Working Life Within a Hybrid World – How Digital Transformation and Agile Structures Affect Human Functions and Increase Quality of Work and Business Performance

Abstract

Digitization is dramatically changing economy and society. With current developments in the field of e.g. artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data and data analytics, cloud computing, conversational systems and adaptive architectures, robotics as well as virtual and augmented reality work life is facing huge challenges. On the other side the networking over the internet, more effective handling and sharing of data and new forms of human-machine-collaboration offer a great variety of potentials for designing even more flexible business processes, agile working structures and even smarter working setups and environments. Technique, organizational aspects and humans in the future are going to be within a new triad. Instead of taking the role of a “dominator” or “captain” as in former times, humans now more and more have to fulfill tasks as a “conductor”. The role of building up and interacting within new hybrid networks and holistic systems is gaining higher importance – leading to massive changes with reference to all dimensions of work. Total new requirements concerning work objectives, working tasks, work equipment, workspace as well as new challenges for organization, qualification, employment and leadership arise. Work is becoming more and more digitally and going to look quite different than expected today. Combining the physical and virtual world is representing the key success factor for future work. The study examines how digitization is going to penetrate working life further on displaying central measures and selected solutions for resulting organizational structures, human qualification needs and optimized working conditions in a hybrid world.