Establishment of flexible work as organizational development: Results from a qualitative case study

Abstract

The introduction and establishment of flexible work can be understood as a complex organizational development (OD) phenomenon, which includes culture, leadership, policies, technology, and office design (among others). In our study “GeMobAU” (Gestaltung mobil-flexibler Arbeit in grossen und mittleren Unternehmen – Design of mobile and flexible work in large and mid-sized companies), we tried to untangle the complexity around flexible work as an OD challenge. In order to achieve this, we conducted qualitative interviews, in pairs with teams and their supervisors in 13 cases in nine different companies, in which we discussed previous experiences as well as future expectations around flexible work on each of the five dimensions. Our analysis yielded distinctly different OD processes for beginner and advanced teams and organizations: While beginners had to cope with new requirements and competencies for employees, advanced organizations and teams expressed more concern about new leadership skills and styles that were needed, as well as finding the right technological solutions for highly mobile and distributed work.