The assignment should capture evolving organisational structures and configurations, to examine the role of technology in shaping the workplace environments of the future, and to make recommendations on how organisations can better manage such change.
The current global pandemic provides an interesting context to examine these issues. Business as we know if has been drastically disrupted, forcing many firms (both locally and internationally) to look at new ways of working and implementing work from home policies where appropriate.
Students can focus on these current changes and/or on other ways the workplace of the future is likely to evolve, including how technology can shape change.
Students should draw on a variety of business disciplines including HR, Technology Management, Innovation, Change Management and Organisational Psychology, and critically assess the relevant literature and emerging research within these domains.
Collecting relevant data is a key criterion of the project. Students should conduct a minimum of 3 interviews with a staff member in an organisation that employs a minimum of 50 staff. Students are encouraged to leverage their network of family and friends to find appropriate interviewees.
Key learnings from any modules taken on research methods should be applied when collecting, analysing and presenting data.
Interviews can be conducted over the phone, and should be recorded, transcribed and included within the appendix. If conducted in a language other than English, they need to be translated. New insights should be presented in terms of how current employees envisage the nature of their work and their working environment to change over the next decade.
For example, potential questions posed to respondents may include: how has technology shaped how you work? How has your work environment changed? How does your workplace respond to change? How do you envisage your role and workplace to change in the future? How do staff adopt new technologies, and what are the barriers (if any) to adopting new technologies?
The research paper should be structured in the format of an academic paper, with the suggested headings and approx. wordcount per section to include:
Abstract (approx. 300 words)
Literature Review (approx. 2000-2500 words)
Findings (utilising primary data and secondary data from reputable sources such databases and academic journals) these findings should highlight themes identified by you when conducting interview (approx. 1000 words)
Discussion & Recommendations (approx. 1000 words)
Conclusion (approx. 200 words)
