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The purpose of this paper is to identify the main features of smart work centers (SWCs) and show how these innovative offices would support the implementation of smart working and related changes in workspaces (“bricks”), technologies (“bytes”) and organizational practices (“behaviors”).

In this study, scientific literature is combined with white papers and business reports and visits to 14 workplaces, including offices designed as SWCs, co-working spaces, one telecenter, one accelerator and one fab lab. Primary data were collected through interviews with managers and users and non-participant observation, whereas secondary data included web-sites, brochures, presentations, press releases and official documents.

The authors developed research propositions about how the design of spaces and the availability of technology within SWCs would support the “bricks” and “bytes” levers of smart working. More importantly, the authors assumed that this new type of workplace would sustain changes in employees’ behaviors and managers’ practices, thus helping to overcome several challenges traditionally associated with remote working.

The exploratory nature of the research only provides preliminary information about the role of SWCs within smart working programs. Additional qualitative and quantitative empirical investigation is required.

This study provides valuable knowledge about how the design of corporate offices can be leveraged to sustain the implementation of smart working.

This study advances knowledge on workplaces by focusing on an innovative design of traditional offices (SWC). It also lays the foundations for future investigation aimed at testing the developed propositions.

This chapter aims to build a systematization of the current theoretical and empirical academic contributions on smart working (SW) in the organization studies domain and to examine which are the main paths that researchers are concerning themselves with, with specific attention being paid to the new meaning that the work itself has acquired in the model proposed by SW. Particular consideration is devoted to an analysis of the characteristics of the present debate on this construct and the meaning of SW, identifying two different – and contrasting – approaches: one considers it as a totally new concept; the other is notable for its continuity with previous arrangements such as telework. Further, some relevant concepts, strictly related to that of SW in working environments are considered. In the last part of the chapter, some key points for further research are proposed to create stimuli for discussion in the community of organization studies and HRM scholars and among practitioners, given from the perspective of deepening the change in progress, the relevance for which there is general consensus.

This paper aims to understand the impact of smart working on employees’ quality of life. The service-dominant logic indicates that key actors, including employees, are resource integrators. This empirical study contributes to the current knowledge of transformative service by expounding on smart working practices and their relationship with self-efficacy and, ultimately, quality of life of employees.

This study contends that smart working enhances employees’ self-efficacy. The current research uses conservation of resources (COR) theory as a basis in hypothesizing that self-efficacy serves as a key resource, which can stimulate workplace creativity, job satisfaction and quality of life. An onsite survey is conducted among employees who have been involved in smart working in the travel agency context.

Smart working has a positive effect on self-efficacy, which positively influences workplace creativity, job satisfaction and quality of life. Workplace creativity enhances job satisfaction but does not influence quality of life. Job satisfaction boosts quality of life, which is important to tourism services and their employees amid various crises.

Consistent with COR theory, the immediate recommendation to managers is to invest in smart working, which can lead to employees’ creativity, job satisfaction and quality of life.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this empirical study is the first to assess the viability of smart working in the travel agency context. Smart working offers positive outcomes, such as convenience for employees to work independently, improving workplace creativity, job satisfaction and quality of life. Travel agencies are mainly categorized as small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In the future, SMEs may also introduce smart working that can eventually become their competitive advantage to retain talented employees.

旅行社中的智慧办公与员工的生活质量

本文旨在了解智慧办公对员工的影响.服务主导逻辑表明, 员工等关键人物是资源整合者。本文通过实证研究揭示了智慧办公实践及其与员工自我效能和生活质量的关系, 对现有转型服务知识做出贡献。

本研究认为智慧办公可以提高员工的自我效能。基于资源守恒理论(COR), 本研究假设自我效能是激发职场创造力、工作满意度和生活质量的关键因素, 对旅行社中参与智慧办公的员工进行了现场调查。

智慧办公对自我效能有正向影响, 同时自我效能对职场创造力、工作满意度和生活质量均产生正向影响。职场创造力能够提高工作满意度, 但对员工的生活质量不起作用。另外, 工作满意度有利于提升生活质量, 这对面临各种危机的旅游企业和员工具有重要意义。

根据COR理论, 即刻建议管理者投资推行智慧办公, 从而提升员工的创造力, 工作满意度和生活质量。

这一实证研究首次尝试评估旅行社中推行智慧办公的可行性。智慧办公可带来多种积极效果, 如为员工独立工作提供便利, 提升员工的职场创造力、工作满意度和生活质量等。旅行社属于中小型企业(SMEs)。未来, 中小型企业同样可尝试引入智慧办公, 这将成为其留住优秀员工的竞争优势。

关键词：智慧办公, 公平评估, 自我效能, 创造力, 自主, 生活质量

文章类型： 研究型论文

El trabajo inteligente en las agencias de viajes y la calidad de vida de los empleados

Resumen

Este artículo tiene como objetivo entender el impacto del trabajo inteligente en la calidad de vida de los empleados. Basándose en la lógica de servicio dominante, los actores clave, incluidos los empleados, son integradores de recursos. Este estudio empírico contribuye al conocimiento actual de lo que constituye un servicio transformador al exponer prácticas laborales inteligentes y su relación con la autoeficacia y, en última instancia, la calidad de vida de los empleados.

Este estudio sostiene que el trabajo inteligente mejora la autoeficacia de los empleados. Plantea la hipótesis de que la autoeficacia sirve como un recurso clave que puede estimular la creatividad en el lugar de trabajo, la satisfacción laboral y la calidad de vida utilizando la teoría de la conservación de recursos. Se ha realizado una encuesta in situ entre los empleados que han llevado a cabo trabajo inteligente en el contexto de la agencia de viajes.

El trabajo inteligente tiene un efecto positivo en la autoeficacia que influye positivamente en la creatividad en el lugar de trabajo, la satisfacción laboral y la calidad de vida. La creatividad en el lugar de trabajo mejora la satisfacción laboral, pero no influye en la calidad de vida. La satisfacción laboral mejora la calidad de vida, lo que es importante tanto para los servicios turísticos como para sus empleados durante las crisis.

De acuerdo con la teoría de la conservación de recursos, la recomendación inmediata a los gerentes es invertir en un trabajo inteligente que pueda conducir a la creatividad, la satisfacción laboral y la calidad de vida de los empleados.

Este estudio empírico es el primero del que tengamos constancia en evaluar la viabilidad del trabajo inteligente en el contexto de la agencia de viajes. El trabajo inteligente ofrece beneficios, como la posibilidad de que los empleados trabajen de forma independiente, mejorando así la creatividad profesional, la satisfacción laboral y la calidad de vida. Las agencias de viajes se incluyen principalmente en la categoría de pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes). En el futuro, las pymes también pueden introducir el trabajo inteligente, que puede llegar a convertirse en su ventaja competitiva para retener a los empleados con talento.

Trabajo inteligente, Equidad en las valoraciones, Autoeficacia, Creatividad, Autonomía, Calidad de vida

Smart-work has been attracting more attention since the COVID-19 outbreak hit the world in 2020. Smart-working practices do not always run smoothly despite the necessary infrastructure being in place. Taking the quality-value-loyalty chain and information system continuance model as the basis, this study aims to identify how “smart-work support service” leads to employees’ continuance intention toward smart-work. In this study, the smart-work support service refers to the infrastructure making smart-work possible and services needed to support smart-work.

Using data collected from a survey of 406 employees working in Korea, this study verifies the components of smart-work support service quality and dimensions of perceived value through partial least squares analysis and then tests the proposed conceptual model using structural equation modeling.

The results verified that the quality of smart-work support service consists of eight attributes while dividing the perceived value of smart-work into three dimensions and further revealed that the service quality influences the intention to continue smart-working by way of perceived value and satisfaction.

This study sought to explore the relationship among service quality, perceived value and satisfaction by clearly conceptualizing and measuring them in the context of smart-work, thereby ultimately understanding the impact they have on the intention to continue smart-work.

This study aims to shed light on the ambiguous effects of smart working (SW) on work meaningfulness. On the one hand, SW enables people to benefit from greater work flexibility, advancing individual control over organizational activities. On the other hand, it may impair interpersonal exchanges at work, disrupting job meaningfulness. Hence, the implications of SW on work meaningfulness are investigated through the mediating role of interpersonal exchanges at work.

The authors investigate both the direct and indirect effects of SW on employees’ perceived meaningfulness at work. Secondary data come from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The study encompasses a sample of 30,932 employees. A mediation model based on ordinary least square regressions and bootstrap sampling is designed to obtain evidence of SW’s implications on meaningfulness at work through the mediating role of interpersonal relationships (IR).

The research findings suggest that SW triggers a positive sense of the significance of work. However, it negatively affects IR with peers and supervisors, entailing professional and spatial isolation. Impaired IR twists the positive implications of SW on organizational meaningfulness (OM), curtailing the employees’ sense of significance at work.

SW is a double-edged sword. It contributes to the enrichment of OM, enhancing the individual self-determination to shape the spatial context of work. However, its side effects on interpersonal exchanges generate a drift toward organizational meaninglessness. Tailored management interventions intended to sustain IR at work are needed to fit the design of SW arrangements to the employees’ evolving social needs.

The paper pushes forward what is currently known about the implications of SW on OM, examining them through the mediating role of IR at work.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse data from the New South Wales Government’s Pilot Programme of establishing Smart Work Hubs (SWHs) for enabling teleworking in two busy commuter corridors. The paper analyses the relationships between various firm, job and personal factors and the perceived value, attitudes and expected usage by users of the SWHs.

Employing a cross-sectional survey design, the characteristics, values and attitudes of 117 SWH users were analysed using partial least squares (PLS) method of structural equation modelling (SEM). SEM-PLS approach is considered appropriate especially in prediction-based studies and to estimate an endogenous target construct.

Results revealed that perceived SWH value significantly influenced attitude towards the SWH, which then had a significant influence on SWH usage intentions, with personal, job and firm factors also playing a role. Further analysis revealed four variables that significantly influenced the perception of family-value benefits (age, income, hub commute distance, work commute distance), however, there were none that significantly influenced the perception of work benefits.

The small sample size limits statistical inferences and generalisations to be drawn. Further, this paper also discusses how the low and uneven uptake of teleworking at a SWH raises several managerial and policy implications needing attention.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study analysing the expected values, attitudes and usage intentions of teleworkers in a SWH context. This study adds to the emerging body of human resource management studies on an outward-looking approach. The novel context will provide a useful base for subsequent studies.

The purpose of this study consisted of an organisational development intervention in a growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) where the top management’s objective was to become an attractive workplace for the next generation of employees. The central problem is how to develop a smart working environment (SWE) based on the needs of this target group. The aim is both practical and theoretical.

The action research (AR) approach was used as a frame for the organisational learning process. The problem identification, targets and activities were developed in an iterative process together with the management team and employees. Starting from the main problem, a methodological plan was outlined for the intervention, including several instruments for collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. AR is an emergent process in which data, researchers and participants are equally contributing in deciding on the next steps to be taken.

The theoretical findings pertain to the definition of what an SWE is in this specific context and how it evolved during the intervention period. It is identified as expansive learning of the concept, which is illustrated through the iterative phases allowing for the expansion of understanding and implementing new ways of being, doing and relating in the organisation.

The results are based on a limited and contextually specific sample and are thus descriptive in relation to the organisation subjected to study. Further research is needed to see how the findings are transferable to other contexts.

This study highlights how participative approaches and managerial sensitivity to employees’ needs are valuable for defining and implementing an SWE and how this approach can improve organisational dynamics and contribute to organisational learning.

The study gives insight into factors that the new generation of employees finds most important at work. While prior research on SWE mostly focuses on efficiency and effectiveness framed by digitalisation and workspace, the present findings emphasise the importance of working with the socioemotional dimension at work for ensuring employee sustainability.

This paper aims to provide an easy-to-use yet powerful tool to assess the organizational readiness to adopt effective Smart Working (SW). In light of this main objective, based on the current state of research, the study develops a maturity model to assess the SW organizational readiness (SWOR). The SWOR maturity model consists of three dimensions, each of them further detailed into two sub-dimensions. A tool was developed to make use of the model.

The SWOR maturity model was converted into a Web-based questionnaire that includes 54 questions based on 44 items to operationalize the model sub-dimensions. The questionnaire was used in a survey conducted at the Local Health Authority (ASL) of the province of Bari (Italy).

Several implications derive from the present study. From a managerial perspective, the SWOR maturity model supports companies in the as-is analysis of processes, technologies and human resources, which are the enablers of an effective SW, and in the development of a roadmap to achieve a desired “to-be” situation.

Despite recent studies on SW have identified the key drivers that affect the success of SW implementation, there is a lack of models and tools that help companies become aware of the actions and investments to be taken to move towards an effective SW adoption. Even the analysis of the literature on maturity models reveals a gap in the research related to the assessment of SW organizational readiness. The present paper tries to overcome these limitations.

This study aims to explore the impact of marketing agility on the business-to-business (B2B) firms’ capacity to address unexpected events such as the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, examining how they reshape their strategies during the different stages of a crisis.

This study follows a theory-building approach and performs an in-depth exploratory multiple-case study in the context of 16 Italian firms operating in the B2B sector.

The study develops an event-sequence-based framework and illustrates how agile marketing strategies empower B2B firms to cope with a crisis across three crucial moments: the event phase, the response management phase and the investigation phase.

This paper contributes to a better understanding of marketing agility in the context of crisis management by showing the agile marketing strategies that B2B firms adopt during the different stages of a crisis. This work provides a useful foundation to assist managers in coping with market uncertainty. It suggests practical guidelines to make more informed strategic and operational marketing decisions, increasing a firm’s capacity to act in today’s fast-moving, complex times.