Digitalisation of work: Between affordances and constraints for learning at work

Abstract

The interconnection of computers and smart devices grants new possibilities of work organisation. The step from single computers as tools to a network of smart devices and computers describes the digitalisation of work. This chapter aims at empirically investigating the impact of these digitalisation tendencies on workplace learning in the field of administrative work. For this purpose, interviews with affected workers and human resource representatives, as well as members of the workers council, from three companies operating in different industries were conducted and analysed using qualitative content analyses. The findings give insights into how certain workplace characteristics conducive to work-related learning changed due to digitalisation efforts (job demands, job control, and social support). In addition, the contribution discusses how the different status groups (workers, HR representatives, and employee representatives) describe issues of digitalisation from their perspectives.