Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Projects of "New Ways of Working" are multiplying both in the private and the public sector. This ambiguous label covers projects that aim to rethink the space and time of work through new spatial settings (open spaces, shared spaces, hot-desking, activity-based working...), new technological innovations (ICTs, paperless...) and an evolution of managerial practices towards more autonomy, trust, and workers' participation in their own management. HR professionnals thus have a capital role to play in designing and implementing these NWoW projects.
The course, therefore, will examine New Ways of Working projects under multiple angles: the underlying change process, the appropriation of spaces, the participative management and the responsibilisation of workers, the managerial relation and the psychosocial implications of NWoW, the role of consultancies, and issues related to IT security.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
- Discovering "New Ways of Working" projects and their implications
- Understanding issues and challenges of new ways of organizing work (remote working, open spaces, activity-based working, etc.)
- Acquiring techniques and skills to manage NWoW projects
- Conducting an individual, critical and reflexive work on a company undergoing a transformation project
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Basic understanding of the organization and HRM as taught in bachelor courses, as well as prior knowledge of change management practices.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
First sessions will aim to provide students with a working knowledge of New Ways of Working. Further sessions will combine interventions from professionals (HR, consultants, etc.) with some theoretical inputs. The sessions are conceived in an interactive way, and students are invited to participate actively to the sessions. We also plan to visit a NWoW building during the year.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Recommended or required readings
Recommended readings:
Aroles, J., Mitev, N., & De Vaujany, F. (2019). Mapping themes in the study of new work practices. New Technology, Work, and Employment, 34(3), 285-299.
Jemine, G., Dubois, C. & Pichault, F. (2020a). From a new workplace to a new way of working: legitimizing organizational change. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 15(3), 257-278.
Kingma, S. (2019). New ways of working (NWW): work space and cultural change in virtualizing organizations. Culture and Organization, 25(5), 383-406.
Lai, C., Bobillier Chaumon, M., Vacherand-Ravel, J. & Abitan A. (2020). Thinking activity-based work environment throughout situated acceptance. Journal of Workplace Learning.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written work / report
Additional information:
Evaluation will consist in an individual report conducted by students on concrete cases of NWoW transformation projects (or equivalent). The report will include a short but accurate literature review, as well as interviews conducted with the organization members (managers, project leader, union members). Students' ability to grasp the strategic motives underlying the project and to account for its translation into material devices and a managerial rhetoric will be at the heart of the evaluation.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
First class will be given on September 21. A detailed agenda of the course will be provided during the first session.
Contacts
Grégory Jemine (gjemine@uliege.be)
Giseline Rondeaux (g.rondeaux@uliege.be)