Di­git­al Trans­formation of Work

Course content

This course is meant for students interested in understanding and managing digital transformation of work – with new forms of collaboration, engagement, and innovation to satisfy a digitally savvy workforce, thereby accelerating productivity and agility, as well as facilitating the broader digital transformation of business. The course will largely focus on information workers (‘white-collar’, creative and service jobs), but in the context of broader shifts in labour. Within the emphasis on information workers, we explore four inter-related elements of digital transformation of work: (1) Technologies; (2) Workforce; (3) New ways of working and (4) Leadership. The technological environment that enables information sharing, collaboration, and communication is at the heart of digital transformation of work. The workforce is the second critical element of this transformation. We will look at what makes the digitally savvy workforce tick and how the workforce of the future is changing with automation and algorithms. The third element is the various novel work practices. We will look at new ways of working and leadership that boost work-life flexibility, worker agility, and engagement. Finally, the course reflects on how digital work can enable broader, strategic digital transformations (e.g., in business models). Without internal agility, and an engaged workforce, externally-oriented digital transformations will be difficult to achieve.

Throughout the course, we will also critically reflect on the observed trends in digital transformation of work and consider policy implications to mitigate potential negative consequences. For example, we will reflect on how digital work can be designed to best serve the basic human needs for autonomy, competence and belonging that ensure decent work as defined by the United Nations. We will also reflect on different options to protect new types of digital workers, such as crowdworkers.

The course is structured around the above-described topics. Two sessions are dedicated to each key topic – one lecture and one workshop – delivered in a blended learning environment.