Digital Transformation: Development of a digital work typology [10.01.23]
The use of digital technologies is transforming all areas of our society and has particularly far-reaching consequences for value chains and everyday working life. Digital transformation leads to changed requirements for employees in virtually all areas of work, but also challenges the management level. As outlined in a recent article by Caroline Ruiner's team, white- and blue-collar workers in the field of production are experiencing for instance a shift from manual work to supervisory work, and logistics workers are challenged by interruptions due to digitally integrated customer decisions in delivery processes. Such developments have the potential to significantly increase mental stress on employees: Work organization is changed, workers have to adapt to new routines and altered work processes, new skills are expected and require life-long training. The current empirical study examines work demands and resources from the perspective of workers and differentiates between the extent of digitalization and forms of human computer interaction (HCI). Based on qualitative interviews with 49 employees in production and logistics, the team identifies central work demands and resources and develops a digital work typology in order to be able to derive adequate measures for human resource management that ensure health and mental well-being for employees along digital transformation processes.
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Original Article
Ruiner, C., Debbing, C.E., Hagemann, V., (...), Klumpp, M., Hesenius, M. (2023) Job demands and resources when using technologies at work – development of a digital work typology. Employee Relations 190-208
Affiliations:
- Caroline Ruiner & Christina Elisabeth Debbing - Chair for Sociology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart
- Vera Hagemann and Martina Schaper - University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Matthias Klumpp - FOM University of Applied Sciences, Duesseldorf, Germany and Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Goettingen
- Marc Hesenius - University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
Abstract
Purpose – Digital technologies comprehensively change work processes and working conditions. However,
the use of digital technologies and the modes of collaboration between technologies and human workers differ
in terms of specific work organization and automatization. Referring to the job demands-resources model (JD-
R), this paper investigates job demands and resources from the workers’ perspectives and develops a digital
work typology according to dimensions of digitalization and forms of human–computer interaction (HCI).
Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a qualitative-empirical study with 49 interviews
in four German production and logistics organizations, emphasizing different job demands and job resources
for five digital work types identified.
Findings – The results indicate that job demands and resources are to be differentiated in relation to specific work
contexts. In this sense, this paper presents an analysis of dimensions of technology use and the impact of technology
use on working conditions through empirically analyzing job demands and resources in digital work settings.
Originality/value – The contribution of this paper is to empirically analyze job demands and resources in
digital work settings from the workers’ perspectives and to develop a digital work typology based on the
dimensions of digitalization and form of HCI. This typology can set the basis for further research insights as
well as management practice measures in human resources management (HRM).
Keywords Employee relations, Digitalization, Human–computer interaction, Job demands-resources model,
Qualitative methods
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