Projects on The Future of Work

NewGlobal explores the drivers, success factors and impacts of ICT rich collaborative working environments that stretch across the borders of countries. Impact categories analysed include employee self-organisation, nurturing of human capital, productivity effects, and levels of innovative activity. The study takes a comprehensive approach using best practice case study research as well as primary data collection by means of a representative survey of businesses in Europe. Special attention is taken to account for the situation of Europe's large number of small and medium sized companies who until now have not been sufficiently integrated into the global economy. The study strives to provide well-targeted support to EU policy-making. This also includes publication and wide dissemination of key study findings in an attractive way to promote awareness among European stakeholders of the opportunities created by cross-border virtual collaboration. The project is coordinated by =mcm Institute, St. Gallen University, Switzerland (MCM) with empirica GmbH, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland and Telematica Instituut, Enschede, The Netherlands as partners.
News Global Newsletter February

An emerging new generation of networked working environments (NWEs), based on mature broadband technologies and ubiquitous / ambient computing, is expected to substantially change working processes at the individual, office, team, and (inter-) company level, thereby allowing sustainable growth in innovative activity, value creation and competitiveness across Europe. The project defines and classifies NWEs and related phenomena, and explores drivers, conditions and impacts of ICT-based innovations in working environments. It will do so through a synthesis of existing research findings and data, case study analysis and in-depth interaction with leading experts in the field. Based on this work, the study will derive scenarios and visions for future NWEs and develop a roadmap on possible concepts, their implications and key challenges, to be addressed by the European research community.

Together with the University of Tampere (Finland) and Synergia (Italy), empirica together with Versicherungsverbund "Die Continentale", Deutsche Bank and SAP has started the project on 1 November 2004. The objectives of the German sub-project are the:

• development of concepts of alternative working arrangements for an age diverse workforce in three user organisations,
• partial implementation of these concepts on a pilot basis, and
• evaluation of the implementation process throughout the entire piloting process.

The project will run until October 2006 and is partially funded by the European Commission though the European Social Funds Art. 6 programme.