Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age
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Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age Edited by Christine Grant Emma Russell Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age Christine Grant · Emma Russell Editors Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age Editors Christine Grant Emma Russell School of Psychological, Social and University of Sussex Business School Behavioural Sciences (USBS) Coventry University University of Sussex Coventry, UK Brighton, UK ISBN 978-3-030-60282-6 ISBN 978-3-030-60283-3 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60283-3 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and informa- tion in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Melisa Hasan This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland To Bill, Gabriella and my mum and dad for their constant support and motivation —Christine Grant To my lovely family, thanks for your enduring support —Emma Russell Foreword From the 1980s and 1990s, technology-enabled working, at distance from main organisational locations, has grown in sophistication, numbers of workers participating in such working practices and range of occupa- tions covered. In 2020 in particular, we have seen a massive and rapid shift to home and other forms of tech-enabled working because of the pandemic of 2019/2020. At the time of writing, extensive tech-enabled working from remote locations may become the ‘new normal’ for some, and a temporary form of business continuity for others, as flare-ups cause local lockdowns. Against this backdrop, this edited collection provides a timely and up- to-date overview of key issues on the human experience of agile working, a form of working that encompasses temporal and spatial flexibility and the use of technologies, to address organisational and worker needs. Understanding the human experience is fundamental to effective tech- enabled working: time and again, research has revealed that ignoring the human side of technology leads to sub-optimal solutions that force the soft machine (human) to adapt to the hard machine (technology). Accordingly, agile working can pose many challenges, including threats to well-being from work intensification, blurring of work/home boundaries, email (and other forms of technology) addiction, an always on culture, digital surveillance and social isolation. Providing a range of relevant resources in one collection, the book’s chapters cover key topics pertinent to managing the challenges of agile vii viii FOREWORD working, such as home/work boundary management, distractions from new communications technologies, promoting physical activity in remote and sedentary workers, competencies required by digital workers, team- working, leadership and the use of space. Engaging and intelligently written, the collection covers current research, future research needs and guidance on implementing agile working. As such, the book will be of interest to researchers, practi- tioners in human resource management and management consulting, postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students studying the nature of contemporary working practices. August 2020 Kevin Daniels Professor of Organizational Behaviour Norwich Business School University of East Anglia Norwich, Norfolk, UK Acknowledgements This book started as a seed of an idea two years ago, an aspiration to explore the effects of digitisation on our lives. I would like to thank Emma for making this a reality, providing a supporting voice through every step; working together has been effortless, innovative and kept me sane through a global pandemic, this book is better for our every conver- sation. I would also like to thank every chapter author for their contri- bution; fresh minds and new insights equal fascinating reading. Finally, thank you to my husband Bill and daughter Gabriella, for giving me space to work extra hours, my eternal sounding boards, being the best support team I could wish for, and for never doubting this could be real. Agile working can only be a success with an open mind, tools to make it work and an ability to embrace change; I hope those reading this book will find a fresh approach. —Dr. Christine Grant (August 2020) This has been such an interesting and enjoyable project, and there are several people I would especially like to thank. Firstly, to our chapter authors who produced such insightful and original work, were open to suggestions and amazingly met all of our deadlines. Thank you—it has been a pleasure to work with you. Secondly, to the organisations and colleagues I work with, who have really informed my understanding of best practice in agile work, and how this can be effectively applied in the context of real-world constraints and demands. ix x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Next, to Chris. What can I say? For your support, supreme organisa- tional skills, intellect and drive—thank you. I have loved working on this with you. I look forward to our next collaboration. Finally, to J, Isobel and Harry—thank you for your endless support and pride in what I do, and for being the best part of every day. —Dr. Emma Russell (August 2020) Contents Part I What is Agile Working? 1 Introduction to Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age 3 Emma Russell and Christine Grant 1.1 Agile Working and Well-Being in the Digital Age 4 1.2 What Is Agile Working? 6 1.2.1 Promoting Temporal and Spatial Flexibility 7 1.2.2 Integrating Resources 7 1.2.3 Engaging in Innovative Activities 8 1.2.4 Utilising New Communication and Digital Technologies 9 1.3 What Issues Arise from Agile Working? 10 1.4 The Structure of This Book 12 1.4.1 What Is Agile Working? 12 1.4.2 Managing Boundaries 13 1.4.3 Managing Digital Communications 13 1.4.4 Healthy, Effective and Sustainable Agile Working 13 1.4.5 Dynamic and Innovative Approaches to Effectively Managing and Sharing Resources 14 1.4.6 Conclusions 14 xi xii CONTENTS 1.5 Summary 14 References 15 2 Concepts, Terms and Measurement in Agile Working 19 Christine Grant 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 Terms Used in ‘Agile Working’ 21 2.2.1 The Impetus and History Behind Remote and Flexible Working and How This Relates to ‘Agile Working’ 23 2.3 Measurement of Agile Working 26 2.3.1 The E-Work Life Scale 27 2.4 Future Directions in Agile Working 28 2.5 Conclusion 29 References 30 Part II Managing Boundaries 3 Boundary Management: Getting the Work-Home Balance Right 35 Kelly A. Basile and T. Alexandra Beauregard 3.1 Introduction 36 3.2 Defining Work-Life Boundaries 37 3.3 Managing Boundaries 38 3.4 Agile Working Challenges to Boundary Management 39 3.5 How Can Organisations Provide Boundary Management Support? 41 3.6 Conclusion 42 References 43 Part III Managing Digital Communications 4 The Paradox of Work-Email: Individual Differences in Agile Digital Work 49 Emma Russell 4.1 Introduction 50 CONTENTS xiii 4.2 Does Work-Email Facilitate Agile Working? 51 4.3 The Role of Personality in Understanding Effective Work-Email Use 52 4.3.1 Preferences for Managing Work-Home Boundaries 52 4.3.2 Trait-Relevant Goal Pursuit and Agile Working 53 4.3.3 Resources and Effective Agile Working 55 4.4 Limitations and Implications for Future Research in This Field 55 4.5 Implications for Practice and Theory 56 4.6 Conclusions 58 References 58 5 Digital Distractions: The Effect and Use of Digital Message Alerts and Their Relationship with Work-Life Balance 63 Maria Uther, Michelle Cleveland, and Rhiannon Jones 5.1 Introduction 64 5.2 Key Findings from Research in the Field of Digital Distractions 66 5.3 Limitations in the Field and Implications for Future Research 69 5.4 Practical and Theoretical Implications of Research Findings 70 5.5 Conclusions 72 References 72 6 E-Resistance: Making Active Choices for Technology Management in an Agile Working Age 77 Deepali D’mello 6.1 Introduction 78 6.2 Background on E-Resistance 79 6.3 Why Research E-Resistance? 81 6.4 Theoretical Frameworks Supporting E-Resistance 82 6.4.1 How Does Life Stage Affect E-Resistance? 82 6.5 How Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory Can Address E-Resistance 84 xiv CONTENTS 6.6 Significance of Understanding E-Resistance 85 6.7 Conclusion 86 References 86 Part IV Healthy, Effective and Sustainable Agile Working 7 A Review of the Agile Working Literature in Relation