The Impact of New Ways of Working on Organizations and Employees: A Systematic Review of Literature

Karine Renard, Frederic Cornu, Yves Emery and David Giauque
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Karine Renard: Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Frederic Cornu: Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Yves Emery: Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
David Giauque: Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Administrative Sciences, 2021, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: A new research stream emerged in the 2000s dedicated to flexible work arrangements in public and private organizations, called “new ways of working” (NWW). This article aims to examine NWW from both a theoretical and empirical perspective, focusing on definitional issues as well as on HR outcomes of this new concept. Current definitions of NWW are manifold and based on rather vague theoretical foundations. As NWW outcomes may be both positive and/or negative, we mobilize the “mutual gains” vs. “conflicting outcomes” theoretical debate to discuss the results of our literature review. This review is based on 21 articles (out of 90 initially selected for eligibility) dealing with NWW as a concept or as a bundle of practices. Findings demonstrate that NWW definitions are diverse and somewhat imprecise, lacking theoretical foundations and leading to fragmented research designs and findings. Findings also highlight the current lack of empirical data, which therefore does not allow any real conclusions on NWW’s effects on employees’ and organizations’ well-being and performance.

Keywords: new ways of working; flexible work arrangements; activity-based offices; flextime; telework; knowledge workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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