work

The aim of the research project is to investigate experimental approaches to alternative forms of work. In the context of discourses on Industrie 4.0 and the Future of Work, organizations try to reflect on the meaning of these often-abstract developments in relation to their own actions, and to develop corresponding programs. In this sense, questions about the future development of work arise in a similar way for science, firms and other organizations: How do organizational structures change in a digitalized context? How can decent work be organized considering the increasing demand for flexibility? Where can and must political and regulatory actions begin? Instead of asking these questions directly, the research project follows organizational approaches that address these questions. Thus, we ask which topics are considered relevant and how and under which conditions do these evolve in organizational action? A widespread organizational mode of approaching these issues are experimental settings designed to allow open but controlled experimentation with future forms of work. Such an experimental setting is the subject of this research project. We accompany an IT service provider in setting up such an experimental space that builds upon an initiative by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

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