Research Focus: Future of Work

The research stream “Future of Work” at Wi1 focusses on the influence and impact of digital technologies on workplaces, work processes, and the institutional organization of work. We typically explore the resulting organizational innovation and transformation in large-scale field experiments and try to answer questions such as:

  • How will digital technologies change work places and organizational settings as we know them?
  • How can organizations lead the digital transformation of their organizations?
  • Which concepts, methods and tools help us to design the future of work and the future of entrepreneurial organizational settings?

We, thus, contribute to a better understanding of the current digital transformation in organizations and markets.

Research Projects


Term: since 1. January 2013
Funding source: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft und Medien, Energie und Technologie (StMWIVT) (ab 10/2013)
Project leader: ,

JOSEPHS® - Die Service Manufaktur is a project with the Fraunhofer IIS - Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services SCS. This open shop in downtown Nuremberg invites visitors to co-create the future of services and products. This project focuses on researching about how customers actively participate in innovation for goods and products, about how firms learn from working together with customers in direct interaction and about how experiments with prototyping and innovation tools can lead to further development of the latter.

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Term: 1. June 2016 - 30. April 2019
Funding source: Industrie
Project leader:

Digitalisierung, Industrie 4.0 und demografischer Wandel – die Arbeitswelt verändert sich rapide. Sie wird digitaler, vernetzter und flexibler. Für Fach- und Führungskräfte bedeutet der Einsatz moderner Technologien nicht nur Entlastung, sondern er stellt auch neue Anforderungen an sie. Unternehmen stehen der Herausforderung gegenüber, für die Gesundheit und Kompetenz ihrer Beschäftigten zu sorgen.

HR- und Gesundheitsmanagement - in digitalisierter Arbeitswelt unverzichtbar

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Term: 1. October 2016 - 30. November 2018
Funding source: Stiftungen
Project leader: ,

The project 'Cooperatives in the Digital Age' (CoDi) investigates challenges and opportunities of the increasing digitization of industry and society from the perspective of cooperative banks. The ongoing digitization enables incumbent firms as well as start-ups to create new products, services, and business models. The project addresses the question how cooperative banks can remain true to their traditions and cooperative principles and, at the same time, profit from technological developments that help them better meet the needs of their members and customers.

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Term: 1. August 2011 - 30. April 2015
Funding source: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)
Project leader: ,

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Term: 1. September 2009 - 31. December 2013
Funding source: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)
Project leader: ,

The research alliance BALANCE comprises 39 research projects dealing with flexibility and stability in the working world. It presents their research results and creates visibility in economy, science, society and politics.

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Term: 1. October 2017 - 31. March 2020
Funding source: Industrie
Project leader:

The research project with the „NÜRNBERGER Versicherung“ insurance company investigates the application of open, flexible and multi-functional office space concepts in the context of Open Innovation and Future of Work. The levels of analysis are employees, business processes and the Organisation as a whole. In that, the effect of new working environments can be studied and improved.

The investigation is undertaken though a pilot site at NÜRNBERGER Versicherung. The local team is included and provides a real-life situation in which new concepts can be looked at close up.

The goal of these concepts is to increase motivation, communication, creativity and well-being and thus should also support to establish a better productivity.

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Term: 1. July 2013 - 30. June 2016
Funding source: andere Förderorganisation
Project leader:

The project CoCo focuses on social media in cooperatives and their role in connecting people and establishing valuable networks. A cooperative is an autonomous group of people who cooperate for their mutual benefit. Thus, the network is a cooperative’s essential asset. The project investigates how social media can support communication, collaboration and organizational culture, and identifies potentials and challenges of different social media strategies.

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Term: 1. January 2014 - 31. December 2016
Funding source: EU - 8. Rahmenprogramm - Horizon 2020
Project leader: ,

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Term: 7. February 2023 - 31. December 2023
Project leader:

The research project „New spatial concepts for the research of tomorrow at the School of Business, Economics and Society” aims to design and evaluate a new collaborative spatial concept for scientific work at universities. To achieve this, existing office spaces at the School of Business, Economics and Society of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg will be transformed into activity-based workspaces. The design will be tailored to meet the unique requirements of knowledge work and research at universities, while also taking into account possible restrictions due to structural conditions. By redesigning the office space, the project seeks to increase employee satisfaction, motivation and productivity. In this way, the university will be able to position itself as an attractive employer and a hub for generating innovations in the future.

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