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A study to the way in which HR, ICT and facility management interact
within the organizational change towards Het Nieuwe Werken
Author: Evelien van Damme, Msc.
Student number: 0828459
Date: February, 2011
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Preface
Two years ago I completed my first masterthesis for the master Policy, Communication and
Organization. Within the process of that project I realized that I wanted to gain more insights in
theories concerning business strategies andorganizational change. Therefore, I choose to start a
new study: Business Administration. After a tough pre-master, the master specialization Strategy
started. And with a new master it is required to write a new masterthesis! Although some people say
that a second time is mostly a disillusion, this was not the case with my masterthesis. Just like the
first time, the process of my masterthesis gave me energy, it made me enthusiastic and I gathered a
lot of new knowledge and experiences! However, I did not get the energy, enthusiasm, knowledge
and experiences from reading, analyzing and summarizing numerous articles. Above all, the past
months many people around me gave me energy and inspiration. Hence, the accomplishment of thismasterthesis has never been possible without the help of these important people and therefore I would
like to thank them for their contribution.
First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor of the Radboud University: Stefan Heusinkveld. He
challenged me to cross the boundaries of my capabilities and his vast research experience and insight
in organizational changes have proven to be very valuable in the writing process. Additionally, hisconstructive criticism and analytical view helped me to write this masterthesis. Also many thanks to my
second reader Pascale Peters, for her insights in flexible work concepts and her valuable feedback
during the writing process of my masterthesis. Moreover, many thanks to the interviewees who
participated in my study. Without them I would not have any results and my writing process would be
much duller. Thanks to their cooperation and trust, I got a look in practice and how a new concept is
implemented in organizations. Furthermore, I would like to thank Atse Koopmans my supervisor ofKirkman Company for his innovative ideas and professional guidance. At the same time, I would
like to thank my fellow interns and colleagues at Kirkman Company who have really been an
inspiration to me in the recent months.
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AbstractPurpose Organizations in todays business face several factors which changed their way of working,
such as rising real estate costs, global competition, and increasing power of new information and
communication technologies. These changes have also forced organizations to find new ways to
structure their organizations. A way to respond to these rapid changes in the environment is the
adaption of flexible work concepts, such as Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW). In an effort to unravel the
organizational change towards HNW, the objective of this study is to explore the new concept of HNW
and the way in which different organizational disciplines HR, ICT and facility management - interact
within this concept.
Methodology To meet the objective of the research, an explanatory qualitative study is conducted.
The research strategy of this study includes twenty-five interviews among ten Dutch organizations.
HR, ICT and facility managers which were involved in the implementation of HNW of their organization
participated in this research by semi-structured face-to-face interviews.
Findings Results from the twenty-five interviews indicate that HNW can be seen as a flexible work
concept which consists of the characteristics: trust and flexibility/freedom. To reach these goals, HR-,
ICT- and facility management have to interact. When analyzing this interaction between the HR, ICT
and facility discipline within HNW, it became clear that the three disciplines interact in two ways. In the
first place, the findings showed that there were tensions between the different disciplines within the
implementation of HNW. These tensions occurred at different levels within the organization, namely at
the strategic, operational and supporting level. However, interaction between the disciplines is not only
visible in tensions, but also in the cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management. This kind of
interaction also occurs at three levels of the organization. The interaction between the disciplines
occurs because of their interdependency within the concept of HNW.
Implications This study drew on theories of flexible work concepts and the framework of
organizational change of Greenwood & Hinings (1996). To shed light on the poorly understood
concept of HNW and the process of the interaction between organizational disciplines this research
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Table of content
1 Introduction 5
1 | 1 Motives for research 6
1 | 2 Relevance of the research 7
1 | 3 Research question 9
1 | 4 Research method 10
1 | 5 Structure of the research 10
2 A change towards a new world of work 12
2 | 1 The development of flexible work concepts, such as Het Nieuwe Werken 132 | 2 Motives for the adoption of Het Nieuwe Werken 14
2 | 3 Het Nieuwe Werken as an organizational change 19
3 Research method 28
3 | 1 Introduction 29
3 | 2 Research type- and plan 29
3 | 3 Data collection 31
3 | 4 Data analysis 32
3 | 5 Reliability and validity 33
3 | 6 Report 34
4 Results 35
4 | 1 Introduction 36
4 | 2 The concept Het Nieuwe Werken 36
4 | 3 The interpretations of HR, ICT and facility management on Het Nieuwe Werken 40
4 | 4 Tensions between HR, ICT and facility management 46
4 | 5 Cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management 49
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Appendices 67Appendix 1 Invitation for interviews / e-mail 68
Appendix 2 Explanation of the study / appendix of the e-mail 69
Appendix 3 Topic list for the interviews 70
Appendix 4 Open coding scheme 72
Appendix 5 Open coding- and axial coding table 76
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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
The objective of this chapter is to discuss the developments in the
field of organizations which shaped the motives for this research tothe organizational change towards Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW).
This will result in the formulation and an explanation of the central
research question. Furthermore, this chapter demonstrates that
this research has relevance for the science of business studies as
well as for the concept of management. To reach these goals, the
following paragraphs will be used:
1|1 Motives for research
|2 R l f h h
1| New technologies, human needs, and
environmental and facility concerns are allimportant in the adoption of flexible work
concepts (Karnowski & White, 2002)
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1 Introduction
This research focuses on the way in which three organizational disciplines HR, ICT and facility
management interact within the change process towards the flexible work concept Het Nieuwe
Werken (HNW). The research draws on theories of flexible work concepts and organizational change
in order to analyze the interaction in various Dutch organizations. Conducting the research will lead to
the emergence of two models of interaction in which tensions and cooperation between the
organizational disciplines are central. These models reflect that tensions and cooperation within HNW
are present at different levels strategic, operational, and supporting of the organization.
1|1 Motives for research
1|1|1 The need for a more flexible way of working
Decennia ago, the industrial revolution took people away from home to centralized workplaces such as
factories and offices. Today a reverse trend is found, people practicing their work from other
environments than only the factory or the central office (Baruch, 2000; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004).
This is because in the current business organizations face changing workforce demographics, rising
real estate costs, and global competition (Becker & Steele, 1995; Karnowski & White, 2002; Prahaled
& Hamel, 1990; Cascio,1995; Meyer, Allen & Topolnytsky, 1998). These developments altered theway in which organizations structure their organization (Meyer, Allen & Topolnytsky, 1998; Cascio
1995; Carnoy, 1998). In response to rapid changes in the market and in the world of work, a more
flexible form of production is required (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Cascio, 1995) and flexible
work concepts are embraced. Though, proponents of flexible work concepts see these developments
as a reason to focus on these concepts. However, nowadays, flexibility in work is substantial and
growing and it affects many organizations and individuals (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Meyer,Allen & Topolnytsky, 1998).
1|1|2 Het Nieuwe Werken as a flexible work conceptThe changing environment and the notion of flexibility have led to the introduction of flexible work
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Kurland, 2002; Di Martino & Wirth, 1990; Baruch, 2000; Prez, Snchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002;
Illegems & Verbeke, 2004). In this way, it anticipates on the rapid changing environment in many
organizations (Cronshaw, 1998). On the other side, opponents of flexible work concepts emphasize
the lack of organizational commitment, communication difficulties and decreasing social cohesion
(Baruch, 2000; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Schabracq & Cooper, 2000; Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis,
1997). However, when the decision is made to implement HNW in the organization, many aspects of
the organization need to be changed.
1|1|3 An organizational change towards Het Nieuwe WerkenThe adoption of a flexible work concept can therefore be understood from the perspective of
organizational change (Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010). Within an organizational change, the interplay of
organizational disciplines is an important aspect to understand the change process (Greenwood &
Hinings, 1996). Within the field of flexible work concepts, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) emphasized that
these concepts, such as HNW, rely on three main concepts: organization, location and technology. In
other words, it is assumed that the ICT, HR and facility departments of an organization need to be
taken into account when analyzing the organizational change towards HNW.
1|2 Relevance of the research
Surprisingly, however, prior research on flexible work concepts has its shortcomings in three ways.
Therefore, this research has relevance for the scientific literature in three different ways.
1|2|1 Scientific relevance
First, there has been little scientific research conducted on HNW as a flexible work practice. Althoughthe notion of flexible work concepts has already reached many organizations and gained public
awareness (Baruch, 2000; Baily & Kurland, 2002; Microsoft, 2005; Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp,
2009), the relative young concept of HNW is not yet studied in a scientific way. Although equivalent
concepts to HNW, such as teleworking and telecommuting, are already analyzed in scientific
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the employees consider HNW as an attractive work concept. Due to the expected attention to HNW
and the shortcoming in the present literature, it is therefore important that this scientific research
analyzes and describes the concept of HNW as a flexible work concept.
Second, there has been little scientific research in the field of flexible work practices as an
organizational change. Because HNW is a relatively young concept, the equivalent concepts are to
some extent investigated as organizational changes (Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009).
However, the present literature on flexible work practices mainly paid attention to the advantages and
disadvantages of these concepts for employees and organizations. However, these researches did not
had a specific focus on the organizational change process of the flexible work concept (Microsoft,
2005; Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010) and have not linked the neo-institutional theory to HNW. Therefore,
it makes sense to analyze a flexible work concept, such as HNW, as an organizational change,
because such a concept affects the whole organization. Furthermore, it is important to analyze the
flexible work concept HNW as an organizational change, because the implementation of a flexible
work concept requires interaction between different organizational disciplines, which is an important
aspect to understand the change process (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).
Third, the existing literature on flexible work concepts lacks focus on the interaction between different
organizational disciplines which is important within an organizational change. Unfortunately, the
scientific literature mainly paid attention to the fact that a flexible work concept would be driven by
technological innovation: more powerful software and computing systems, the Internet and pervasive
wireless connectivity (Microsoft, 2005; Prez, Snchez, Luis Carciner & Jimnez, 2005; Brewster,
Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Baruch, 2000). The ICT department is therefore seen as an important part
of the organization in HNW by providing the organization and its members ICT tools which enable
flexible working (Microsoft, 2005; Prez, Snchez, Luis Carciner & Jimnez, 2005). However, in
celebrating the success of the advances of the technological innovation, these authors did not pay
attention to the human side of the implementation of HNW. According to Microsoft (2005) the HR
discipline is important, because empowering people to work more efficiently and effectively in of the
new world of work should be at the center of any organizations strategy Also Brewster Mayne &
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adoption and success of flexible work concepts, no scientific research has included ICT, HR and
facility disciplines together to analyze the organizational change towards HNW and the interaction
between these disciplines within it. It is therefore important to analyze the perceptions of all three
disciplines together that are important within flexible work concepts. With that, new insights on the
interaction between different organizational disciplines within the flexible work concept of HNW can be
added to the present literature.
1|2|2 Practical relevanceBesides the fact that this study has scientific relevance, it also contributes to practical and
organizational issues. By conducting this research, organizations will receive useful information about
the implementation of HNW in combination with the interaction between HR, ICT and facility
management. The need for a study like this is reflected in the amount of business journals andpopular-scientific journals where the concept of flexible work concepts dominates (Over het nieuwe
werken, 2009; Hovemann, 2009). HNW is not only popular in the business journals, but also on the
Internet. Various sites, such as overhetnieuwewerken.nl, hetnieuwewerkenblog.nl and werken20.nl,
pay attention to this concept and also professional social network sites, such as LinkedIn, have special
interest groups developed on the topic of the new world of work. Furthermore, the concept of HNW is
not only noticed in the business society, but also in government organizations, which is reflected onthe ambtenaar20.nl site where the concept of the new world of work is applied to the government. This
shows that flexible work concepts are at the heart of the business- and government concept. The
results of this research can help organizations to understand the perceptions and interaction of the
HR, ICT and facility departments and in which way they can anticipate to this to implement HNW in
their own organization. Besides this, Kirkman Company can apply the results and the acquired
knowledge of this study to guide and advise their clients within projects concerning HNW.
1|3 Research questionThe developments in the field of organizations on the adoption of flexible work concepts and the lack
of scientific research on the interaction of organizational departments within the implementation of
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This research question requires analysis of the complex organizational change of HNW and the
interaction of different organizational disciplines within that change. The objective of this research is to
gain insight in the flexible work concept HNW and the way in which different organizational
perspectives interact within the organizational change process towards HNW. To come to an integral
answer on the research question, the research first focuses on flexible work concepts and especially
HNW. Second, there will be focus on HNW as an organizational change where different organizational
disciplines are involved. This structure allows to answer the central research question in steps.
1|4 Research methodTo come to an answer on the central research question, this study contains a theoretical part as well
as an empirical part. Within the theoretical part, the existing literature on flexible work concepts and
organizational change will be discussed. In the literature on organizational change the focus will be on
the neo-institutional theory, because it explains how organizations implement organizational changes
and it focuses on how differences between various disciplines in organizational changes can exist and
can be interpreted. After the theoretical analysis, an empirical analysis has been conducted. Because
of the explorative character of this study, a qualitative research method is chosen. Using this method,
complex details of HNW and its implementation can become clear (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Within
this research, HR, ICT and facility managers of various organizations were interviewed to explore how
they interact with each other within the implementation of HNW. A topic list is used to give structure to
the interviews and to analyze theoretical dimensions. After a detailed coding process where the
obtained data is unraveled the results will be interpreted and discussed (Corbin & Strauss, 1990).
1|5 Structure of the research
Finally, the structure of the research is schematic described in figure 1. The next chapter, chapter two,
will focus on flexible work concepts. In this chapter there will be attention for the changing world of
work during the last decades. Moreover, it describes the development, advantages and disadvantages
of flexible work concepts, such as HNW. Furthermore, it will use the neo institutional theory to explain
HNW as an organizational change The second chapter also explores the perceptions of HR ICT and
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Figure 1. The structure of the research.
Introduction
Theoretical research
Empirical research
Synthesis
Chapter 1Motives, relevance and research question
Chapter 2The new world of work
Chapter 3Methodology
Chapter 4Results empirical research
Chapter 5
Conclusion and discussion
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CHAPTER 2 A CHANGE TOWARDS A NEW WORLD OF WORK
The aim of the second chapter is to give an overview of organizational theories
concerning flexible work concepts. At the beginning there will be attention for
the development of flexible work concepts, such as HNW. Furthermore, the
concept of HNW will be introduced by advantages and disadvantages of flexible
work concepts. Moreover the neo institutional theory will be described to
introduce HNW as an organizational change. To achieve these goals, the
following paragraphs will be used:
2|1 The development of flexible work concepts, such as
Het Nieuwe Werken
2| Around the world, the concept of flexibleworking concepts and the implications of
it have much been discussed (Brewster,
Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997)
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both ICT, and HR, and facility management. To understand why organizations implement flexible work
concepts, such as HNW, the next section will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of flexible
work concepts for employees and the organization. Furthermore, there will be attention for HNW as an
organizational change and the existence of different perceptions on it.
2|2 Motives for the adoption of HNWWithin the existing literature, there is an extensive elaboration on motives, advantages and
disadvantages of flexible work concepts, such as HNW (Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Reichwald &
Mslein, 1999; Microsoft, 2005). These themes will now be analyzed for organizations as well as for its
employees (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Carnoy, 1998; Baruch, 2000).
2|2|1 Changes in the environment of the organization
It is widely noticed that several changes in the environment of organizations are a motive to change
the organizational structures. Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997) assume that organizations must
adopt more flexibility to become more responsive to economic requirements and to be able to deliver a
more efficient and competitive workforce. Furthermore, the authors state that the pressure for greater
flexibility is also said to derive from the particularly unstable and unprecedented market conditions
experienced in the recent years (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Cascio, 1995). Cascio (1995)
adds the impact of the information technology to this, which is also underlined by Microsoft (2005).
Moreover, Meyer, Allen & Topolnytsky (1998) pressume that shifts in technological innovations and
global competition have led to the attempt of organizations to alter the way in which they structure their
organization. This is in line with the statements of Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997), Cascio (1995)
and Microsoft (2005). Also Schabracq & Cooper (2000) and Carnoy (1998) underline the development
of new technologies all over the world and the growing globalization as important changes in the
environment of organizations. According to them, organizational change, such as HNW, is necessary
for an organization to adapt to a changing environment. Likewise, Horn & Storen (2000) list a number
of factors which increase the attention for flexible working concepts, such as HNW. These authors
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2|2|2 Potential advantages of HNW
Potential advantages of HNW for the employees
According to the present literature on flexible work concepts, there are several potential advantages
for employees as well as organizations to adopt HNW (Microsoft, 2005; Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis,
1997; Baruch, 2000; Di Martino & Wirth, 1990; Prez, Snchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Illegems &
Verbeke, 2004). The existing literature discussed six potential advantages of flexible work concepts,such as HNW, for the employees of the organization. First, Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997) state
that the adoption of a flexible work concept, such as HNW, can be seen as family friendly for the
employees of the organization, which is also underlined by Illegems & Verbeke (2004). Because
employees are supposed to have more flexible working hours, Baruch (2000) states that
implementation of a flexible work concept leads to more time with the family for the employees. Also Di
Martino & Wirth (1990) argue that the adoption of a flexible work concept can be a very attractiveopportunity for employees to arrange their working time, leisure time and family activities. This is in
line with the expected advantages of flexible work concepts described by Daniels, Lamond & Standen
(2001)and Baily & Kurland (2002). Second, Carnoy (1998) added another advantage for employees
when an organization successfully adopts a flexible work concept. The author underlines that a work
concept such as HNW leads to the ability of an employee to move from a job in one firm to another, to
learn new jobs in the same firm, to do several different types of tasks and to adjust quickly to differentkinds of employment cultures in different group situations. Third, Baruch (2000) described the possible
benefit of improved performance or better productivity for employees. This potential advantage of the
adoption of flexible work concepts is also mentioned by Baily & Kurland (2002). Fourth, Reichwald &
Mslein (1999) state that employees can expect reduced stress when their organization successfully
adopt flexible work concepts. Also Baruch (2000) noted less work related stress as a potential
advantage for employees. A fifth potential advantage of flexible work concepts is described by DiMartino & Wirth (1990). These authors state that such concepts can lead to an increased motivation
and job satisfaction among employees. This is also mentioned in the study of Baily & Kurland (2002),
who underline also that organizational loyalty is an advantage of the successful adoption of flexible
work concepts. Furthermore, Reichwald & Mslein (1999) state that employees can expect increased
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employees with a higher education are more able to adjust to new situations and adopt new methods
of working. In addition, Baruch (2000) states that employees with high needs for autonomy may
greatly appreciate the benefits of HNW. These results imply that the age, education and attitude of the
employees play an role in the success of the adoption of HNW.
Potential advantages of HNW for organizations
A successful adoption of a flexible work concept is not expected to be beneficial for employees only,
but also for the organization. The present literature discussed seven potential advantages of flexible
work practices for organizations. In the first place, the literature suggests that the adoption of flexible
work concepts will lead to the ability for organizations to respond quickly to changes in the
environment and to become more efficient and competitive (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997;
Microsoft, 2005; Cronshaw, 1998; Schabracq & Cooper, 2000; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Peters,
Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009). Second, however, cost effectiveness is seen as the main motive
and possible benefit of HNW for organizations, according to Baruch (2000) and Karnowski & White
(2002). This is because organizations can reduce office space and with that save office and rental
costs. Likewise, Prez, Snchez & de Luis Carnicer (2002) and Di Martino & Wirth (1990) state that
the main benefits of adopting flexible work concepts for the company are the savings in building costs.
Additionally, Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) and Horn & Storen (200) also state that a positive
consequence of flexible work concepts is reduced office accommodation costs. The work of Baily &
Kurland (2002) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004) also refer to the benefits of decrease in real-estate
costs. A third potential advantage for organizations by implementing flexible work concepts is the
increase in productivity (Prez, Snchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Karnowski & White, 2002). This
benefit for the organization is also mentioned by Baruch (2000) and Di Martino & Wirth (1990).
Likewise, Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) underlined that organizations can benefit from flexible
work practices by perceiving higher productivity within the organization. The work of Baily & Kurland
(2002) and Horn & Storen (2002) also refer to improved productivity as a potential benefit for
organizations. Fourth, Baruch (2000) and Horn & Storen (2002) both mention less absenteeism of
employees as one of the potential advantages for the organization when adopting a flexible work
concept Fifth Di Martino & Wirth (1990) and Karnowski & White (2002) emphasized the potential
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To conclude, figure 2.1. gives an overview of the potential advantages of HNW for individual
employees as well as for the organization.
Figure 2.1. Potential advantages of HNW for individual employees and the organization.
2|2|3 Potential disadvantages of HNW
Potential disadvantages of HNW for the employees
Despite the wide consensus and attention in the literature of the possible advantages of flexible work
concepts, such as HNW, there are five several downsides for the employees according to various
researchers. First, Baruch (2000) stated that employees experience less face-to-face contact with their
colleagues and managers as before the flexible work concept was implemented. This is also
mentioned by Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004), which state that an
individual cost of adopting HNW is limited face-to-face contact. As a consequence of less face-to-face
contact, the second potential disadvantage of less commitment to the organization is discussed by
Schabracq & Cooper (2000) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004). These authors state that this may reduce
the job satisfaction and motivation of the employees. Also, Baruch (2000) refers to detachment from
social interactions as a potential shortcoming for individual employees. In other words, employees may
feel isolated when flexible work concepts, such as HNW, are adopted by the organization. Third,
Baruch (2000) refers to more (home) related stress due the increased autonomy and responsibilities of
Potential advantages of HNW
Employees Organization
More time for family
Ability to learn different tasks
Higher productivity/performance
Less work related stress
Increased job satisfaction/motivation
Higher autonomy/responsibility
The ability to respond quickly to environmental changes
Cost saving through reduced offices space
Higher productivity
Less absenteeism
Recruitment and retention of skilled staff
Organizational loyalty/commitment
Better image of the organization
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Schabracq & Cooper (2000) note that lack of loyalty to the organization is a potential disadvantage of
flexible work concepts. As a second potential disadvantage of flexible work concepts which is
discussed in the present literature is problems with communication (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis,
1997). According to Schabracq & Cooper (2000), it is also difficult to coordinate communication within
a flexible work concept. This potential disadvantage is widely adopted in the literature, because Di
Martino & Wirth (1990), Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001), Prez, Snchez & de Luis Carnicer
(2002), Horn & Storen (2000), Baruch (2000), Baily & Kurland (2002) and Karnowski & White (2002)
also refer to it. However, all these authors also refer to a third potential disadvantage for organizations:
the managerial ability to control and motivate flexible workers. Additionally Schabracq & Cooper
(2000) mention the control of employees as a potential disadvantage of flexible work concepts. As a
fourth potential disadvantage, Baruch (2000) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004) emphasize that the
organization will have a loss of team working benefits when adopting a flexible work concept. Fifth, Di
Martino & Wirth (1990) state that high costs of communication and technology equipment can be seen
as a disadvantage for the organization. This is in line with the work of Daniels, Lamond & Standen
(2001) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004), which refer to the costs of additional telecommunications
equipment as costs for the organization. Sixth, several researchers mention the (corporate) culture of
the organization as a barrier to adopt HNW. According to Prez, Snchez & de Luis Carnicer (2002)
and Horn & Storen (2000) and Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp (2009) the integration of HNW with
the organizational culture can be a barrier. Finally, as a seventh potential disadvantage for the
organization, resistance due the novelty of HNW and the additional managerial uncertainties can be a
problem for successful adopt a flexible work concept (Karnowski & White, 2002; Di Martino & Wirth,
1990). To conclude, figure 2.2. gives an overview of the potential disadvantages of HNW for individual
employees and the organization.
Potential disadvantages of HNW
Employees Organization
Less face-to-face contact
Lack of commitment
Increased stress
Lack of loyalty of employees
Communication difficulties
Control difficulties
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to the time they are widely adopted within the organization (Reichwald & Mslein, 1999). The process
of the adoption of a new idea as an organizational change will be discussed in the next paragraph.
2|3 HNW as an organizational change
2|3|1 The neo institutional theory
The complexity of todays developments and changes in the environment of organizations confronting
most organizations with organizational change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996) and the implementation
of new or other organizational structures or strategies, such as HNW. The way organizations respond
to developments in their environment can be understood from the perspective of neo-institutional
theory (Powell & DiMaggio, 1991; Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). This theory is concerned with the
spread of organizational concepts within defined organizational fields (Daniels, Lamond & Standen,
2001). Central to neo-institutional theory is the idea that organizational actors seek to acquire
legitimacy for their organization by adopting those structures, strategies, and concepts that are socially
approved by stakeholders external to organizational decision making processes (Daniels, Lamond &
Standen, 2001; Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010). Legitimacy confers greater ability to obtain resources
from other stakeholders within the organizational field. (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001;
Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). According to DiMaggio and Powell (1991) there is a distinction between
the old and new or neo institutionalism. In the old institutionalism, issues of influence, coalitions and
competing values were central, along with power and informal structures (Clark, 1972; Greenwood &
Hinings, 1996) and the focus on individual organizations (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). This focus
contrasts with the new institutional theory with its emphasis on legitimacy and the embeddedness of
organizational fields (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Meyer & Rowan, 1997; DiMaggio & Powell, 1983).
The use of the neo institutional theory is appropriate to explain the adoption and implementation
flexible work concepts, such as HNW, in organizations for five reasons (Daniels, Lamond & Standen,
2001; Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). First, although neo institutional theory is weak in analyzing the
internal dynamics of organizational change and the theory is silent on why some organizations adopt
radical changes whereas others do not (Greenwood & Hinings 1996; Daniels Lamond & Standen
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or are implementing HNW. Fourth, the increased emphasis of neo institutional theory on self-interest,
change, resistance to institutional pressures, power and diversity within institutional fields are useful in
the context of HNW in organizations, not at least because this theory allows to integrate institutional
explanations for the adoption of HNW (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001). For these reasons, and for
the fifth reason that there is no scientific research on HNW in combination with the neo institutional
theory, this theory can contribute to the existing literature on flexible work concepts, such as HNW.
2|3|2 The impact of the institutional context on the adoption of HNWNeo institutional theorists emphasize that organizational behaviors are the product of ideas, values,
and beliefs that originate in the institutional context (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels, Lamond &
Standen, 2001). The theory shows how organizational behaviors are responses not solely to the
market context but also to institutional pressures (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Peters & Heusinkveld,
2010). In this, institutional pressures, such as pressures from regulatory agencies, pressures from
general social expectations, and the actions of leading organizations lead organizations to adopt new
organizational structures or concepts (Nadler & Tushman, 1989; Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels,
Lamond & Standen, 2001), such as HNW. For an organization this external context is thus important
to change to new organizational forms (Nadler & Tushman, 1989), such as HNW. Within the
institutional context, mimetic, normative, and coercive processes are at work (Greenwood & Hinings,
1996; Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001; Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010). In the first place, there are
mimetic pressures which indicate they way in which organizations copy other organizations. In
addition, normative pressures originate in mental models shared amongst actors within an
organizational field. Finally, the coercive pressures have to do with the way in which organizations are
forced to adopt certain concepts, for example through legislation (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001).
To survive organizations seek conformance to these mimetic, normative, and coercive pressures
(Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010).
2|3|5 HNW in a framework of organizational changeTo understand organizational change Greenwood & Hinings (1996) present in their article a model
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the perceptions of the ICT, HR and facility disciplines. In this way, the existing perceptions on flexible
work concepts of the different organizational disciplines can be analyzed and compared.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Het Nieuwe Werken
The perception of the ICT discipline on a flexible work concept, such as HNW, is in the present
literature discussed by many researchers. According to Microsoft (2005) and Prez, Snchez & de
Luis Carnicer & Jimnez (2005) much of the change in the world and therefore also in organizations
is driven by technological innovation: more powerful software and computing systems, the Internet
and pervasive wireless connectivity. Likewise, Illegems & Verbeke (2004) and Di Martino & Wirth
(1990) argue that flexible work concepts rely on modern information and communication technologies.
Additionally, Badham & Ehn (2000), Prez et al. (2005), Sullivan (2003) and Karnowski & White (2002)
underline that the development of flexible work concepts, such as HNW, is a result of the development
of new and improved telecommunication methods and software tools knowledge. Moreover, Prez et
al. (2005) argue that information and communication technologies are the most important needs for
the development of flexible work concepts within organizations. Badham & Ehn (2000) and Peters,
Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp (2009) underline the importance of the facilitation of ICT by saying that the
core of workplace innovation or the adoption of flexible work concepts is to design effective information
and communication technologies to create a more effective organization. Likewise, Microsoft (2005)
and Prez et al. (2005) underline that ICT department is seen as an important part of the organization
in flexible work concepts by providing the organization and its members ICT tools and systems.
Furthermore, managers may use the information and communication technologies to control
employees behavior and managing their performance (Kurland & Cooper, 2002; Prez et al., 2005).
These statements imply that managers on the ICT discipline have the aim to develop and facilitate
efficient and innovative information and communication technologies to enable the employees to
benefit from HNW. According to Prez et al. (2005) advances in information and communication
technologies have enhanced employees ability to stay connected for both work and social exchange.
These technologies support synchronous and asynchronous remote communication, often involve
electronic discussion databases and provide sophisticated information sharing capability. Hence, it is
important for the ICT department to monitor the developments of advanced software tools and
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innovate is a human talent (Microsoft, 2005). These statements refer to the perceptions of the HR
discipline, which will be explained in the next paragraph.
Human Resource management (HR) and Het Nieuwe Werken
According to Illegems & Verbeke (2004), the HR discipline is responsible for the management of the
organizations human capital. With this, they have to focus on empowering people, which should be at
the center of any organizations strategy, according to Microsoft (2005). This is because organizations
which invest in their people benefited from the ability to adapt rapidly to change (Microsoft, 2005). The
first step for HR managers within the implementation of flexible work concepts is the challenge to
convince their employees of the benefits of it in such a way that they will adopt these concepts
(Microsoft, 2005). Moreover, it is important to change the work style and management style of the
members of the organization (Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009). Furthermore, it is an
important perspective of the HR department to notice that employees in the new world of work meet
new capabilities and needs and new skills to adopt (Microsoft, 2005). According to Schabracq &
Cooper (2000) the HR department therefore need to provide and invest in training and education for
its employees to develop skills to work flexible. In the work of Baruch (2000) the importance of the
skills of self discipline and inner motivation are indicated as important for flexible employees. For HR
managers it may thus be important to stimulate and train those skills of employees. Furthermore, it is
important to enhance a culture of trust and a culture of management where people are measured by
results rather than attendance (Baruch, 2000; Heck, 2010). Additionally, Illegems & Verbeke (2004)
argue that HR management is a critical source of superior organizational performance within the
adoption of flexible work concepts, such as HNW. These authors state that new and innovative human
resources concepts, in this case HNW, should not just be evaluated in terms of their potential for direct
cost reduction or immediate productivity improvements. The broader, long-term effects on the
organizations competences are more important. In other words, if HNW can help organizations to
attract, motivate and retain employees whose knowledge is and skills are valuable, its impact on
superior performance can be enormous. According to these statements, the HR department may be
concerned with the long-term effects of HNW on organizational performance, where the attraction,
motivation and retention of employees is very important Another role of HR managers in the change
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Facility management and Het Nieuwe Werken
Flexible work concepts, such as HNW, give rise to alternative officing (Karnowski & White, 2002). This
is at the heart of facility managers, because facility management is the concept of coordinating the
physical workplace with the people and work of the organization, integrating principles of business,
architecture, and the behavioral and engineering sciences (Karnowski & White, 2002). In other words,
the facility discipline integrates human needs, new technologies, and environmental concerns in the
total workplace, ensuring that the organization and its employees have the best possible resources
(Zelinsky, 1997 in: Karnowski & White, 2002). Due to the workplaces in the central offices, the facility
department is expected to be responsible for the design and interior of the work environment and
workplaces (Karnowski & White, 2002). Furthermore, since one of the assumed benefits of HNW is a
reduction in office space and costs (Prez, Snchez, de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Di Martino & Wirth, 1990;
Illegems & Verbeke, 2004), facility managers are expected to be concerned with these subjects
(Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009). According to Heck (2010), offices of organizations which
adopted HNW are no longer offices in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a workspace where
employees can locate themselves in different parts of the building depending on the tasks they need
to perform. The central office can therefore be seen as a meeting place where employees can interact
with colleagues. Moreover, facility managers may be responsible not only for central office physical
facilities, but also for employees home office arrangements. Because flexible work concepts, such as
HNW, may be characterized as work that can be carried out in locations remote from central offices
(Di Martino & Wirth, 1990), facility managers are also concerned with the presence of the appropriate
facilities at the employees homes. Another role that facility managers can fulfill is to be the change
agents of flexible work concepts (Karnowski & White, 2002). As change agents, facility managers can
promote telework where appropriate, provide cost-benefit analyses for both employer and employee,
and perform post occupancy evaluations in both corporate and home offices. (Karnowski & White,
2002).
The perceptions of managers of different organizational disciplines, as described in the previous
sections, are the result of the institutional context and their roles within the organization. According to
Peters & Heusinkveld (2010) the pressures from the institutional environment influence managers
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work concepts. (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001). This dissatisfaction,
does not provide direction for change, but has to do with the pattern of value commitments within the
organization. Greenwood & Hinings (1996) identified four generic patterns: 1) status quo commitment;
in which all groups are committed to the new concept, 2) indifferent commitment; in which groups are
neither committed nor opposed to the new concept, 3) competitive commitment; in which some groups
support the new concept, whereas others prefer an articulated alternative (which would have its origins
in the institutional context), and 4) reformative commitment; in which all groups are opposed to the
new concept and prefer an articulated alternative. Because HNW is a new organizational concept, it is
expected that organizations have to deal with competitive commitment, because some actors within
the organization will support HNW, while others do not support this organizational change.
However, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) argue that flexible work concepts rely on three main concepts:
organization, location and technology. This implies that the different disciplines concerning these
themes interact to a implement a flexible work concept, such as HNW. Therefore, it can be assumed
that the presumed tensions or interest dissatisfaction among organizational disciplines are not the only
form of interaction. The disciplines can also interact through cooperation within the implementation of
flexible work concepts. According to this, it can be expected that the ICT department has to cooperate
with the facility department in the organization in making it possible to work on any location at any time
(Robijn, 2009; Karnowski & White, 2002). For this cooperation it is important that these departments
together can enhance a flexible workplace for the employees of the organization where they can share
their information and communicate with each other wherever and whenever they want (Robijn, 2009).
Within this cooperation it is also important to note that the ICT department facilitate that people
working at home can be connected with the other employees within the organization (Karnowski &
White, 2002). In doing this, the collaboration is about to achieve optimal benefits in the field of
combining facilities and technological structure for the organization. Besides a cooperation with thefacility department, it is also important for the ICT department to collaborate with the HR department of
the organization. This is because the tools of the employees need to meet the emerging challenges of
information overload. Furthermore, the ICT tools and systems need to be user-friendly to be adapted
through the employees of the organization (Microsoft 2005) Another part of the collaboration between
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pressures for organizational changes, such as HNW, derive from interest dissatisfaction and the
pattern of value commitments, enablers for the change are needed (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Due
to this, Greenwood & Hinings (1996) state that an organizational change will occur only in conjunction
with supportive power dependencies and an appropriate capacity for action and, which are defined as
the enablers of change. However, the authors underline that power dependencies and capacity for
action by themselves will not lead to organizational change, but they can enable or constrain it.
According to the first enabler, within organizations groups use favorable power dependencies to
promote their interests. These organizational groups vary in their ability to influence the organizational
change, such as HNW, because they have differential power (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Nadler &
Tushman, 1989). In this context, the authors also state that some groups have more potential or less
potential for enabling or resisting change. The relations of power and domination that enable some
organizational members to constitute and recreate organizational structures, such as HNW, according
to their preferences is thus very important within organizational change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).
In the light of HNW, the presence of power dependencies may indicate that some departments or
managers have more power on the extent in which organizations adopt HNW or not. It might also
mean that when, for example, the ICT department have much power, they were the introducers and
leaders of the adoption of HNW in an organization. The power dependencies are not static within the
organization, but the power dependencies can shift through market and/or institutional pressures
(Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Institutional pressures might shift power dependencies in favor of
groups that prefer an alternative template to the existing one (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). In
organizations, groups might first not support the adoption of HNW, but when the institutional pressures
become higher, they support the idea of HNW in further stages.
2|3|9 Ready for change: the capacity of action
Although power dependencies are important enablers for organizational change, the capacity for
action is also important to understand organizational changes, such as HNW (Greenwood & Hinings,
1996; Nadler & Tushman, 1989; Amburgey, Kelly & Barnett, 1993). The capacity of action is the ability
to manage the transition process from one template to another (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Nadler &
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commitments may have an influence on the speed of change, the capacity for actions may also
influence the speed by which the change is accomplished (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). In other
words, a clear understanding of the new destination and of how to get there may give an organization
the confidence to push ahead rapidly with change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Additionally, as with
the power dependencies, the capacity for action is also shaped by developments in the market and
institutional context. Developments in the market context, such as the recruitment of new employees
can lead to new perceptions and experience of organizing the organization in different ways, for
example to adopt HNW. On the other hand, the capacity for action might also be shaped or constricted
by the institutional context. For example, deeply embedded firms may be prevented by the institutional
context from developing an action capability (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).
Connecting the existing literature on flexible work practices and organizational change to the concept
of HNW, the this research will use the central concepts of the neo-institutional theory (figure 2.4) to
analyze in which way HR, ICT and facility management interact within the organizational change
towards HNW. Hence, in the following figure the central concepts of the scientific literature are linked
HNW and this model will function as the starting point for the empirical research.
Intraorganizational dynamics Organizational change
Precipitating dynamics Enabling dynamics
Interest dissatisfaction
Competitive commitment among threedisciplines (HR, ICT, facility management).
Tensions among the three disciplinesbecause of different interests.
Value commitments
Different perceptions and attitudes of HR,ICT and facility management towardsHNW.
Power dependencies
Some disciplines are expected to havemore power to change an organizationtowards HNW.
Capacity for action
The organization has a vision on HNW.
Appropriate skills are present in the
Organizational change
Het NieuweWerken.
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CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter will discuss the way the research is conducted and
how choices concerning the research method are made.
Subsequently, this chapter will clarify which organizations were
involved and which persons were interviewed for the empirical part
of the research. Furthermore, it will explainhow the gathered data
is analyzed. Therefore, the fourth chapter contains the following
paragraphs:
3|1 Introduction
3|2 Research type- and plan
3| We have always tried to go intoorganizations with a well-defined focus:
to collect specific kinds of data
systematically (Mintzberg, 1979)
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3 Research method
3|1 Introduction
The development of theories and conclusions is a central activity within organizational research.
Traditionally, a theory is developed on the basis of a literature study, observations and/or experience
(Patton 1990; Eisenhardt, 1989; Mason, 2002). To answer the central research question, not only a
theoretical research, but also an empirical research is conducted. In this chapter it will be described
how the empirical study is planned and conducted. There also will be a description of the reason why
this method is chosen and the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen research method and the
way the data are analyzed. The final results of the empirical study will be clarified in the next chapter.
This chapter is actually the methodological responsibility of the empirical research.
3|2 Research type- and plan
3|2|1 A qualitative study
This study is an explorative study on the basis of qualitative fieldwork. Within explorative studies, the
realization of conceptions or theories is a central aim (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Baarda, De Goede &
Teunissen, 2005). In this study the emphasis lies in the exploration of theoretical presumptions on the
way in which HR-, ICT- and facility management interact within the implementation of HNW in various
organizations. In this study conceptions, perceptions, knowledge, feelings and experiences of
managers on HNW are discussed in a detailed way (Patton, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Mason,
2002). Furthermore, this study has an open character, this is because during the research new
insights will continue appear (Wester & Peters, 2004). Moreover, it will explore problems, investigate
the meaning of a HNW, investigate people in their own environment and try to fathom the background
of HNW (Eisenhardt, 1989; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Wester & Peters, 2004). The study is done in an
inductive way by interviewing various respondents to answer the central research question (Patton,
1990; Yin, 2003; Eisenhardt, 1989). The analysis in this study begins with specific observations and
works towards the discovery of general patterns (Patton, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994). The
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3|2|2 A qualitative interview
To shape the qualitative research method, qualitative interviews where selected respondents from
various organizations are interviewed under everyday circumstances are used (Yin, 2003; Mason,
2002). The aim of qualitative interviewing in this study is to gather information from respondents to find
out what the respondents know, feel and want on HNW (Wester & Peters, 2004). In this way, the
formulated central research question can be answered (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005). Within
this study, the researcher choose for interviews because this method has several advantages. First, it
can uncover perceptions, experiences and processes about HNW and the that are otherwise difficult
to investigate with other methods, such as questionnaires. Furthermore, it is a good way to get in
touch with people and explore their feelings and experiences about HNW and the differences between
these feelings and experiences within an organization (Wester & Peters, 2004). Another advantage of
a qualitative interview is that the reliability of the study can be enhanced by triangulating: control what
you hear (Patton, 1990; Merton & Kendall, 1946; Wester & Peters, 2004). Within this study, the aim of
the qualitative study and interviews is to explore how HR-, ICT- and facility departments interact within
the implementation of HNW and how this organizational change process turned out (Yin, 2003). With
the use of the interviews, a detailed sketch of the organizations and the three involved departments
will be provided (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005). Following the
research design, the researcher choose to interview people from the three different departments from
various organizations. In this way, there will be a more validated picture of the way how HR-, ICT- and
facility departments interact in the implementation of HNW in various organizations. Regarding the
form of the interview, in the researcher choose to use semi-structured interviews (Sekaran, 2003;
Patton, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004). This means that there is worked with a topic list (appendix 1)
where the topics to discuss are listed and where also a preference of question order is given. With this
topic list the researcher translated central concepts of the theory to subjects which connect to the
situation of the interviewee (Wester & Peters, 2004). The topic list contains several themes of HNW,
such as the definition of HNW for the different managers, the motivation for implementing HNW in the
organization, the implementation process of HNW and the parties concerned and the evaluation of
HNW. The question method used is an open method, but the topics to be discussed are more or less
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3|3 Data collection3|3|1 Selection of respondents
Figure 3.1. An overview of the characteristics of the organizations included in the empirical study.
This study uses a specific selection of respondents or purposeful sampling, which means that the
choice of respondents is argued and not a-select. This is a common method within the domain of
qualitative research (Patton, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994). The specification of the respondents
reduces external variation and explains the domain of the findings (Eisenhardt, 1989). These reasons
ensured the choice for a specific selection of respondents. The way in which respondents in this study
were selected is based on criterion and theoretical sampling, which means that the selected
organizations and respondents had to meet several criteria (Patton, 1990). To select the right
organizations and interview the right persons, a list of Dutch organizations that have implemented
HNW or working on HNW was conducted. The selection of these organizations has some reasons.
First, not all organizations in the Netherlands have implemented HNW or are working on the
implementation of it. On the basis of theoretical sampling there is chosen for a diverse selection
organizations to analyze. According to Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001), the adoption of flexible
work concepts is present in telecommunications, computing, public sector and banking organizations.
Furthermore, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) state that a number of government agencies and departments
l i d i fl ibl k A di h fi di l i f i
Organization Sector / Industry HNW concept since
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Insurance
Telecommunications
Energy
Banking
Telecommunications
Public authorities
Housing
Electronic products
Banking
Public authorities
1990
2006/2007
2010
2008
2007
2010
2009
2006
2006
2009
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descriptions and quotes from the interviewees (Patton, 1990). The researcher made a transcription
from spoken to written interaction material (Wester & Peters, 2004). While transcribing the interviews
takes a lot of time (Patton, 1990), the choice is made to elaborate the recorded interviews in detail.
This is because of the high usefulness of the transcripts for the data analysis and for replications or
independent analyses of the data (Patton, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004).
3|4|2 Data analysisAnalyzing the data is at the heart of building theories and conclusions, but is also the most difficult part
of the research process (Patton, 1990, In this research, the researcher analyzed the data by coding
the obtained data to unravel the different components. This is because coding is the fundamental
analytic process used by the researcher (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). However, the process of data
analyzing within qualitative research depends on the skills, knowledge and abilities of the researcher.
The human factor is therefore the strength and the fundamental weakness of qualitative research
(Patton, 1990). According to Corbin & Strauss (1990) there are three basic types of coding: 1) open
coding, 2) axial coding and 3) selective coding. In this study, the researcher started with open coding,
where perceptions on HNW are labeled (Corbin & Strauss, 1990; Patton, 1990) on the basis of the
asked questions during the interviews. In this way conceptually similar perceptions are grouped
together to form categories and subcategories of HNW. Furthermore, different points of view on HNW
became clear for the researcher and the obtained data was structured into different topics. In total
there were fourteen codes assigned to the HNW concept and keywords of each code/label were
gathered in a table (see appendix). Next, further development of the data-analysis took place in axial
coding. Within this phase the researcher related context, strategies and consequences to a category
of HNW. In other words, the interpretation in the form of keywords of the interviewees were
assigned to the fourteen codes (see appendix). Finally, the phase of selective coding took place
(Corbin & Strauss, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004). Here, the researcher unified all categories around
the core category interaction between HR, ICT and facility management within HNW, which is the
central phenomenon of the study. The other categories, defined in through open coding, will stand in
relationship to the core category as conditions, strategies or consequences, as identified with axial
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CHAPTER 4 RESULTS
This chapter is the presentation of the results of the qualitative
research to the perceptions of- and the interaction between the
HR-, ICT- and facility management disciplines in the change
process towards HNW. To structure the results, the following
paragraphs will be used:
4|1 Introduction
4|2 The concept Het Nieuwe Werken
4|3 The cooperation between HR, ICT and Facilities
4| Analysis is the process of identifying,coding, and categorizing the primary
patterns in the data (Patton, 1990)
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4 Results
4|1 Introduction
In this part of the research the results of the empirical research will be discussed. As a result, two
models of the interaction between HR, ICT and facility management will be provided. The first model
describes the different tensions between the organizational disciplines when implementing HNW. The
second model identifies the different ways of cooperation between the disciplines. To give this chapter
a clear structure, the next paragraph will be devoted to the concept of HNW and the perceptions of the
interviewees on this concept in their organization. After this the results of the interaction between the
HR-, ICT- and facility discipline within the concept will be analyzed. The results and perspectives of
the interviews will then be supported with citations.
4|2 The concept Het Nieuwe Werken
Because it is very hard to define the HNW concept there is no common definition in the scientific
literature nor in the management literature the concept will first be unraveled before the focus is on
the interaction between HR-, ICT- and facility management. With this, it will be clear what is meant by
HNW and what exactly the concept involves. The characteristics of HNW that will become clear will be
helpful to answer the central research question of this research. The empirical research showed that
there are two themes associated with HNW. The scheme below shows these themes and the terms
which are mentioned by the interviewees and belong to the two themes.
Open and transparent culture
Responsibility
Making agreements on output
Less rules and procedures
Trust
The office is a meeting place
Independency of time
Independency of place
Family-life / work balance
Flexibility/freedom
Characteristics of
Het Nieuwe Werken
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the transparency of the organization and the transparency of the building contribute to the idea of
HNW by creating an open work sphere where the employees continuously see each other which
facilitates cooperation. (HR manager organization A)
Not only openness and transparency are frequently used terms to describe HNW. Another used term
to describe HNW is the responsibility of the employees as well as the managers. As noticed by the
business development manager of organization D:
within HNW it is about giving and taking responsibility for the employees as well as the managers.
According to most of the interviewees HNW provides and asks thus for responsibility of the employees
and the manager, more than in the old way of working. According to the facility and ICT manager of
organization G, the term responsibility in the HNW concept is also different from former views onresponsibility. In his opinion:
it is not about managing on the presence of the employees anymore, which was common good in
former years, but the employees are responsible for their time spending on the office and the results
they must deliver. That is the responsibility of the employees and the managers.
The responsibility of the employees and managers relates to another term associated with HNW,
namely: focus on results and output. This term is reflected in the quotation of the facility manager of
organization E, by saying that:
the idea of HNW here is that the office is the base. You can work anywhere: at home, with friends, in
a caf. You can work in the early morning or in the late evening. It doesnt matter, because you will bemanaged on your output and results. The output is what you realize and where you judged on.
In this way, managers give the employees the responsibility to decide where and when they work and
manage the results of the agreements they made These agreements made on results and output lead
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and managers give to the employees to let them be responsible for their own timetables and only
manage them on their results.
4|2|2 HNW = flexibility/freedom
Another theme that is very important within the HNW-concept is flexibility or freedom. This is reflected
in four terms that were frequently mentioned in the interviews. The first term mentioned is the office as
a meeting place. This is reflected in the quotation of the program manager of organization C:
the office need to be a meeting place: you can come and go and decide whether you want to meet
your colleagues at the office or work at another place.
With an office as a meeting place, the employees have the flexibility to meet each other at the office to
have (informal) meetings at any time. The office as a meeting place is therefore related to the second
term: the independency of time. According the HR manager of organization B and facility manager of
organization A this is a characteristic of the concept of HNW, because:
the first thing I think about with HNW is that people are the boss of their own time.
They decide how they use their time(HR manager organization B)
with HNW you create the situation that you can work 24 hours a week. So it can be that you play a
tennis match in the morning and you do your work in the evening.
(facility manager organization A)
With the independency of time, people are flexible to make their own work schedules. The term
independency of time relates closely to the third term, independency of place. As reflected in the
quotation of the facility manager of organization H:
within HNW employees can decide where they want to work. And that can be at any place, for
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4|2|3 Trust and flexibility/freedom through interaction of the HR-, ICT- and facility disciplines
To com to trust and flexibility which are the central themes within HNW the data showed that
interaction between HR,- ICT and facility management is required. The importance of interaction
between the three disciplines on HNW is shown by the quotations of the interviewees that refer to HR
as well as ICT and facility management topics. First, almost all interviewees mentioned that HNW is a
change of culture. As said by the HR manager of organization G:
it has all to do with the changing culture, not only within the organization,
but it is also a change in the way of life of the employees.
Within this, it means that HNW asks for a change of routines and a change of the way people work, in
other words: a mind-shift of the employees and managers. Another HR-related topic is that HNW
should facilitate a higher employee satisfaction. The HR manager of organization E sees already a
higher employee satisfaction after implementing HNW:
the employee satisfaction is higher than before. Employees told us:
I have more grip and control on my time and that makes me happier.
These two mentioned terms related to HNW can be seen as HR related terms, because they deal with
the human resources side of the organization. But not only HR related terms are mentioned by
describing the HNW concept, interviewees also refer to ICT related terms, such as supporting
software. For the ICT manager of organization D is:
the use of supporting software, such as office communicator, an important part of HNW. Several
software tools enable employees to work independent of time and place.
This view on HNW is shared with all the interviewees and reflect the ICT side of HNW. Other terms
that were used to describe HNW were more related to Facility management. This is reflected in the
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This quote shows that HNW not only concentrates on HR and ICT topics, but also on facilitymanagement. However, a shared opinion among most of the employees is that ICT and facility
management are the supporting disciplines within the HNW concept. This perception is reflected in the
opinion of the facility manager of organization D:
a pitfall of HNW is that most people think: we place some innovative workplaces in the office and give
the employees laptops with the newest software and then HNW works. But that is not the way it works.ICT and Facility management support HNW and the focus must be on the cultural change within the
organization, it is about a new way of thinking and working.
Although ICT and facility management are seen as the supporting parts of HNW, the interviewees
have the shared opinion that these disciplines together with the HR discipline need to implement HNW
through the organization.
4|3 The interpretations of HR, ICT and Facility management on HNWAs described in the previous section, the interaction between the HR-, ICT- and facility management
disciplines is important to meet the central themes of HNW. This interaction within the organizational
change towards HNW is also the focus of the research. To describe the interaction, the different
interpretations of HNW of the interviewees of these three disciplines are represented in the next figure.
Attract and maintain employees
Higher employee satisfaction
Inform/motivate employees
Deal with resistance
Arbo/CAO aspects
HR management
Innovation of the ICT structure
Security aspects
User friendliness of software
ICT management
Difference in
perceptions
on HNW
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4|3|1 HR management: change the mind of the managers and employees
Within HNW, the perceptions of HR management are concerned with the employees, managers and
culture of the organization, that is the human resources aspect. The data showed that the most
important perception of this organizational discipline is that HNW should result in the attraction and
maintenance of employees. All organizations are aware of the increasing obsolescence and scarcity
on the labor market in the future. This is reflected by the opinions of the HR manager of organization A
and the HR manager of organization D:
we are not a very sexy organization, and with the concept of HNW we will attract new and young
employees and also maintain employees. (HR manager organization A)
the goal is to be an attractive and better employer and therefore
we use HNW to attract and maintain people. (HR manager organization D)
Another important perception of the HR department is the importance of higher employee satisfaction.
The perception of the HR managers is that they have to monitor the employee satisfaction and to
notice whether this will increase by implementing HNW. A third perception of HNW within the HR
discipline is to inform the employees in the right way about HNW and to motivate and guide them to
work in consistence with the principles of HNW. This is done by facilitating workshops for employees
and managers, like the HR manager of organisation I explains:
in the beginning, we give our employees and managers a workshop where they become aware of the
way they work and which agreements they should make when they change to HNW;
another way of working.
Therefore, these workshops are a part of the process of awareness of HNW. According to the data HR
management have to deal with a fourth, very important, issue: deal with resistance to the HNW
change. According to the HR manager of organization A:
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you see that not everybody sees the need of it and that it often requires a form of customization(HR manager, organization H).
To reduce the resistance during the HNW implementation, the data showed that the HR discipline
stays continuously in contact with the groups or people that have inconvenience with the change. As
said by the HR manager of organization E:
we ask continuously for feedback and we keep talking and discussing different
HNW topics with those who are not convinced of the advantages of it.
Finally, a fifth perception of the HR discipline is the topics related to working conditions and CAO
arrangements. This perception is reflected in the opinions of the HR manager of organization D and
the HR manager of organization F:
although it is not the most sexiest part of HR management within HNW, it is not less important.
In our organization, every employee gets a arbo-passport where the sizes for chairs
and tables are registered. (HR manager organization D)
when implementing HNW in the organization there need to be new arrangements about HNWincluded in the CAO of the organization or branch. (HR manager organization F)
With this information, the data showed that the HR discipline within the process of HNW is concerned
with the attraction of employees, the mental change of the employees and managers as well as with
the resistance HNW can produce. Furthermore, the HR department has to deal with topics in the field
of working conditions. However, as said before, HNW is not only an organizational change where the
HR management discipline is involved, but also the disciplines of ICT management and facility
management have an important role within the change towards HNW.
4|3|2 ICT t h th t l d ft
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at one moment, you see that there is the need for new ICT support to realize the HNW concept.Therefore, we decided to provide our employees a laptop and a smartphone. These are their personal
devices to work with and within HNW(ICT manager, organization I).
In almost all organizations, the ICT department has investigated which laptops and smartphones are
suitable for the different functions of the employees. Within organisation H, the ICT department has
developed different profiles of users:
for each function profile we decided what was the best equipment. We have made a specific
distinction between different functions, which was also a matter of costs.
Also organization D looks at different functions by providing a laptop and/or smartphone. Although this
organization first decided to give all their employees the same laptop and smartphone, in a later phasethey realized that not all employees have the same needs. This is reflected in the interview with the
ICT manager of this organization:
after the pilot of HNW it became clear that not all employees need a smartphone, because some of
the employees only use a phone application on their laptop. With such findings, we decided to look at
the activities of the employee and then make a choice which tools are needed.
Together with the facilitation of laptops and smartphones the other most important goal of the ICT
department is to provide the right software(tools). The development of a virtual/digital sharepoint and
videoconferencing are the most mentioned software(tools). The ICT manager of organization G
emphasizes this importance:
for employees the most visible ICT tool is the digital sharepoint. With this tool, people can upload all
their documents and share them among the other employees.
The employees have everywhere access to this tool.
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Besides the focus on the applications and tools for the employees, for the ICT department it is alsoimportant to deal with security topics of important information within the organization. The ICT
manager of organization B underlines this importance:
security is an very important topic for ICT, because when people work at home, the documents are
available and not protected. Therefore, some applications are excluded on purpose when people work
at home or at another location than the office.
Not only organization B have taken specific decisions in order to secure information virtually, but all
the other organizations have made decisions, such as organization B. This is reflected in the opinion
of the ICT manager of organization I:
if information is lost on the internet or ends up with the competitor,we as ICT department will be approached.
A last interest of the ICT department is the user friendliness of the software. To guarantee the user
friendliness of the tools, the organizations guide their employees through the ICT environment. The
perception of guaranteeing user friendliness by providing workshops for the employees is reflected in
the opinions of the ICT manager of organization D and the ICT manager of organization H:
we want to reduce the complexity of the ICT environment, because complexity means extra work and
extra costs. And that is what we want to prevent. (ICT manager organization D)
we provide workshops to give people more insight in the tools and explain for which activity which
tools is the most appropriate. (ICT manager, organization H).
Besides the perceptions of the HR discipline and ICT discipline, the discipline of facility management
has also their own perceptions of the concept of HNW.
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when I count what will be the influence of HNW on the number of workplaces, I see that we canreduce the number of workplaces with a half. This means that you can close the half of your offices
and that reduces millions each year.
Organization B found out that most of the workplaces where not occupied during the week and
realized that they can save space and costs by implementing HNW:
we walked through the offices on Friday and we saw so many empty workplaces and so few people
working and thought: we have to do something with that.
The reducing of office space and costs is not only a motive for organizations to implement HNW, but
also the most important interest of the facility discipline. With the closing of offices and ending of
leases, the facility department reduces as well the office space as well as the housing costs. In formeryears, all the organizations made use of a workplace ratio of 1 or higher, which means that there is
one wo