Extreme work in organizations: mapping the field and a future research agenda

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in the phenomenon of extreme work amongst academics, policy makers and the media, the area is characterized by different constructs, terminology, and disparate research findings on both contexts and outcomes. The aim of this positional paper, as part of a double Special Issue on extreme work and ‘working extremely’, is to provide a timely review of the field and bring some coherence to it through providing a classification of extreme work and its associated outcomes. Specifically, we use the outputs of a systematic review to capture and map the complexity of this area of research, illustrate the different contexts that influence and shape its emergence, and highlight different employee outcomes. Our typology serves as a heuristic device to categorize the 12 papers that make up this Special Issue, map potential future research questions and avenues, and identify human resource management (HRM) practice implications at multiple levels.