20 years of research at the Fraunhofer Institute: On the future of the world of work
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) celebrates its birthday. Since 1996, the institute has been driving the Office 21 joint research project together with partners from industry. The central question has always been: What does the future of our working world look like? In order to make these developments not only scientifically comprehensible, but also actually tangible, the information and demonstration center "Office Innovation Center" was founded.
In 2010, the forecast for the workplace of the future was still "socially committed" and "ecological".
"For the first time, we have not only created a demonstration centre for the presentation of new concepts and products on the subject of office design, but also a playground for evaluating the suitability of innovative office solutions in detail and developing them further," says Professor Wilhelm Bauer, initiator of the project and head of the IAO in Stuttgart. Since its beginnings, the IAO has tried to keep its finger on the pulse of the times and think up work scenarios of the future.
Here is an overview of milestones from 20 years of ILO research:
2000: From the industrial society to the knowledge age
The time of the industrial society is over - we are on the way to the knowledge age. With this prognosis, Office 21's first research paper lays the foundation for the path into the digital era. In their publication 'Büroarbeit in der dotcom-Gesellschaft gestalten' (Designing office work in the dotcom society), the authors Hans-Jörg Bullinger, Wilhelm Bauer, Peter Kern and Stephan Zinser diagnose a change in the world of work. Coal and steel are a thing of the past; the raw materials of the future are now knowledge and information. Creativity replaces the assembly line as a productivity factor.
This also turns employees from isolated units into "knowledge workers" who move like nomads in networks.
2003: The employee as the most important resource
The human factor is moving to the centre of the working world. This is the second major forecast made by the IAO. 'More performance in innovative working environments' is the title of the handbook with which the Institute is primarily addressing companies. Here they will find practical aids and tried and tested practices for motivating employees in companies. Behind this is the realization that people have become the most important resource in companies.
The motivation, knowledge and creativity of the employees alone determine the success and productivity of the company. This also means that the needs of employees must be taken seriously. A nice company car is no longer enough of a reward. Employees demand more flexibility, more creative freedom and more freedom to make decisions on the job.
"Change Management" is the magic word that Office 21 wants to push in its second major publication. Triggered by new office forms, by groundbreaking advances in information and communication technology and the knowledge of the "success factor" people, companies have to rethink. Those who want to be successful in the working world of the future must therefore focus on the "feel-good factor people".
2010: Offices go green
Companies want to create sustainable jobs. In another milestone of their office research, the IAO scientists state: "There is still enormous exploitation potential to increase ecological sustainability in companies and in office work." In their study 'Green Office', the researchers asked German companies about their ideas on sustainable workspaces. Forty-two percent of the companies surveyed answered that environmentally friendly and resource-saving technologies were very important to them.
This shows a change from purely profit-oriented to ecologically committed companies. The place of work is thus also becoming a social place. Employees and also customers no longer care where they work and what products they buy. The conscious consumer and employee wants to know exactly what social contribution a company is making. This often decides whether they buy a product or work for a company.
We identify more with our work and therefore also demand more commitment from companies. The forecast for the workplace of the future in 2010 was therefore socially engaged and ecological.
2012: Visionary working worlds
What will our future look like in ten years? This is the question that researchers at Office 21 are exploring in their study 'Working Worlds 4.0 - How we will work and live tomorrow'. The clear vision: our world is becoming more digital. This not only affects our work, but also our digital selves. Our appearance on the web is our future business card. The researchers speak of a "digital aura".
Another prediction is the dominance of cloud technologies. Our mobile technologies supply themselves with information. Depending on where we are and who we are, we are constantly supplied with information that is relevant to us. Even if this reminds some people a little too much of "Minority Report", the researchers talk optimistically about how everything will run "seamlessly and wirelessly".
Furthermore, the scientists predict that older employees will continue to be active - especially in their professional lives. Their know-how is therefore considered an important resource for companies. The workplace is also changing: in ten years' time, we will no longer have stiff open-plan offices; our desks will be dynamic, work-friendly and individually tailored to each employee. Welcome to the working world of the future!
2014: The office becomes a coworking space
After the research of Office 21 has dealt very intensively with the development of the office space, the researchers have noticed a completely new trend: Away from the classic desk, towards collaborative working in a coworking space. In their publication 'Fascination Coworking', the researchers go into detail about the successful coworking model.
It is precisely the openness of such workspaces and the loose organization that is attracting more and more companies and freelancers to shared offices. This seems to reflect the trend towards more room for development. Employees can arrange their working hours more individually and exchange ideas with colleagues much more dynamically. But not only that - especially the exchange with coworkers from other industries seems to steer creativity in completely new directions.
New business concepts and unimagined collaborations emerge. The coworking space thus becomes a creative workshop for the working world.
2016: The farewell to paper
In their current study 'Digital Working. Motives and effects of paperless working methods', the IAO researchers focus on a new topic of the future, the paperless office. Particular attention is paid to the correlation between digital or paper-based working and personal performance. In other words, are we more successful if we write everything down on paper with a pen and print out documents, or do we work more productively if our notes and information remain digital? With this topic, Office 21 is once again on the trail of a trend.
The trend towards a knowledge society, the digitalisation of our world and the development of new forms of work are just some of the new trends that will restructure the world of work. The IAO's research is and will continue to be an exciting barometer of the current and future world of work.
