OB
MOC
CTO
Hodar Lam
Lingnan U., Hong Kong
Sut I Wong
BI Norwegian Business School, Norway
Alejandro Hermida Carrillo
LMU Munich School of Management, Germany
Birke Laubinger
LMU Munich, Germany
Meir Shemla
Erasmus U. Rotterdam, Netherlands
Jestine Philip
U. of New Haven, United States
The increasing work digitization (exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic) may have boosted some task-oriented work outcomes, but because work relationships become more instrumental, there may be some unintended yet unexplored relational impacts on employees (e.g., inability to psychologically detach, loneliness). In the current symposium, we bring together scholars across the globe to explore when, why and how work digitization has relational consequences for employees as well as to critically reflect on and discuss current issues in research on workplace relationships in digital work contexts. Drawing upon a variety of methodologies (e.g., experiments, longitudinal dyadic survey, theory piece, and systematic review) and different levels of organizational analysis, our presenters shed light on (a) how expressing solitude (i.e., enjoying working alone) in remote work is evaluated by colleagues, (b) the spillover of always-on culture on partner violence at home, (c) relational crafting in human-AI teaming, and (d) the role of hierarchy and its differentiation in virtual work. We conclude with an integrative summary that showcases key insights from the presentations and important research questions to address moving forward. Finally, we aim to provide practical insights into what both employees and organizations can do to mitigate the unintended relational impacts in today’s digitalized workplaces.
Author: Hodar Lam – Lingnan U.
Author: Alejandro Hermida Carrillo – LMU Munich School of Management
Author: Sut I Wong – BI Norwegian Business School
Author: Jestine Philip – U. of New Haven
Author: Birke Laubinger – LMU Munich