How can organizations promote the environmentally friendly behavior of their employees in the workplace? Our research addresses this question, in particular by investigating the potential of information systems (IS) to support the environmentally friendly behavior in the workplace.

The project examines the interrelated areas of competing institutional logics, psychological dynamics, and motivational affordances from a socio-technical perspective. Thereby, the project provides theoretical contributions in the areas of business informatics and organizational behavior. In order to achieve this, Prof. Dr. Marina Fiedler and Prof. Dr. Johann Kranz (Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich) formed an interdisciplinary cooperation project. Jointly with researchers from both chairs, we conducted interviews, surveys, and experiments. In doing so, the research project was supported by well-known German companies. Thus, the research group was able to collect attitude and behavioral data of employees in diverse and real working environments and to test experimentally the effects of IS-based interventions on environmental behavior. This allows us to capture the specific characteristics and regularities, both theoretically and empirically. Overall, the project provides a better understanding of individual sustainable behavior and how this behavior can be technically supported. From a practical perspective, the project helps organizations to become more sustainable and how to involve employees in sustainability change effectively.

New web-based platforms such as MTurk, Clickworker, Freelancer and Upwork increasingly mediate work assignments. From small writing and translation services, logo and graphic design, to complex IT projects, these platforms increasingly shape the daily work of millions of people worldwide. But what does this mean for contractors and how does it change work in general?

The associated research projects examine the effects and conditions of platform work on the work motivation and perception of contractors and the emerging trade-off relationship with conventional employment relationships. At the same time, the virtually traded orders are detached from fixed physical work locations and predefined circles of colleagues.  In this context,  Dr. Strunk, Ms. Mayer (M.A.), Dr. Ihl and Prof. Dr. Fiedler investigate the work experience and networking of crowdworkers in qualitative forum analyses and quantitative surveys. Thereby, attitudes, expectations and behavior will be investigated and better understood in order to understand how virtual working conditions can be designed and improved. Platforms offer great potentials for self-determined work, the development of personal holding environments and a comprehensive integration of disadvantaged groups of employees who only get few chances in classical organizations. The research provides new insights into motivation in virtual work, the mutual development of crowdworkers among themselves and a more inclusive work organization. In practice, a better understanding of work on platforms will be gained to facilitate targeted use and more efficient regulation. The goal is to improve the work experience of contractors as well as to simplify the use of this virtual and efficient work system for organizations.

In Zeiten omnipräsenter Smartphones, Computer und Tablets rücken bewusste Managementpraktiken wie Mindfulness zunehmend in den Aufmerksamkeitsfokus von Organisationen und Management. Mindfulness wird beispielsweise von Unternehmen genutzt, um den zunehmenden Quellen für ständige Ablenkung und dem hektischeren Arbeitsalltag entgegenzuwirken. Obwohl die bewusste Wahrnehmung von Situationen im Arbeitsalltag zu besseren Entscheidungen führt und individuellen Stress reduziert, bestehen in europäischen Unternehmen weiterhin viele Vorbehalte gegenüber der Einführung bewusster Managementpraktiken.

Das beschriebene Forschungsprojekt untersucht die durch die Einführung bewusster Managementpraktiken verursachten Veränderungen der Personalarbeit untersucht. Darauf aufbauend werden bewusste Managementmethoden als Hilfestellung für Mitarbeiter im digitalisierten Arbeitsumfeld beleuchtet.  Zudem wird betrachtet, wie Mindfulness interpretiert wird und welche Hindernisse, je nach Verständnis und Erwartungshaltung,  einer Einführung entgegenstehen. Hierbei werden konfligierende Interpretationen und deren Auswirkung auf die Diffusion und Adaption von Managementpraktiken zusammengeführt.

Mit qualitativen Interviews und Feldbeobachtungen in multinationalen Unternehmen untersuchen Herr Dr. Ihl, Herr Dr. Kim Strunk und Frau Prof. Dr. Fiedler die Rahmenbedingungen, Veränderungen und Widerstände für Mindfulnesspraktiken. Dadurch ist die Forschergruppe in der Lage, Verhalten der Mitarbeiter und Auswirkungen der Managementpraktiken im realen Arbeitskontext zu analysieren. Aus praktischer Sichtführt das Projekt zu einem besseren Verständnis von Mindfulness und der Personalarbeit im digitalisierten Arbeitsumfeld.