State of Work Innovation: Results of the Dutch National Research New Work Approach 2013

2013 – Every year Erasmus@work conducts a research on the New Work Approach. The main expectation of the Dutch national research New Work Approach 2013 is that it will result in cost savings for the company. In 2012 the main expectation was primarily a growing employee satisfaction and improved work / life balance for employees – for 2014 the main ambition is to further reduce organizational costs. 

The research
The annual research aims to provide a practical insight into the concept The New Work Approach. The research can be used as a benchmark and orientation tool because considerations, implementation choices and experiences are discussed with respect to The New Work Approach. In 2013, the results are based on data from 300 Dutch organizations.

The most important results
In recent years more and more organizations started working with The New Work Approach (43% of respondents in 2011, 53% in 2012 and 64% in 2013). This research builds the concept The New Work Approach around several ‘components’. Clusters of these components give an indication of the strategy followed by the respondents: Basic Strategy (45%), Sustainable strategy (10%), Cooperation Strategy (22%) or a Combination Strategy (23%). The average score of these organizations is becoming better at The New Work Approach related factors, such as finding a good balance between trust and control (time and location- independent) employees, the online provision of required work-related information and encouraging openness in daily work.
While The New Work Approach is introduced and the definition is increasingly becoming more recognizable the resistance grows and slightly takes away the enthusiasm (39 % in 2013 compared to 50% in 2012) with increasing negative associations (19% in 2013 compared with 12% in 2012). The main obstacles to the successful implementation of The New Work Approach in 2013 were the fear among employees to lose their own (fixed) workplace, resistance of managers to the concept, the fear of losing colleagues and a mismatch of The New Work Approach with the existing organizational culture. 

Reference
Meulen, Nick van der. Status of The New Work Approach: results of the National New Work Approach Research 2013. In:Erasmus@Work Research Briefing # 6″, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Universiteit. The full article is included in PDF. 

In addition the next weblink contains a short (English) movie concerning this research. 

https://www.erim.eur.nl/research/centres/erasmus-work/videos/

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