REVIEW article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Work, Employment and Organizations
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1631523
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Impact of Intelligent Technologies on the Future of Work: Challenges and Opportunities for Individuals, Organizations, and SocietyView all 4 articles
Developing an integrated conceptual framework of NewWork-Settings: A systematic scoping review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institut für Arbeitsmedizin, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- 2Institut für Arbeits-, Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Introduction: The last few decades have seen drastic changes in the world of work. These global transformations of work towards more digital, decentralised and democratic forms are commonly referred to as NewWork (NW). NW is frequently described as a container term encompassing a broad set of concepts. In order to provide conceptual clarity, the aim of this review was to develop an integrated conceptual framework of NW-settings, i.e., workplaces that have implemented different NW measures. Methods: A systematic scoping review was conducted, following the framework by Arksey and O'Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute. Results: Based on the synthesis of 99 included articles, we developed a multidimensional conceptual framework of NW-settings, which consists of four dimensions: flexibility, digitalization, democratization and agility, and 14 inter-related subdimensions. Discussion: This framework facilitates a clearer understanding of NW and provides valuable insights for contemporary work practices and the broader social implications of digital and organizational transformations in our world of work.
Keywords: Modern work, New ways of working (NWOW), Work flexibility, digitalization, agility, democratic workplaces
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wawera, Niebuhr, Glaser, Rinne and Voelter-Mahlknecht. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Anna-Sophia Wawera, Institut für Arbeitsmedizin, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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