A study to the way in which HR, ICT and facility management interact

within the organizational change towards Het Nieuwe Werken

Author: Evelien van Damme, Msc.

Student number: 0828459
Date: February, 2011
Location: Amsterdam

University: Radboud University Nijmegen

Faculty: Faculty of Management Sciences
Master: Business Studies
Master specialization: Strategy
Organisation: Kirkman Company
Supervisor Radboud University: Stefan Heusinkveld
Second reader Radboud University Pascale Peters
Supervisor Kirkman Company: Atse Koopmans

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Preface

Two years ago I completed my first masterthesis for the master Policy, Communication and
Organization. Within the process of that project I realized that I wanted to gain more insights in
theories concerning business strategies and organizational change. Therefore, I choose to start a
new study: Business Administration. After a tough pre-master, the master specialization Strategy
started. And with a new master… it is required to write a new masterthesis! Although some people say
that a second time is mostly a disillusion, this was not the case with my masterthesis. Just like the
first time, the process of my masterthesis gave me energy, it made me enthusiastic and I gathered a
lot of new knowledge and experiences! However, I did not get the energy, enthusiasm, knowledge
and experiences from reading, analyzing and summarizing numerous articles. Above all, the past
months many people around me gave me energy and inspiration. Hence, the accomplishment of this
masterthesis has never been possible without the help of these important people and therefore I would
like to thank them for their contribution.

First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor of the Radboud University: Stefan Heusinkveld. He
challenged me to cross the boundaries of my capabilities and his vast research experience and insight
in organizational changes have proven to be very valuable in the writing process. Additionally, his
constructive criticism and analytical view helped me to write this masterthesis. Also many thanks to my
second reader Pascale Peters, for her insights in flexible work concepts and her valuable feedback
during the writing process of my masterthesis. Moreover, many thanks to the interviewees who
participated in my study. Without them I would not have any results and my writing process would be
much duller. Thanks to their cooperation and trust, I got a look in practice and how a new concept is
implemented in organizations. Furthermore, I would like to thank Atse Koopmans – my supervisor of
Kirkman Company – for his innovative ideas and professional guidance. At the same time, I would
like to thank my fellow interns and colleagues at Kirkman Company who have really been an
inspiration to me in the recent months.

Apart from the people with whom I have worked during the writing process of my masterthesis, I would
like to thank some other important people in my life. In the first place, many thanks to my parents who
have always been interested in my activities and developments during my entire study time.
Additionally, I would like to thank my brother Maarten for making the beautiful cover of my
masterthesis. Also thanks to Davy for his support, patience and understanding when my priorities
were with my thesis instead of with him. Moreover, I would like to thank all my friends for their
continued interest and support. Finally, I would like to thank you for your interest in my masterthesis. I
hope you will get as much inspiration, energy and enthusiasm as I experienced in the recent months!

Evelien van Damme

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Abstract
Purpose – Organizations in today’s business face several factors which changed their way of working,
such as rising real estate costs, global competition, and increasing power of new information and
communication technologies. These changes have also forced organizations to find new ways to
structure their organizations. A way to respond to these rapid changes in the environment is the
adaption of flexible work concepts, such as Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW). In an effort to unravel the
organizational change towards HNW, the objective of this study is to explore the new concept of HNW
and the way in which different organizational disciplines – HR, ICT and facility management - interact
within this concept.

Methodology – To meet the objective of the research, an explanatory qualitative study is conducted.
The research strategy of this study includes twenty-five interviews among ten Dutch organizations.
HR, ICT and facility managers which were involved in the implementation of HNW of their organization
participated in this research by semi-structured face-to-face interviews.

Findings – Results from the twenty-five interviews indicate that HNW can be seen as a flexible work
concept which consists of the characteristics: trust and flexibility/freedom. To reach these goals, HR-,
ICT- and facility management have to interact. When analyzing this interaction between the HR, ICT
and facility discipline within HNW, it became clear that the three disciplines interact in two ways. In the
first place, the findings showed that there were tensions between the different disciplines within the
implementation of HNW. These tensions occurred at different levels within the organization, namely at
the strategic, operational and supporting level. However, interaction between the disciplines is not only
visible in tensions, but also in the cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management. This kind of
interaction also occurs at three levels of the organization. The interaction between the disciplines
occurs because of their interdependency within the concept of HNW.

Implications – This study drew on theories of flexible work concepts and the framework of
organizational change of Greenwood & Hinings (1996). To shed light on the poorly understood
concept of HNW and the process of the interaction between organizational disciplines, this research
extends the present literature in five ways. First, this research is the first which analyzed the concept
of HNW. Second, it is the first research that combines literature on flexible work concepts with
literature on organizational change. Third, it extends the present literature into the way different
perspectives are shaped within HNW. Fourth and fifth, the research extends the present literature by
providing two models were tensions and cooperation between the different organizational disciplines
at the strategic, operational and supporting level of organizations become clear.

Keywords – Het Nieuwe Werken, flexible work concepts, organizational change, interaction of
organizational disciplines/perspectives: HR management, ICT management, facility management.

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Table of content

1 Introduction 5
1|1 Motives for research 6
1|2 Relevance of the research 7
1|3 Research question 9
1|4 Research method 10
1|5 Structure of the research 10

2 A change towards a new world of work 12

2|1 The development of flexible work concepts, such as Het Nieuwe Werken 13
2|2 Motives for the adoption of Het Nieuwe Werken 14
2|3 Het Nieuwe Werken as an organizational change 19

3 Research method 28
3|1 Introduction 29
3|2 Research type- and plan 29
3|3 Data collection 31
3|4 Data analysis 32
3|5 Reliability and validity 33
3|6 Report 34

4 Results 35
4|1 Introduction 36
4|2 The concept Het Nieuwe Werken 36
4|3 The interpretations of HR, ICT and facility management on Het Nieuwe Werken 40
4|4 Tensions between HR, ICT and facility management 46
4|5 Cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management 49

5 Conclusion & Discussion 54

5|1 Introduction 55
5|2 Conclusion 55
5|3 Theoretical implications 56
5|4 Limitations and recommendations for future research 58
5|5 Practical implications 60

List of literature 62

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Appendices 67
Appendix 1 – Invitation for interviews / e-mail 68
Appendix 2 – Explanation of the study / appendix of the e-mail 69
Appendix 3 – Topic list for the interviews 70
Appendix 4 – Open coding scheme 72
Appendix 5 – Open coding- and axial coding table 76

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 1| “New technologies, human needs, and
environmental and facility concerns are all
important in the adoption of flexible work
concepts” (Karnowski & White, 2002)

CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION

The objective of this chapter is to discuss the developments in the

field of organizations which shaped the motives for this research to
the organizational change towards Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW).
This will result in the formulation and an explanation of the central
research question. Furthermore, this chapter demonstrates that
this research has relevance for the science of business studies as
well as for the concept of management. To reach these goals, the
following paragraphs will be used:

1|1 Motives for research

1|2 Relevance of the research

1|3 Research question

1|4 Research method

1|5 Structure of the research

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 1 Introduction

This research focuses on the way in which three organizational disciplines – HR, ICT and facility
management – interact within the change process towards the flexible work concept Het Nieuwe
Werken (HNW). The research draws on theories of flexible work concepts and organizational change
in order to analyze the interaction in various Dutch organizations. Conducting the research will lead to
the emergence of two models of interaction in which tensions and cooperation between the
organizational disciplines are central. These models reflect that tensions and cooperation within HNW
are present at different levels – strategic, operational, and supporting – of the organization.

1| 1 Motives for research

1| 1 |1 The need for a more flexible way of working

Decennia ago, the industrial revolution took people away from home to centralized workplaces such as
factories and offices. Today a reverse trend is found, people practicing their work from other
environments than only the factory or the central office (Baruch, 2000; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004).
This is because in the current business organizations face changing workforce demographics, rising
real estate costs, and global competition (Becker & Steele, 1995; Karnowski & White, 2002; Prahaled
& Hamel, 1990; Cascio,1995; Meyer, Allen & Topolnytsky, 1998). These developments altered the
way in which organizations structure their organization (Meyer, Allen & Topolnytsky, 1998; Cascio
1995; Carnoy, 1998). In response to rapid changes in the market and in the world of work, a more
flexible form of production is required (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Cascio, 1995) and flexible
work concepts are embraced. Though, proponents of flexible work concepts see these developments
as a reason to focus on these concepts. However, nowadays, flexibility in work is substantial and
growing and it affects many organizations and individuals (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Meyer,
Allen & Topolnytsky, 1998).

1| 1 |2 Het Nieuwe Werken as a flexible work concept

The changing environment and the notion of flexibility have led to the introduction of flexible work
concepts within organizations (Baruch, 2000), according to the proponents of these concepts. Het
Nieuwe Werken (HNW) can be seen as such a flexible work concept, because it is defined as a new
vision on work in which recent developments in the information technology are seen as the driver for a
better establishment and management of knowledge work. In this study the Dutch term ‘Het Nieuwe
Werken’ is used, because it is a study among Dutch organizations and this concept is gaining more
and more attention in Dutch business according to several business magazines. Flexible work
concepts - such as HNW - are seen as a workplace improvement that - according to HNW proponents
- may result in greater efficiency, effectiveness and productivity, reduced office space (costs),
increased job satisfaction for the employees and recruitment and retention of skilled staff (Baily &

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Kurland, 2002; Di Martino & Wirth, 1990; Baruch, 2000; Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002;
Illegems & Verbeke, 2004). In this way, it anticipates on the rapid changing environment in many
organizations (Cronshaw, 1998). On the other side, opponents of flexible work concepts emphasize
the lack of organizational commitment, communication difficulties and decreasing social cohesion
(Baruch, 2000; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Schabracq & Cooper, 2000; Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis,
1997). However, when the decision is made to implement HNW in the organization, many aspects of
the organization need to be changed.

1|1|3 An organizational change towards Het Nieuwe Werken

The adoption of a flexible work concept can therefore be understood from the perspective of
organizational change (Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010). Within an organizational change, the interplay of
organizational disciplines is an important aspect to understand the change process (Greenwood &
Hinings, 1996). Within the field of flexible work concepts, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) emphasized that
these concepts, such as HNW, rely on three main concepts: organization, location and technology. In
other words, it is assumed that the ICT, HR and facility departments of an organization need to be
taken into account when analyzing the organizational change towards HNW.

1|2 Relevance of the research

Surprisingly, however, prior research on flexible work concepts has its shortcomings in three ways.
Therefore, this research has relevance for the scientific literature in three different ways.

1|2|1 Scientific relevance

First, there has been little scientific research conducted on HNW as a flexible work practice. Although
the notion of flexible work concepts has already reached many organizations and gained public
awareness (Baruch, 2000; Baily & Kurland, 2002; Microsoft, 2005; Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp,
2009), the relative young concept of HNW is not yet studied in a scientific way. Although equivalent
concepts to HNW, such as teleworking and telecommuting, are already analyzed in scientific
researches (Baily & Kurland, 2002; Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Karnowski & White, 2002),
the flexible work concept HNW is scarcely investigated. However, by the increasing popularity and
attention to HNW, a lot has been written in popular business journals about this relatively new
phenomenon, but scientific research lacks analyzing this concept. Furthermore, it is expected that
many organizations will change their structures in order to obtain a flexible workplace (Baruch, 2000)
to react on the rapid changing environment and the growing competition (Cascio, 1995). Research of
Deloitte (Deloitte, 2010) showed that HNW will be the standard for most organizations in the
Netherlands within five years. Furthermore, their survey indicated that 53% of the respondents is
currently embracing HNW and this will increase to 72% within the next years. The relevance of
analyzing HNW is also indicated by research of Volkskrant Banen (2010), which showed that 80% of

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the employees consider HNW as an attractive work concept. Due to the expected attention to HNW
and the shortcoming in the present literature, it is therefore important that this scientific research
analyzes and describes the concept of HNW as a flexible work concept.

Second, there has been little scientific research in the field of flexible work practices as an
organizational change. Because HNW is a relatively young concept, the equivalent concepts are to
some extent investigated as organizational changes (Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009).
However, the present literature on flexible work practices mainly paid attention to the advantages and
disadvantages of these concepts for employees and organizations. However, these researches did not
had a specific focus on the organizational change process of the flexible work concept (Microsoft,
2005; Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010) and have not linked the neo-institutional theory to HNW. Therefore,
it makes sense to analyze a flexible work concept, such as HNW, as an organizational change,
because such a concept affects the whole organization. Furthermore, it is important to analyze the
flexible work concept HNW as an organizational change, because the implementation of a flexible
work concept requires interaction between different organizational disciplines, which is an important
aspect to understand the change process (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).

Third, the existing literature on flexible work concepts lacks focus on the interaction between different
organizational disciplines – which is important within an organizational change. Unfortunately, the
scientific literature mainly paid attention to the fact that a flexible work concept would be driven by
technological innovation: more powerful software and computing systems, the Internet and pervasive
wireless connectivity (Microsoft, 2005; Pérez, Sánchez, Luis Carciner & Jiménez, 2005; Brewster,
Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Baruch, 2000). The ICT department is therefore seen as an important part
of the organization in HNW by providing the organization and its members ICT tools which enable
flexible working (Microsoft, 2005; Pérez, Sánchez, Luis Carciner & Jiménez, 2005). However, in
celebrating the success of the advances of the technological innovation, these authors did not pay
attention to the human side of the implementation of HNW. According to Microsoft (2005) the HR
discipline is important, because ‘empowering people to work more efficiently and effectively in of the
new world of work should be at the center of any organization’s strategy. Also Brewster, Mayne &
Tregaskis (1997) and Cascio (1995) underlined the importance of the HR department of the
organization within the change towards a flexible work concept. On the other hand, there is also
evidence that facility management can be seen as an important department within the implementation
of a flexible work concept, because it is argued that the changes that are considered within HNW can
give rise to alternative officing and the need for new and other facilities for the organization and its
members (Karnowski & White, 2002). All these prior studies showed that ICT, HR and facility
management individually have different perceptions on flexible work concepts. Although Karnowski &
White (2002), Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997), Cascio (1995) and Microsoft (2005) emphasize
that new technologies, human needs, and environmental and facility concerns are all important in the

8
adoption and success of flexible work concepts, no scientific research has included ICT, HR and
facility disciplines together to analyze the organizational change towards HNW and the interaction
between these disciplines within it. It is therefore important to analyze the perceptions of all three
disciplines together that are important within flexible work concepts. With that, new insights on the
interaction between different organizational disciplines within the flexible work concept of HNW can be
added to the present literature.

1|2|2 Practical relevance

Besides the fact that this study has scientific relevance, it also contributes to practical and
organizational issues. By conducting this research, organizations will receive useful information about
the implementation of HNW in combination with the interaction between HR, ICT and facility
management. The need for a study like this is reflected in the amount of business journals and
popular-scientific journals where the concept of flexible work concepts dominates (Over het nieuwe
werken, 2009; Hovemann, 2009). HNW is not only popular in the business journals, but also on the
Internet. Various sites, such as overhetnieuwewerken.nl, hetnieuwewerkenblog.nl and werken20.nl,
pay attention to this concept and also professional social network sites, such as LinkedIn, have special
interest groups developed on the topic of the new world of work. Furthermore, the concept of HNW is
not only noticed in the business society, but also in government organizations, which is reflected on
the ambtenaar20.nl site where the concept of the new world of work is applied to the government. This
shows that flexible work concepts are at the heart of the business- and government concept. The
results of this research can help organizations to understand the perceptions and interaction of the
HR, ICT and facility departments and in which way they can anticipate to this to implement HNW in
their own organization. Besides this, Kirkman Company can apply the results and the acquired
knowledge of this study to guide and advise their clients within projects concerning HNW.

1|3 Research question

The developments in the field of organizations on the adoption of flexible work concepts and the lack
of scientific research on the interaction of organizational departments within the implementation of
HNW, have led to the formulation of the following central research question:

In which way do HR management, ICT management and facility management

interact within the organizational change towards Het Nieuwe Werken?

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This research question requires analysis of the complex organizational change of HNW and the
interaction of different organizational disciplines within that change. The objective of this research is to
gain insight in the flexible work concept HNW and the way in which different organizational
perspectives interact within the organizational change process towards HNW. To come to an integral
answer on the research question, the research first focuses on flexible work concepts – and especially
HNW. Second, there will be focus on HNW as an organizational change where different organizational
disciplines are involved. This structure allows to answer the central research question in steps.

1|4 Research method

To come to an answer on the central research question, this study contains a theoretical part as well
as an empirical part. Within the theoretical part, the existing literature on flexible work concepts and
organizational change will be discussed. In the literature on organizational change the focus will be on
the neo-institutional theory, because it explains how organizations implement organizational changes
and it focuses on how differences between various disciplines in organizational changes can exist and
can be interpreted. After the theoretical analysis, an empirical analysis has been conducted. Because
of the explorative character of this study, a qualitative research method is chosen. Using this method,
complex details of HNW and its implementation can become clear (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Within
this research, HR, ICT and facility managers of various organizations were interviewed to explore how
they interact with each other within the implementation of HNW. A topic list is used to give structure to
the interviews and to analyze theoretical dimensions. After a detailed coding process – where the
obtained data is unraveled – the results will be interpreted and discussed (Corbin & Strauss, 1990).

1|5 Structure of the research

Finally, the structure of the research is schematic described in figure 1. The next chapter, chapter two,
will focus on flexible work concepts. In this chapter there will be attention for the changing world of
work during the last decades. Moreover, it describes the development, advantages and disadvantages
of flexible work concepts, such as HNW. Furthermore, it will use the neo institutional theory to explain
HNW as an organizational change. The second chapter also explores the perceptions of HR, ICT and
facility management on flexible work concepts. Next, in the third chapter the method of research will
be the central issue. Within this chapter, the methodology, the sample and the method for analyzing
the empirical data will be discussed. The results of the empirical research will be presented in chapter
four. Subsequently, in chapter five the findings of the empirical research will be discussed. It will be
demonstrated that the findings of the empirical research add new insights concerning the interaction
between HR, ICT and facility management within HNW. Furthermore, this chapter provides an answer
to the central research question. Hereby, attention will be paid to the relevance of this study for the
science as well as the for the practice and recommendations for further research will be provided.

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 Chapter 1
Introduction Motives, relevance and research question

Chapter 2
Theoretical research The new world of work

Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Methodology Results empirical research
Empirical research

Synthesis Chapter 5
Conclusion and discussion

Figure 1. The structure of the research.

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 2| “Around the world, the concept of flexible
working concepts and the implications of
it have much been discussed” (Brewster,
Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997)

CHAPTER 2 – A CHANGE TOWARDS A NEW WORLD OF WORK

The aim of the second chapter is to give an overview of organizational theories

concerning flexible work concepts. At the beginning there will be attention for
the development of flexible work concepts, such as HNW. Furthermore, the
concept of HNW will be introduced by advantages and disadvantages of flexible
work concepts. Moreover the neo institutional theory will be described to
introduce HNW as an organizational change. To achieve these goals, the
following paragraphs will be used:

2|1 The development of flexible work concepts, such as

Het Nieuwe Werken

2|2 Motives for the implementation of HNW

2|3 HNW as an organizational change

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 2 A change towards a new world of work

2|1 The development of flexible work concepts, such as Het Nieuwe Werken

2|1|1 Towards a flexible workplace

In the last decades, several developments in the context and environment of organizations took place.
In the light of these developments, HNW as a flexible work concept within the organization will be
introduced. Organizations have faced factors which changed the way of working, such as global
competition and rising real estate costs (Prahaled & Hamel, 1990; Cascio, 1995; Meyer, Allen &
Topolnytsky, 1998; Karnowski & White, 2002; Reichwald & Möslein, 1999). Carnoy (1998) adds that
massive diffusion of new information and communication technologies is also profoundly affecting the
nature of work. All these factors forced organizations to find new ways for a more effective deployment
of their organization (Reichwald & Möslein, 1999). According to various researchers, a way to
response to these rapid changes in the market and in the world of world, is the adaption of a more
flexible form of working (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Cascio, 1995; Peters & Heusinkveld,
2010). Flexibility in work can be defined as ‘the capacity of firms to improve product lines, production
processes and marketing strategies, all with the same workforce and the capacity of workers to learn
new processes as they change, to shift jobs several times in the course of a work life, to move
geographically and, if necessary, to learn entirely new vocations’ (Carnoy, 1998).

2|1|2 HNW as a flexible workplace concept

Today, flexibility in work can be translated in the concept of HNW. According to Bijl (2009), HNW is a
new vision on work in which recent developments in the information technology are seen as the driver
for a better establishment and management of knowledge work. According to proponents of HNW, it is
a renewal of physical workplaces, the organizational structure and culture, the management style and
the mentality of the worker and his manager (Bijl, 2009). HNW can therefore be seen as a form of
flexible working (Bijl, 2007). Because the concept of HNW is a relative young concept, very little
scientific research about this theme is available. Scientific research which has already focused on the
field of the new world of work focused mainly on equivalent concepts like teleworking and
telecommuting and the advantages and disadvantages of these concepts (Baily & Kurland, 2002;
Peters & van der Lippe, 2007; Baruch, 2000). Actually, HNW can be seen as a sort of extension of
these concepts. Where telecommuting and teleworking arose around the 1990s, HNW is seen as a
new name for a concept that elaborates on the former concepts by some details. Where concepts
such as telecommuting and teleworking focus on the role of ICT and the way people work at home
(Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Baily & Kurland, 2002; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Pérez,
Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Baruch, 2000), HNW is assumed to focus also on the renewal of
physical workplaces, the organizational structure, the management style and the mentality of the
worker (Bijl, 2007). HNW is therefore supposed to combine the flexible workplace with topics related to

13
both ICT, and HR, and facility management. To understand why organizations implement flexible work
concepts, such as HNW, the next section will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of flexible
work concepts for employees and the organization. Furthermore, there will be attention for HNW as an
organizational change and the existence of different perceptions on it.

2|2 Motives for the adoption of HNW

Within the existing literature, there is an extensive elaboration on motives, advantages and
disadvantages of flexible work concepts, such as HNW (Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Reichwald &
Möslein, 1999; Microsoft, 2005). These themes will now be analyzed for organizations as well as for its
employees (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Carnoy, 1998; Baruch, 2000).

2|2|1 Changes in the environment of the organization

It is widely noticed that several changes in the environment of organizations are a motive to change
the organizational structures. Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997) assume that organizations must
adopt more flexibility to become more responsive to economic requirements and to be able to deliver a
more efficient and competitive workforce. Furthermore, the authors state that the pressure for greater
flexibility is also said to derive from the particularly unstable and unprecedented market conditions
experienced in the recent years (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997; Cascio, 1995). Cascio (1995)
adds the impact of the information technology to this, which is also underlined by Microsoft (2005).
Moreover, Meyer, Allen & Topolnytsky (1998) pressume that shifts in technological innovations and
global competition have led to the attempt of organizations to alter the way in which they structure their
organization. This is in line with the statements of Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997), Cascio (1995)
and Microsoft (2005). Also Schabracq & Cooper (2000) and Carnoy (1998) underline the development
of new technologies all over the world and the growing globalization as important changes in the
environment of organizations. According to them, organizational change, such as HNW, is necessary
for an organization to adapt to a changing environment. Likewise, Horn & Storen (2000) list a number
of factors which increase the attention for flexible working concepts, such as HNW. These authors
state that declining technology and telecommunications costs together with growing investments in
digital technology and digital infrastructure are motives and enablers for organizations to adopt flexible
work concepts. Reichwald & Möslein (1999) note that besides the increasing global competition and
development of technology, employees tend to expect more from their work than merely a sufficient
income as means of survival. This factor in the environment of organizations force them to find new
ways for a more effective and flexible deployment of their human capital. Finally, Karnowski & White
(2002) add rising real estate costs as a motive for organizations to adopt flexible work concepts, such
as HNW. Besides the changes in the environment of organizations, the literature also emphasizes
some potential advantages and disadvantages of HNW for the organization and its employees.

14
 2|2|2 Potential advantages of HNW

Potential advantages of HNW for the employees

According to the present literature on flexible work concepts, there are several potential advantages
for employees as well as organizations to adopt HNW (Microsoft, 2005; Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis,
1997; Baruch, 2000; Di Martino & Wirth, 1990; Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Illegems &
Verbeke, 2004). The existing literature discussed six potential advantages of flexible work concepts,
such as HNW, for the employees of the organization. First, Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis (1997) state
that the adoption of a flexible work concept, such as HNW, can be seen as family friendly for the
employees of the organization, which is also underlined by Illegems & Verbeke (2004). Because
employees are supposed to have more flexible working hours, Baruch (2000) states that
implementation of a flexible work concept leads to more time with the family for the employees. Also Di
Martino & Wirth (1990) argue that the adoption of a flexible work concept can be a very attractive
opportunity for employees to arrange their working time, leisure time and family activities. This is in
line with the expected advantages of flexible work concepts described by Daniels, Lamond & Standen
(2001) and Baily & Kurland (2002). Second, Carnoy (1998) added another advantage for employees
when an organization successfully adopts a flexible work concept. The author underlines that a work
concept such as HNW leads to the ability of an employee to move from a job in one firm to another, to
learn new jobs in the same firm, to do several different types of tasks and to adjust quickly to different
kinds of employment cultures in different group situations. Third, Baruch (2000) described the possible
benefit of improved performance or better productivity for employees. This potential advantage of the
adoption of flexible work concepts is also mentioned by Baily & Kurland (2002). Fourth, Reichwald &
Möslein (1999) state that employees can expect reduced stress when their organization successfully
adopt flexible work concepts. Also Baruch (2000) noted less work related stress as a potential
advantage for employees. A fifth potential advantage of flexible work concepts is described by Di
Martino & Wirth (1990). These authors state that such concepts can lead to an increased motivation
and job satisfaction among employees. This is also mentioned in the study of Baily & Kurland (2002),
who underline also that organizational loyalty is an advantage of the successful adoption of flexible
work concepts. Furthermore, Reichwald & Möslein (1999) state that employees can expect increased
motivation and commitment when their organization successfully adopts a flexible work concept. As a
sixth potential advantage, the adoption of flexible work concepts, such as HNW, is assumed to
increase the autonomy and responsibility of the employees (Baily & Kurland, 2002). Likewise, Pérez,
Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer (2002) and Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) mention the increased
autonomy, responsibility and control as advantages of HNW regarding the employee. Also Baruch
(2000) states that flexible work concepts can satisfy the need for autonomy for employees.

According to the present literature, there are several advantages expected for employees when
adopting HNW. However, it is also important to notice that not all employees will experience benefits
when the organization adopt flexible work concepts such as HNW. According to Carnoy (1998) young

15
employees with a higher education are more able to adjust to new situations and adopt new methods
of working. In addition, Baruch (2000) states that employees with high needs for autonomy may
greatly appreciate the benefits of HNW. These results imply that the age, education and attitude of the
employees play an role in the success of the adoption of HNW.

Potential advantages of HNW for organizations

A successful adoption of a flexible work concept is not expected to be beneficial for employees only,
but also for the organization. The present literature discussed seven potential advantages of flexible
work practices for organizations. In the first place, the literature suggests that the adoption of flexible
work concepts will lead to the ability for organizations to respond quickly to changes in the
environment and to become more efficient and competitive (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis, 1997;
Microsoft, 2005; Cronshaw, 1998; Schabracq & Cooper, 2000; Illegems & Verbeke, 2004; Peters,
Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009). Second, however, cost effectiveness is seen as the main motive
and possible benefit of HNW for organizations, according to Baruch (2000) and Karnowski & White
(2002). This is because organizations can reduce office space and with that save office and rental
costs. Likewise, Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer (2002) and Di Martino & Wirth (1990) state that
the main benefits of adopting flexible work concepts for the company are the savings in building costs.
Additionally, Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) and Horn & Storen (200) also state that a positive
consequence of flexible work concepts is reduced office accommodation costs. The work of Baily &
Kurland (2002) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004) also refer to the benefits of decrease in real-estate
costs. A third potential advantage for organizations by implementing flexible work concepts is the
increase in productivity (Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Karnowski & White, 2002). This
benefit for the organization is also mentioned by Baruch (2000) and Di Martino & Wirth (1990).
Likewise, Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) underlined that organizations can benefit from flexible
work practices by perceiving higher productivity within the organization. The work of Baily & Kurland
(2002) and Horn & Storen (2002) also refer to improved productivity as a potential benefit for
organizations. Fourth, Baruch (2000) and Horn & Storen (2002) both mention less absenteeism of
employees as one of the potential advantages for the organization when adopting a flexible work
concept. Fifth, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) and Karnowski & White (2002) emphasized the potential
benefit of retention of skilled staff when successful implementation of a flexible work concept, such as
HNW, is established. This benefit is also noted by Horn & Storen (2000) and Illegems & Verbeke
(2004). According to Lamond & Standen (2001) and Baily & Kurland (2002) organizations can also
benefit from flexible work concepts, such as HNW, through higher employee retention. Additionally,
Horn & Storen (2002) also highlight the possible positive effect of flexible work concepts on employee
recruitment and retention. As a six potential benefit, Baily & Kurland (2002) mention organizational
loyalty as a potential benefit for the organization, which is also underlined in the work of Reichwald &
Möslein (1999). Finally, as a seventh advantage, Illegems & Verbeke (2004) state that the successful
adoption of flexible work concepts, such as HNW, also can lead to a better image of the organization.

16
 To conclude, figure 2.1. gives an overview of the potential advantages of HNW for individual
employees as well as for the organization.

Potential advantages of HNW

Employees
• More time for family
• Ability to learn different tasks
• Higher productivity/performance
• Less work related stress
• Increased job satisfaction/motivation
• Higher autonomy/responsibility
Organization
• The ability to respond quickly to environmental changes
• Cost saving through reduced offices space
• Higher productivity
• Less absenteeism
• Recruitment and retention of skilled staff
• Organizational loyalty/commitment
• Better image of the organization

Figure 2.1. Potential advantages of HNW for individual employees and the organization.

2|2|3 Potential disadvantages of HNW

Potential disadvantages of HNW for the employees

Despite the wide consensus and attention in the literature of the possible advantages of flexible work
concepts, such as HNW, there are five several downsides for the employees according to various
researchers. First, Baruch (2000) stated that employees experience less face-to-face contact with their
colleagues and managers as before the flexible work concept was implemented. This is also
mentioned by Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004), which state that an
individual cost of adopting HNW is limited face-to-face contact. As a consequence of less face-to-face
contact, the second potential disadvantage of less commitment to the organization is discussed by
Schabracq & Cooper (2000) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004). These authors state that this may reduce
the job satisfaction and motivation of the employees. Also, Baruch (2000) refers to detachment from
social interactions as a potential shortcoming for individual employees. In other words, employees may
feel isolated when flexible work concepts, such as HNW, are adopted by the organization. Third,
Baruch (2000) refers to more (home) related stress due the increased autonomy and responsibilities of
the flexible worker. The potential disadvantage of increased stress is also emphasized in the work of
Di Martino & Wirth (1990) and Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001). Fourth, Baruch (2000) and Daniels,
Lamond & Standen (2001) mention fewer career developments and promotion as a potential
shortcoming. As a fifth potential advantage, it is argued that flexible work concepts, such as HNW, will
lead to more time spent on working (Di Martino & Wirth, 1997; Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001).

Potential disadvantages of HNW for organizations

Besides several potential disadvantages for individual employees of adopting a flexible work concept,
the organization may also face downsides of HNW. In the first place, according to Brewster, Mayne &
Tregaskis (1997), the adoption of flexible work concepts can lead to problems of commitment. Also

17
Schabracq & Cooper (2000) note that lack of loyalty to the organization is a potential disadvantage of
flexible work concepts. As a second potential disadvantage of flexible work concepts which is
discussed in the present literature is problems with communication (Brewster, Mayne & Tregaskis,
1997). According to Schabracq & Cooper (2000), it is also difficult to coordinate communication within
a flexible work concept. This potential disadvantage is widely adopted in the literature, because Di
Martino & Wirth (1990), Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001), Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer
(2002), Horn & Storen (2000), Baruch (2000), Baily & Kurland (2002) and Karnowski & White (2002)
also refer to it. However, all these authors also refer to a third potential disadvantage for organizations:
the managerial ability to control and motivate flexible workers. Additionally Schabracq & Cooper
(2000) mention the control of employees as a potential disadvantage of flexible work concepts. As a
fourth potential disadvantage, Baruch (2000) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004) emphasize that the
organization will have a loss of team working benefits when adopting a flexible work concept. Fifth, Di
Martino & Wirth (1990) state that high costs of communication and technology equipment can be seen
as a disadvantage for the organization. This is in line with the work of Daniels, Lamond & Standen
(2001) and Illegems & Verbeke (2004), which refer to the costs of additional telecommunications
equipment as costs for the organization. Sixth, several researchers mention the (corporate) culture of
the organization as a barrier to adopt HNW. According to Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer (2002)
and Horn & Storen (2000) and Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp (2009) the integration of HNW with
the organizational culture can be a barrier. Finally, as a seventh potential disadvantage for the
organization, resistance due the novelty of HNW and the additional managerial uncertainties can be a
problem for successful adopt a flexible work concept (Karnowski & White, 2002; Di Martino & Wirth,
1990). To conclude, figure 2.2. gives an overview of the potential disadvantages of HNW for individual
employees and the organization.

Potential disadvantages of HNW

Employees Organization
• Less face-to-face contact • Lack of loyalty of employees
• Lack of commitment • Communication difficulties
• Increased stress • Control difficulties
• Fewer chances for development • Loss of team working benefits
• More time spent on working • Costs of communication/technology equipment
• Fit between HNW and organizational culture
• Resistance/uncertainty due the novelty of HNW

Figure 2.2. Potential disadvantages of HNW for individual employees and the organization.

With regard to the potential advantages and disadvantages of the adoption of HNW, it is important to
notice that getting a new idea adopted – such as HNW – is often very difficult, even when it has
obvious advantages. Many organizational changes require a lengthy period from the time they appear

18
to the time they are widely adopted within the organization (Reichwald & Möslein, 1999). The process
of the adoption of a new idea as an organizational change will be discussed in the next paragraph.

2|3 HNW as an organizational change

2|3|1 The neo institutional theory

The complexity of today’s developments and changes in the environment of organizations confronting
most organizations with organizational change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996) and the implementation
of new or other organizational structures or strategies, such as HNW. The way organizations respond
to developments in their environment can be understood from the perspective of neo-institutional
theory (Powell & DiMaggio, 1991; Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). This theory is concerned with the
spread of organizational concepts within defined organizational fields (Daniels, Lamond & Standen,
2001). Central to neo-institutional theory is the idea that organizational actors seek to acquire
legitimacy for their organization by adopting those structures, strategies, and concepts that are socially
approved by stakeholders external to organizational decision making processes (Daniels, Lamond &
Standen, 2001; Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010). Legitimacy confers greater ability to obtain resources
from other stakeholders within the organizational field. (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001;
Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). According to DiMaggio and Powell (1991) there is a distinction between
the ‘old’ and ‘new’ or ‘neo’ institutionalism. In the old institutionalism, issues of influence, coalitions and
competing values were central, along with power and informal structures (Clark, 1972; Greenwood &
Hinings, 1996) and the focus on individual organizations (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). This focus
contrasts with the new institutional theory with its emphasis on legitimacy and the embeddedness of
organizational fields (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Meyer & Rowan, 1997; DiMaggio & Powell, 1983).

The use of the neo institutional theory is appropriate to explain the adoption and implementation
flexible work concepts, such as HNW, in organizations for five reasons (Daniels, Lamond & Standen,
2001; Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). First, although neo institutional theory is weak in analyzing the
internal dynamics of organizational change and the theory is silent on why some organizations adopt
radical changes whereas others do not (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels, Lamond & Standen,
2001), it can be a relevant and useful theory for analyzing the perceptions and motives for HNW. The
neo institutional theory contains insights and suggestions that, when elaborated, provide a model of
change that links organizational context and intra organizational dynamics (Greenwood & Hinings,
1996). Second, neo institutional theory has been used successfully to predict the incidence of human
resource management concepts in general (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001). HNW can be seen as
a human resource management innovation which is then subject to many of the same regulatory and
normative influences as other human resource management concepts. Third, the neo institutional
theory focus not upon the individual organization, but upon a category or network of organizations
(Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). In this, it focuses on a category of organizations which have implement

19
or are implementing HNW. Fourth, the increased emphasis of neo institutional theory on self-interest,
change, resistance to institutional pressures, power and diversity within institutional fields are useful in
the context of HNW in organizations, not at least because this theory allows to integrate institutional
explanations for the adoption of HNW (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001). For these reasons, and for
the fifth reason that there is no scientific research on HNW in combination with the neo institutional
theory, this theory can contribute to the existing literature on flexible work concepts, such as HNW.

2|3|2 The impact of the institutional context on the adoption of HNW

Neo institutional theorists emphasize that organizational behaviors are the product of ideas, values,
and beliefs that originate in the institutional context (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels, Lamond &
Standen, 2001). The theory shows how organizational behaviors are responses not solely to the
market context but also to institutional pressures (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Peters & Heusinkveld,
2010). In this, institutional pressures, such as pressures from regulatory agencies, pressures from
general social expectations, and the actions of leading organizations lead organizations to adopt new
organizational structures or concepts (Nadler & Tushman, 1989; Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels,
Lamond & Standen, 2001), such as HNW. For an organization this external context is thus important
to change to new organizational forms (Nadler & Tushman, 1989), such as HNW. Within the
institutional context, mimetic, normative, and coercive processes are at work (Greenwood & Hinings,
1996; Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001; Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010). In the first place, there are
mimetic pressures which indicate they way in which organizations copy other organizations. In
addition, normative pressures originate in mental models shared amongst actors within an
organizational field. Finally, the coercive pressures have to do with the way in which organizations are
forced to adopt certain concepts, for example through legislation (Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001).
To survive organizations seek conformance to these mimetic, normative, and coercive pressures
(Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010).

2|3|5 HNW in a framework of organizational change

To understand organizational change Greenwood & Hinings (1996) present in their article a model
based upon the neo institutional theory. In figure 2.3. the framework is presented and as can be seen
it encompasses two exogenous – or external – dynamics: the market context and the institutional
context. Within the previous paragraph, the institutional context and its pressures are shortly
discussed. Additionally, the framework encompasses four endogenous – or internal – dynamics:
interests, values, power dependencies and capacity for action. As the outcome of the model, the input
to market and institutional contexts is shown. This implies that when an organization adapted a new
organizational form or concept and achieved competitive success in the marketplace, it would produce
pressures on other organizations to adopt the same organizational form (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).

20
 Context Intraorganizational dynamics Change
Precipitating dynamics Enabling dynamics

Power dependencies
Market context Interest dissatisfaction

Organizational change

Value commitments
Institutional context
Capacity for action

Figure 2.3. Model for understanding organizational change (based on: Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).

Within this research, the focus is on the internal interaction between different disciplines involved
within HNW. In this context, Pérez, Sánchez & de Luis Carnicer (2002) underline that the management
of flexible work concepts shares activities with the management of technology, human capital and
facilities. Within the model of Greenwood & Hinings 1996) this interaction between different
organizational disciplines is reflected in the two precipitating dynamics of an organizational change,
namely: value commitment and interest dissatisfaction and the two enabling dynamics: power
dependencies and capacity for action. Therefore, this research focused on these precipitating- and
enabling dynamics of organizational change to analyze the flexible work concept of HNW.

2|3|6 Different perceptions and value commitments between organizational disciplines

The intraorganizational dynamics refer to the internal complexity of organizations. Blau (1974 in:
Greenwood & Hinings, 1996) underlines that specialization within organizations should reduce the
complexity of the organization. This process of specialization leads to significant differences between
groups in terms of perceptions and value commitments (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). In the context
of the adoption of HNW this implies that when an organization adopt HNW as a new concept there
may be alternative perceptions and interests to the adoption of HNW. The different groups in
specializations, such as ICT, HR and facility management, might have alternative ways of viewing the
purposes of HNW within the same organization. This is reflected in the work of Peters & Heusinkveld
(2010) and Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp (2009), who underline that managers of different
organizational departments may differ in perceptions and attitudes towards new organizational
concepts, such as HNW. To analyze the existence of different perceptions on flexible work concepts,
such as HNW, it is therefore important to discuss the existing literature on flexible work concepts about

21
the perceptions of the ICT, HR and facility disciplines. In this way, the existing perceptions on flexible
work concepts of the different organizational disciplines can be analyzed and compared.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Het Nieuwe Werken

The perception of the ICT discipline on a flexible work concept, such as HNW, is in the present
literature discussed by many researchers. According to Microsoft (2005) and Pérez, Sánchez & de
Luis Carnicer & Jiménez (2005) much of the change in the world – and therefore also in organizations
– is driven by technological innovation: more powerful software and computing systems, the Internet
and pervasive wireless connectivity. Likewise, Illegems & Verbeke (2004) and Di Martino & Wirth
(1990) argue that flexible work concepts rely on modern information and communication technologies.
Additionally, Badham & Ehn (2000), Pérez et al. (2005), Sullivan (2003) and Karnowski & White (2002)
underline that the development of flexible work concepts, such as HNW, is a result of the development
of new and improved telecommunication methods and software tools knowledge. Moreover, Pérez et
al. (2005) argue that information and communication technologies are the most important needs for
the development of flexible work concepts within organizations. Badham & Ehn (2000) and Peters,
Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp (2009) underline the importance of the facilitation of ICT by saying that the
core of workplace innovation or the adoption of flexible work concepts is to design effective information
and communication technologies to create a more effective organization. Likewise, Microsoft (2005)
and Pérez et al. (2005) underline that ICT department is seen as an important part of the organization
in flexible work concepts by providing the organization and its members ICT tools and systems.
Furthermore, managers may use the information and communication technologies to control
employees behavior and managing their performance (Kurland & Cooper, 2002; Pérez et al., 2005).
These statements imply that managers on the ICT discipline have the aim to develop and facilitate
efficient and innovative information and communication technologies to enable the employees to
benefit from HNW. According to Pérez et al. (2005) advances in information and communication
technologies have enhanced employees’ ability to stay connected for both work and social exchange.
These technologies support synchronous and asynchronous remote communication, often involve
electronic discussion databases and provide sophisticated information sharing capability. Hence, it is
important for the ICT department to monitor the developments of advanced software tools and
systems to satisfy the needs of the employees and the organization. Furthermore, it can be expected
that the ICT department is also concerned with the introduction and user friendliness of the
technological infrastructure and the tools and systems which ensures that the employees and the
organization can benefit from HNW. Although new information and communication technologies play a
central role in the development of flexible work concepts, its influence should not be overestimated (Di
Martino & Wirth, 1990). While it can help employees share information, these technologies cannot
make people share information unless proper managerial and organizational supports exist (Pérez et
al., 2005; Baruch, 2000). Likewise, Microsoft (2005) builds also on these argumentations by saying
that in celebrating the success of ICT advances, it should not be forgotten that the ability to adapt and

22
innovate is a human talent (Microsoft, 2005). These statements refer to the perceptions of the HR
discipline, which will be explained in the next paragraph.

Human Resource management (HR) and Het Nieuwe Werken

According to Illegems & Verbeke (2004), the HR discipline is responsible for the management of the
organization’s human capital. With this, they have to focus on empowering people, which should be at
the center of any organization’s strategy, according to Microsoft (2005). This is because organizations
which invest in their people benefited from the ability to adapt rapidly to change (Microsoft, 2005). The
first step for HR managers within the implementation of flexible work concepts is the challenge to
convince their employees of the benefits of it in such a way that they will adopt these concepts
(Microsoft, 2005). Moreover, it is important to change the work style and management style of the
members of the organization (Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009). Furthermore, it is an
important perspective of the HR department to notice that employees in the new world of work meet
new capabilities and needs and new skills to adopt (Microsoft, 2005). According to Schabracq &
Cooper (2000) the HR department therefore need to provide and invest in training and education for
its employees to develop skills to work flexible. In the work of Baruch (2000) the importance of the
skills of self discipline and inner motivation are indicated as important for flexible employees. For HR
managers it may thus be important to stimulate and train those skills of employees. Furthermore, it is
important to enhance a culture of trust and a culture of management where people are measured by
results rather than attendance (Baruch, 2000; Heck, 2010). Additionally, Illegems & Verbeke (2004)
argue that HR management is a critical source of superior organizational performance within the
adoption of flexible work concepts, such as HNW. These authors state that new and innovative human
resources concepts, in this case HNW, should not just be evaluated in terms of their potential for direct
cost reduction or immediate productivity improvements. The broader, long-term effects on the
organization’s competences are more important. In other words, if HNW can help organizations to
attract, motivate and retain employees whose knowledge is and skills are valuable, its impact on
superior performance can be enormous. According to these statements, the HR department may be
concerned with the long-term effects of HNW on organizational performance, where the attraction,
motivation and retention of employees is very important. Another role of HR managers in the change
process of HNW may be that the support line managers by energizing, communicating, coaching, and
facilitating the change process towards a more flexible workplace (Peters & Heusinkveld, 2010).
Although motivating and training of the organization’s employees seems to be an important part of the
adoption and success of HNW, the employees also need the appropriate facilities and resources to
embrace this flexible work concept. The role and perceptions of facility managers will be discussed in
the next paragraph.

23
Facility management and Het Nieuwe Werken
Flexible work concepts, such as HNW, give rise to alternative officing (Karnowski & White, 2002). This
is at the heart of facility managers, because facility management is the concept of coordinating the
physical workplace with the people and work of the organization, integrating principles of business,
architecture, and the behavioral and engineering sciences (Karnowski & White, 2002). In other words,
the facility discipline integrates human needs, new technologies, and environmental concerns in the
total workplace, ensuring that the organization and its employees have the best possible resources
(Zelinsky, 1997 in: Karnowski & White, 2002). Due to the workplaces in the central offices, the facility
department is expected to be responsible for the design and interior of the work environment and
workplaces (Karnowski & White, 2002). Furthermore, since one of the assumed benefits of HNW is a
reduction in office space and costs (Pérez, Sánchez, de Luis Carnicer, 2002; Di Martino & Wirth, 1990;
Illegems & Verbeke, 2004), facility managers are expected to be concerned with these subjects
(Peters, Bleijenbergh & Oldenkamp, 2009). According to Heck (2010), offices of organizations which
adopted HNW are no longer offices in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a workspace where
employees can locate themselves in different parts of the building depending on the tasks they need
to perform. The central office can therefore be seen as a meeting place where employees can interact
with colleagues. Moreover, facility managers may be responsible not only for central office physical
facilities, but also for employees’ home office arrangements. Because flexible work concepts, such as
HNW, may be characterized as work that can be carried out in locations remote from central offices
(Di Martino & Wirth, 1990), facility managers are also concerned with the presence of the appropriate
facilities at the employees’ homes. Another role that facility managers can fulfill is to be the change
agents of flexible work concepts (Karnowski & White, 2002). As change agents, facility managers can
promote telework where appropriate, provide cost-benefit analyses for both employer and employee,
and perform post occupancy evaluations in both corporate and home offices. (Karnowski & White,
2002).

The perceptions of managers of different organizational disciplines, as described in the previous

sections, are the result of the institutional context and their roles within the organization. According to
Peters & Heusinkveld (2010) the pressures from the institutional environment influence managers’
beliefs and perceptions on flexible work concepts. Additionally, managers’ perceptions on HNW and
interpretations of its advantages and disadvantages are crucial in the adoption process (Peters & Van
der Lippe, 2007).

2|3|7 Dissatisfaction within three disciplines

The presence of different perceptions within an organization can be a potential pressure for the
change into a new concept, such as HNW. This is due to the extent to which groups are dissatisfied
with the way their perceptions are accommodated within an organization. The precipitating dynamic
interest dissatisfaction is the second dynamic of change which will be discussed in the light of flexible

24
work concepts. (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001). This dissatisfaction,
does not provide direction for change, but has to do with the pattern of value commitments within the
organization. Greenwood & Hinings (1996) identified four generic patterns: 1) status quo commitment;
in which all groups are committed to the new concept, 2) indifferent commitment; in which groups are
neither committed nor opposed to the new concept, 3) competitive commitment; in which some groups
support the new concept, whereas others prefer an articulated alternative (which would have its origins
in the institutional context), and 4) reformative commitment; in which all groups are opposed to the
new concept and prefer an articulated alternative. Because HNW is a new organizational concept, it is
expected that organizations have to deal with competitive commitment, because some actors within
the organization will support HNW, while others do not support this organizational change.

However, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) argue that flexible work concepts rely on three main concepts:
organization, location and technology. This implies that the different disciplines concerning these
themes interact to a implement a flexible work concept, such as HNW. Therefore, it can be assumed
that the presumed tensions or interest dissatisfaction among organizational disciplines are not the only
form of interaction. The disciplines can also interact through cooperation within the implementation of
flexible work concepts. According to this, it can be expected that the ICT department has to cooperate
with the facility department in the organization in making it possible to work on any location at any time
(Robijn, 2009; Karnowski & White, 2002). For this cooperation it is important that these departments
together can enhance a flexible workplace for the employees of the organization where they can share
their information and communicate with each other wherever and whenever they want (Robijn, 2009).
Within this cooperation it is also important to note that the ICT department facilitate that people
working at home can be connected with the other employees within the organization (Karnowski &
White, 2002). In doing this, the collaboration is about to achieve optimal benefits in the field of
combining facilities and technological structure for the organization. Besides a cooperation with the
facility department, it is also important for the ICT department to collaborate with the HR department of
the organization. This is because the tools of the employees need to meet the emerging challenges of
information overload. Furthermore, the ICT tools and systems need to be user-friendly to be adapted
through the employees of the organization (Microsoft, 2005). Another part of the collaboration between
the departments is that of the HR and Facilities department. To successful implement a flexible work
concepts, the employees need the appropriate facilities and resources to carry out their work
(Karnowski & White). Therefore, facility and HR managers should cooperate to provide the employees
the right facilities to enhance job satisfaction, productivity and efficiency (Di Martino & Wirth, 1990;
Daniels, Lamond & Standen, 2001).

2|3|8 Power dependencies to enable the organizational change towards HNW

Besides the precipitating dynamics interest and value commitments within the intraorganizational
context, Greenwood & Hinings (1996) distinguish also enabling dynamics. Although the internal

25
pressures for organizational changes, such as HNW, derive from interest dissatisfaction and the
pattern of value commitments, enablers for the change are needed (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Due
to this, Greenwood & Hinings (1996) state that an organizational change will occur only in conjunction
with supportive power dependencies and an appropriate capacity for action and, which are defined as
the enablers of change. However, the authors underline that power dependencies and capacity for
action by themselves will not lead to organizational change, but they can enable or constrain it.
According to the first enabler, within organizations groups use favorable power dependencies to
promote their interests. These organizational groups vary in their ability to influence the organizational
change, such as HNW, because they have differential power (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Nadler &
Tushman, 1989). In this context, the authors also state that some groups have more potential or less
potential for enabling or resisting change. The relations of power and domination that enable some
organizational members to constitute and recreate organizational structures, such as HNW, according
to their preferences is thus very important within organizational change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).
In the light of HNW, the presence of power dependencies may indicate that some departments or
managers have more power on the extent in which organizations adopt HNW or not. It might also
mean that when, for example, the ICT department have much power, they were the introducers and
leaders of the adoption of HNW in an organization. The power dependencies are not static within the
organization, but the power dependencies can shift through market and/or institutional pressures
(Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Institutional pressures might shift power dependencies in favor of
groups that prefer an alternative template to the existing one (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). In
organizations, groups might first not support the adoption of HNW, but when the institutional pressures
become higher, they support the idea of HNW in further stages.

2|3|9 Ready for change: the capacity of action

Although power dependencies are important enablers for organizational change, the capacity for
action is also important to understand organizational changes, such as HNW (Greenwood & Hinings,
1996; Nadler & Tushman, 1989; Amburgey, Kelly & Barnett, 1993). The capacity of action is the ability
to manage the transition process from one template to another (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996; Nadler &
Tushman, 1989). According to the authors, this enabler has three conditions: first, the organization
must have a sufficient understanding of the new conceptual destination. In other words, the
organization must have a vision for the future for HNW. Secondly, the organizations must have the
skills and competencies that are required to function in that new destination. Thirdly, the organization
must have the ability to manage how to get to that destination. Additionally, Amburgey, Kelly & Barnett
(1993) and Nadler & Tushman (1989) state that organizations with recent experience of change are
more likely to attempt further change. In other words, experience in change increases the capacity for
action (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Within the context of HNW, this implies that organizations which
have large experience with (recent) organizational changes, may have more capacity for action than
organizations that have less experience with organizational changes. Where the pattern of value

26
 commitments may have an influence on the speed of change, the capacity for actions may also
influence the speed by which the change is accomplished (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). In other
words, a clear understanding of the new destination and of how to get there may give an organization
the confidence to push ahead rapidly with change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). Additionally, as with
the power dependencies, the capacity for action is also shaped by developments in the market and
institutional context. Developments in the market context, such as the recruitment of new employees
can lead to new perceptions and experience of organizing the organization in different ways, for
example to adopt HNW. On the other hand, the capacity for action might also be shaped or constricted
by the institutional context. For example, deeply embedded firms may be prevented by the institutional
context from developing an action capability (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).

Connecting the existing literature on flexible work practices and organizational change to the concept
of HNW, the this research will use the central concepts of the neo-institutional theory (figure 2.4) to
analyze in which way HR, ICT and facility management interact within the organizational change
towards HNW. Hence, in the following figure the central concepts of the scientific literature are linked
HNW and this model will function as the starting point for the empirical research.

Intraorganizational dynamics Organizational change

Precipitating dynamics Enabling dynamics

Interest dissatisfaction Power dependencies

• Competitive commitment among three • Some disciplines are expected to have
disciplines (HR, ICT, facility management). more power to change an organization
• Tensions among the three disciplines towards HNW.
because of different interests.
Organizational change
• Het Nieuwe
Werken.
Value commitments
• Different perceptions and attitudes of HR, Capacity for action
ICT and facility management towards • The organization has a vision on HNW.
HNW.
• Appropriate skills are present in the
organization to change towards HNW.
HR perception: empower employees to
work more efficient and effective; new
capabilities of employees are required;
providing education; attract and retain
employees.

ICT perception: enabling HNW by the

development new ICT systems/structure;
effective sharing of information.

Facility perception: saving real estate

costs; development of appropriate
facilities; redesign of workplaces and

Figure 2.4 Het Nieuwe Werken as an organizational change process.

27
 3| “We have always tried to go into
organizations with a well-defined focus:
to collect specific kinds of data
systematically” (Mintzberg, 1979)

CHAPTER 3 – RESEARCH METHOD

This chapter will discuss the way the research is conducted and
how choices concerning the research method are made.
Subsequently, this chapter will clarify which organizations were
involved and which persons were interviewed for the empirical part
of the research. Furthermore, it will explainhow the gathered data
is analyzed. Therefore, the fourth chapter contains the following
paragraphs:

3|1 Introduction

3|2 Research type- and plan

3|3 Data collection

3|4 Data analysis

3|5 Reliability and validity

3|6 Report

28
 3 Research method

3|1 Introduction

The development of theories and conclusions is a central activity within organizational research.
Traditionally, a theory is developed on the basis of a literature study, observations and/or experience
(Patton 1990; Eisenhardt, 1989; Mason, 2002). To answer the central research question, not only a
theoretical research, but also an empirical research is conducted. In this chapter it will be described
how the empirical study is planned and conducted. There also will be a description of the reason why
this method is chosen and the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen research method and the
way the data are analyzed. The final results of the empirical study will be clarified in the next chapter.
This chapter is actually the methodological responsibility of the empirical research.

3|2 Research type- and plan

3|2|1 A qualitative study

This study is an explorative study on the basis of qualitative fieldwork. Within explorative studies, the
realization of conceptions or theories is a central aim (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Baarda, De Goede &
Teunissen, 2005). In this study the emphasis lies in the exploration of theoretical presumptions on the
way in which HR-, ICT- and facility management interact within the implementation of HNW in various
organizations. In this study conceptions, perceptions, knowledge, feelings and experiences of
managers on HNW are discussed in a detailed way (Patton, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Mason,
2002). Furthermore, this study has an open character, this is because during the research new
insights will continue appear (Wester & Peters, 2004). Moreover, it will explore problems, investigate
the meaning of a HNW, investigate people in their own environment and try to fathom the background
of HNW (Eisenhardt, 1989; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Wester & Peters, 2004). The study is done in an
inductive way by interviewing various respondents to answer the central research question (Patton,
1990; Yin, 2003; Eisenhardt, 1989). The analysis in this study begins with specific observations and
works towards the discovery of general patterns (Patton, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994). The
advantages of this way of analyzing is that it investigates complex questions, explores new research
areas and build new theories (Mason, 2002; Strauss & Corbin, 1998). However, there are also some
disadvantages to use a qualitative research study: it is difficult to replicate, there is a certain degree of
subjectivity, it is labor-intensive, it is often not understood by ‘classic’ researchers and it is often an
expensive form of research (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Yet there is chosen to carry out a qualitative
research, because the central research question asks for a research type that tries to fathom the
background of a phenomenon and investigates the meaning of a phenomenon in a detailed way.

29
 3|2|2 A qualitative interview

To shape the qualitative research method, qualitative interviews – where selected respondents from
various organizations are interviewed under everyday circumstances – are used (Yin, 2003; Mason,
2002). The aim of qualitative interviewing in this study is to gather information from respondents to find
out what the respondents know, feel and want on HNW (Wester & Peters, 2004). In this way, the
formulated central research question can be answered (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005). Within
this study, the researcher choose for interviews because this method has several advantages. First, it
can uncover perceptions, experiences and processes about HNW and the that are otherwise difficult
to investigate with other methods, such as questionnaires. Furthermore, it is a good way to get in
touch with people and explore their feelings and experiences about HNW and the differences between
these feelings and experiences within an organization (Wester & Peters, 2004). Another advantage of
a qualitative interview is that the reliability of the study can be enhanced by triangulating: control what
you hear (Patton, 1990; Merton & Kendall, 1946; Wester & Peters, 2004). Within this study, the aim of
the qualitative study and interviews is to explore how HR-, ICT- and facility departments interact within
the implementation of HNW and how this organizational change process turned out (Yin, 2003). With
the use of the interviews, a detailed sketch of the organizations and the three involved departments
will be provided (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005). Following the
research design, the researcher choose to interview people from the three different departments from
various organizations. In this way, there will be a more validated picture of the way how HR-, ICT- and
facility departments interact in the implementation of HNW in various organizations. Regarding the
form of the interview, in the researcher choose to use semi-structured interviews (Sekaran, 2003;
Patton, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004). This means that there is worked with a topic list (appendix 1)
where the topics to discuss are listed and where also a preference of question order is given. With this
topic list the researcher translated central concepts of the theory to subjects which connect to the
situation of the interviewee (Wester & Peters, 2004). The topic list contains several themes of HNW,
such as the definition of HNW for the different managers, the motivation for implementing HNW in the
organization, the implementation process of HNW and the parties concerned and the evaluation of
HNW. The question method used is an open method, but the topics to be discussed are more or less
fixed (Patton, 1990). This makes the researcher free to deviate from the sequence of questions and
the formulation of questions and therefore the researcher can react immediately the respondent’s
answers (Patton, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004). Within the choice of the use of partially structured
interviews, there is chosen for individual or duo interviews. This is because not all respondents were
not simultaneously available for interviews.

30
 3|3 Data collection
3|3|1 Selection of respondents

Organization Sector / Industry HNW concept since…

A Insurance 1990
B Telecommunications 2006/2007
C Energy 2010
D Banking 2008
E Telecommunications 2007
F Public authorities 2010
G Housing 2009
H Electronic products 2006
I Banking 2006
J Public authorities 2009

Figure 3.1. An overview of the characteristics of the organizations included in the empirical study.

This study uses a specific selection of respondents or ‘purposeful sampling’, which means that the
choice of respondents is argued and not a-select. This is a common method within the domain of
qualitative research (Patton, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994). The specification of the respondents
reduces external variation and explains the domain of the findings (Eisenhardt, 1989). These reasons
ensured the choice for a specific selection of respondents. The way in which respondents in this study
were selected is based on criterion and theoretical sampling, which means that the selected
organizations and respondents had to meet several criteria (Patton, 1990). To select the right
organizations and interview the right persons, a list of Dutch organizations that have implemented
HNW – or working on HNW was conducted. The selection of these organizations has some reasons.
First, not all organizations in the Netherlands have implemented HNW or are working on the
implementation of it. On the basis of theoretical sampling there is chosen for a diverse selection
organizations to analyze. According to Daniels, Lamond & Standen (2001), the adoption of flexible
work concepts is present in telecommunications, computing, public sector and banking organizations.
Furthermore, Di Martino & Wirth (1990) state that a number of government agencies and departments
also are introducing flexible work concepts. According to these findings, a selection of various
organizations within different fields is made to analyze and compare the implementation of HNW within
diverse organizations. Furthermore, the get a diverse selection of organizations, the selected
organizations are in different phases of HNW (figure 4.2). Most of the organizations are situated in
phase three; the implementing phase. Some other organizations are in the preparing phase and only
one organization in the sample is in the phase of discovering the opportunities of HNW for the
organization. The phase of optimizing the HNW concept is also faced by only one organization. This
diverse selection is assumed to provide a relevant insight in the adoption of the concept of HNW.

31
Phase 1; discovering
Organizations face external
trends in their environment
and analyze experiences with
HNW in other organizations.
They analayze whether their
organization is ready for HNW.
Phase 2; preparing
Once the organization has
decided to implement
HNW, they come in the
preparing phase. Here
they start up a project
team for the concept,
make an integral vision
and set goals.
Phase 3; implementing Phase 4; optimizing
Organizations are busy In this phase, HNW is already a
with operationalizing and few years operational within the
facilitating the HNW organisation and employees are
concept by f.e. used to the new way of working.
redesigning offices, The organization's focus is on the
provide workshops, optimalization of processes and
implement ICT tools and facilities.
software.

Figure 3.2. Different phases within the implementation

mplementation of HNW.
HNW

Due to the available time and the size of this study, the researcher choose to focus on HR managers,
ICT managers, and facility managers of the selected organizations. Before the start of the empirical
research, the goal of this studyy was to interview three managers from these different departments in
each organization. These three persons can each speak from their own function and vision about the
perception and the interaction with the
t other departments within the implementation of HNW. In this
way, a vision based on three perspectives within an organization will be created on the implementation
of HNW, which has the advantage that it increases the validity of the study (Miles & Huberman, 1994).

The selection of respondents was approached

app by an e-mail
mail with a request for collaboration and a brief
explanation of the study. The e-mail
e mail and explanation can be found in the appendix 1 and 2. The
contact information of the respondents were obtained through various channels. Some respondents
were approached by using the contact file of Kirkman
Kirkman Company. Other respondents were
we approached
by a search on the Internet (LinkedIn)
(Linked or by a telephone conversation with the ICT, HR or facility
department of the organization. Of the selected organizations, ten organizations proceeded to
participate in the study.. This resulted in 25 interviews. After each interview, the interviewee was invited
for a (informal) meeting to discuss the results of the study with all the respondents.

3|4 Data analysis

3|4|1 Data registration and data processing

To register the relevant data, the

he face-to-face
face interviews,
s, ranging in length from 45 minutes to 90
minutes were all recorded with a digital voice recorder. Prior to each interview, the interviewer
explicitly asked forr permission for the use of the voice recorder to the respondent. The researcher
choose for the use of a digital voice recorder, because this makes the researcher able to focus on the
interviewee (Patton, 1990). Moreover, it makes it possible for the researcher
researcher to direct examine the
empirical world (Wester & Peters, 2004). The data obtained from the 25 interviews contains pure

32
descriptions and quotes from the interviewees (Patton, 1990). The researcher made a transcription
from spoken to written interaction material (Wester & Peters, 2004). While transcribing the interviews
takes a lot of time (Patton, 1990), the choice is made to elaborate the recorded interviews in detail.
This is because of the high usefulness of the transcripts for the data analysis and for replications or
independent analyses of the data (Patton, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004).

3|4|2 Data analysis

Analyzing the data is at the heart of building theories and conclusions, but is also the most difficult part
of the research process (Patton, 1990, In this research, the researcher analyzed the data by coding
the obtained data to unravel the different components. This is because coding is the fundamental
analytic process used by the researcher (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). However, the process of data
analyzing within qualitative research depends on the skills, knowledge and abilities of the researcher.
The human factor is therefore the strength and the fundamental weakness of qualitative research
(Patton, 1990). According to Corbin & Strauss (1990) there are three basic types of coding: 1) open
coding, 2) axial coding and 3) selective coding. In this study, the researcher started with open coding,
where perceptions on HNW are labeled (Corbin & Strauss, 1990; Patton, 1990) on the basis of the
asked questions during the interviews. In this way conceptually similar perceptions are grouped
together to form categories and subcategories of HNW. Furthermore, different points of view on HNW
became clear for the researcher and the obtained data was structured into different topics. In total
there were fourteen codes assigned to the HNW concept and keywords of each code/label were
gathered in a table (see appendix). Next, further development of the data-analysis took place in axial
coding. Within this phase the researcher related context, strategies and consequences to a category
of HNW. In other words, the interpretation – in the form of keywords – of the interviewees were
assigned to the fourteen codes (see appendix). Finally, the phase of selective coding took place
(Corbin & Strauss, 1990; Wester & Peters, 2004). Here, the researcher unified all categories around
the core category ‘interaction between HR, ICT and facility management within HNW’, which is the
central phenomenon of the study. The other categories, defined in through open coding, will stand in
relationship to the core category as conditions, strategies or consequences, as identified with axial
coding. Within this last phase of the coding process, the researcher deeply analyzed the core code. By
following these steps in the coding process, the researcher provide an extensive analysis of different
perceptions on the core phenomenon HNW and the consequences of these different perceptions.

3|5 Reliability and validity

The reliability and validity of qualitative data depends to a large extent on the methodological skills,
sensitivity and integrity of the researcher (Patton, 1990). Reliability is usually defined as ‘the degree of
which measurements are independent of coincidence’ (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005; Wester
& Peters, 2004). In other words, if the study is performed several times, the results should differ as
little as possible (Wester & Peters, 2004). To make this study as reliable as possible, there were

33
several meetings conducted with the supervisor of the Radboud University as well as with the
supervisor of Kirkman Company. In these meetings the theoretical framework, topic list and results of
the study were discussed to maximize the reliability of the study. Besides the criterion of the reliability
of this study, the study also has to be valid. Validity has to do with ‘the accuracy of the research
findings’ (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005; Wester & Peters, 2004) and ‘the extent to which the
right concept is examined’ (Sekaran, 2003). Usually there are three types of validity distinguished: 1)
internal validity, 2) external validity and 3) instrumental validity (Yin, 2003; Baarda, De Goede &
Teunissen, 2005). Internal validity indicates the choice of the research design (Baarda, De Goede &
Teunissen). In this study there is chosen for a qualitative research design, which fits well in the
objective of the study, namely to describe and explain the different perspectives of HNW in an
organization in a detailed way. The external validity includes the intact of the ordinary, everyday
practical situation (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005). This criterion is met in this study by
interviewing the respondents at times and in places which the respondent has chosen himself. This
meant that the interviews were conducted at the workplace of the respondent. Finally, instrumental
validity includes the quality of the collected data. It is about the question whether these data ‘form a
valid representation of the phenomenon in the practical situation’ (Sekaran, 2003; Baarda, De Goede
& Teunissen, 2005). To meet the requirement of instrumental validity there is chosen to use two
techniques which examine the validity of the data: peer-debriefing and member checking. Peer-
debriefing involves that the theoretical framework and the research findings are presented to
colleagues and other researchers (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen, 2005; Wester & Peters, 2004). In
this study, the theoretical framework and the research findings were presented to the supervisor of the
Radboud University and to consultants of Kirkman Company. Member checking means that the
research findings are presented to the members of the target group (Baarda, De Goede & Teunissen,
2005; Wester & Peters, 2004). In this study, the research findings were presented to the interviewees
through a session after the study to discuss the main findings. In addition, people with different
functions within an organization are interviewed: HR manager, ICT manager and a facility manager.
This form of data triangulation also increased the validity of the research (Miles & Huberman, 1994).

3|6 Report

The report of the empirical research is executed by the use of quotations of the respondents to support
the regular text. The use of quotes puts power to the text and clarifies the text. Moreover, the section
with the empirical results will be revived in this way. Although many interesting quotations could be
used, the chosen quotes support the text the best.

34
 4| “Analysis is the process of identifying,
coding, and categorizing the primary
patterns in the data ” (Patton, 1990)

CHAPTER 4 – RESULTS

This chapter is the presentation of the results of the qualitative

research to the perceptions of- and the interaction between the
HR-, ICT- and facility management disciplines in the change
process towards HNW. To structure the results, the following
paragraphs will be used:

4|1 Introduction

4|2 The concept ‘Het Nieuwe Werken’

4|3 The cooperation between HR, ICT and Facilities

4|4 Tensions in the cooperation of HR, ICT and Facilities

35
 4 Results

4|1 Introduction

In this part of the research the results of the empirical research will be discussed. As a result, two
models of the interaction between HR, ICT and facility management will be provided. The first model
describes the different tensions between the organizational disciplines when implementing HNW. The
second model identifies the different ways of cooperation between the disciplines. To give this chapter
a clear structure, the next paragraph will be devoted to the concept of HNW and the perceptions of the
interviewees on this concept in their organization. After this the results of the interaction between the
HR-, ICT- and facility discipline within the concept will be analyzed. The results and perspectives of
the interviews will then be supported with citations.

4|2 The concept ‘Het Nieuwe Werken’

Because it is very hard to define the HNW concept – there is no common definition in the scientific
literature nor in the management literature – the concept will first be unraveled before the focus is on
the interaction between HR-, ICT- and facility management. With this, it will be clear what is meant by
HNW and what exactly the concept involves. The characteristics of HNW that will become clear will be
helpful to answer the central research question of this research. The empirical research showed that
there are two themes associated with HNW. The scheme below shows these themes and the terms
which are mentioned by the interviewees and belong to the two themes.

• Open and transparent culture

• Responsibility Trust
• Making agreements on output
• Less rules and procedures
Characteristics of
Het Nieuwe Werken
• The office is a meeting place
• Independency of time
• Independency of place Flexibility/freedom
• Family-life / work balance

Figure 4.1. The characteristics of HNW.

4|2|1 HNW = trust

First of all, the terms openness and transparency are common among the interviewees when
describing the HNW concept. According to the facility manager of organization J and the HR manager
of organization A, these terms are describing the concept of HNW. The opinions of both managers are
reflected in the following quotations:

‘you have to create an open organization where people need to be freed from old routines´
(facility manager – organization J)

36
 ‘the transparency of the organization and the transparency of the building contribute to the idea of
HNW by creating an open work sphere where the employees continuously see each other which
facilitates cooperation’. (HR manager – organization A)

Not only openness and transparency are frequently used terms to describe HNW. Another used term
to describe HNW is the responsibility of the employees as well as the managers. As noticed by the
business development manager of organization D:

‘within HNW it is about giving and taking responsibility for the employees as well as the managers’.

According to most of the interviewees HNW provides and asks thus for responsibility of the employees
and the manager, more than in the ‘old’ way of working. According to the facility and ICT manager of
organization G, the term responsibility in the HNW concept is also different from former views on
responsibility. In his opinion:

‘it is not about managing on the presence of the employees anymore, which was common good in
former years, but the employees are responsible for their time spending on the office and the results
they must deliver. That is the responsibility of the employees and the managers’.

The responsibility of the employees and managers relates to another term associated with HNW,
namely: focus on results and output. This term is reflected in the quotation of the facility manager of
organization E, by saying that:

‘the idea of HNW here is that the office is the base. You can work anywhere: at home, with friends, in
a café. You can work in the early morning or in the late evening. It doesn’t matter, because you will be
managed on your output and results. The output is what you realize and where you judged on’.

In this way, managers give the employees the responsibility to decide where and when they work and
manage the results of the agreements they made. These agreements made on results and output lead
to less rules and procedures, which is also a term linked to HNW. The importance of this term is
reflected in the quotation of the HR manager of organization H:

‘one of our principles of is that there need to be less rules. That doesn’t mean that there are no rules
anymore, but less rules then before. It means that we need to take a critical view to our rules’.

The terms openness/transparency, responsibility, agreements on results/output and less

rules/procedures can be ranged under the theme ‘trust’. This is because all the four terms reflect that
HNW is based on the organizations trust towards its employees. It is about the trust the organization

37
and managers give to the employees to let them be responsible for their own timetables and only
manage them on their results.

4|2|2 HNW = flexibility/freedom

Another theme that is very important within the HNW-concept is flexibility or freedom. This is reflected
in four terms that were frequently mentioned in the interviews. The first term mentioned is the office as
a meeting place. This is reflected in the quotation of the program manager of organization C:

‘the office need to be a meeting place: you can come and go and decide whether you want to meet
your colleagues at the office or work at another place’.

With an office as a meeting place, the employees have the flexibility to meet each other at the office to
have (informal) meetings at any time. The office as a meeting place is therefore related to the second
term: the independency of time. According the HR manager of organization B and facility manager of
organization A this is a characteristic of the concept of HNW, because:

‘the first thing I think about with HNW is that people are the boss of their own time.
They decide how they use their time’ (HR manager – organization B)

‘with HNW you create the situation that you can work 24 hours a week. So it can be that you play a
tennis match in the morning and you do your work in the evening’.
(facility manager – organization A)

With the independency of time, people are flexible to make their own work schedules. The term
independency of time relates closely to the third term, independency of place. As reflected in the
quotation of the facility manager of organization H:

‘within HNW employees can decide where they want to work. And that can be at any place, for
example: the coffee café, at friends, at home, at the office’. It is their own freedom to choose’.

These term shows that employees within HNW can be flexible in the places they work. They do not
have to work at the office per se, but can choose where they want to work at a given day and time.
The last term related to the theme flexibility/freedom is the work- and family life balance:

‘family life and work life are better in harmony thanks to HNW’ (HR manager, organization E).

This quotation reflects the characteristic of HNW that employees can organize their work life and
family life in a flexible way, because they have more control on their time and how to split it.

38
4|2|3 Trust and flexibility/freedom through interaction of the HR-, ICT- and facility disciplines

To com to trust and flexibility – which are the central themes within HNW – the data showed that
interaction between HR,- ICT and facility management is required. The importance of interaction
between the three disciplines on HNW is shown by the quotations of the interviewees that refer to HR
as well as ICT and facility management topics. First, almost all interviewees mentioned that HNW is a
change of culture. As said by the HR manager of organization G:

‘it has all to do with the changing culture, not only within the organization,
but it is also a change in the way of life of the employees’.

Within this, it means that HNW asks for a change of routines and a change of the way people work, in
other words: a mind-shift of the employees and managers. Another HR-related topic is that HNW
should facilitate a higher employee satisfaction. The HR manager of organization E sees already a
higher employee satisfaction after implementing HNW:

‘the employee satisfaction is higher than before. Employees told us:

I have more grip and control on my time and that makes me happier’.

These two mentioned terms related to HNW can be seen as HR related terms, because they deal with
the human resources side of the organization. But not only HR related terms are mentioned by
describing the HNW concept, interviewees also refer to ICT related terms, such as supporting
software. For the ICT manager of organization D is:

‘the use of supporting software, such as office communicator, an important part of HNW. Several
software tools enable employees to work independent of time and place’.

This view on HNW is shared with all the interviewees and reflect the ICT side of HNW. Other terms
that were used to describe HNW were more related to Facility management. This is reflected in the
following quote of the Facility manager of organization H:

‘Because our buildings will be used more intensively, we have designed several
types of workplaces. And those different types of workplaces, where people
for example can work with concentration, contribute to HNW because people
can choose that workplace that fits their work activity at that moment’.

39
 This quote shows that HNW not only concentrates on HR and ICT topics, but also on facility
management. However, a shared opinion among most of the employees is that ICT and facility
management are the supporting disciplines within the HNW concept. This perception is reflected in the
opinion of the facility manager of organization D:

‘a pitfall of HNW is that most people think: we place some innovative workplaces in the office and give
the employees laptops with the newest software and then HNW works. But that is not the way it works.
ICT and Facility management support HNW and the focus must be on the cultural change within the
organization, it is about a new way of thinking and working’.

Although ICT and facility management are seen as the supporting parts of HNW, the interviewees
have the shared opinion that these disciplines together with the HR discipline need to implement HNW
through the organization.

4|3 The interpretations of HR, ICT and Facility management on HNW

As described in the previous section, the interaction between the HR-, ICT- and facility management
disciplines is important to meet the central themes of HNW. This interaction within the organizational
change towards HNW is also the focus of the research. To describe the interaction, the different
interpretations of HNW of the interviewees of these three disciplines are represented in the next figure.

• Attract and maintain employees

• Higher employee satisfaction HR management
• Inform/motivate employees
• Deal with resistance
• Arbo/CAO aspects

• Innovation of the ICT structure Difference in

• Security aspects ICT management perceptions
• User friendliness of software on HNW

• Reduce housing costs/space

• Provide different workplaces Facility
• Catering/cleaning/security management

Figure 4.2. The difference between the interpretations of HR, ICT and facility managers on HNW.

The data showed that the three organizational disciplines are acting in total different fields of activities
and therefore have different perspectives, goals and issues of HNW. Hence, they can be seen as
different subcultures within the organization. First, in the next paragraphs, the three organizational
disciplines and their interpretations of HNW will be described. Then, the interaction within the
organizational change process towards HNW will be explained.

40
4|3|1 HR management: change the mind of the managers and employees

Within HNW, the perceptions of HR management are concerned with the employees, managers and
culture of the organization, that is the human resources aspect. The data showed that the most
important perception of this organizational discipline is that HNW should result in the attraction and
maintenance of employees. All organizations are aware of the increasing obsolescence and scarcity
on the labor market in the future. This is reflected by the opinions of the HR manager of organization A
and the HR manager of organization D:

‘we are not a very sexy organization, and with the concept of HNW we will attract new and young
employees and also maintain employees’. (HR manager – organization A)

‘the goal is to be an attractive and better employer and therefore

we use HNW to attract and maintain people’. (HR manager – organization D)

Another important perception of the HR department is the importance of higher employee satisfaction.
The perception of the HR managers is that they have to monitor the employee satisfaction and to
notice whether this will increase by implementing HNW. A third perception of HNW within the HR
discipline is to inform the employees in the right way about HNW and to motivate and guide them to
work in consistence with the principles of HNW. This is done by facilitating workshops for employees
and managers, like the HR manager of organisation I explains:

‘in the beginning, we give our employees and managers a workshop where they become aware of the
way they work and which agreements they should make when they change to HNW;
another way of working’.

Therefore, these workshops are a part of the process of awareness of HNW. According to the data HR
management have to deal with a fourth, very important, issue: deal with resistance to the HNW
change. According to the HR manager of organization A:

‘employees and managers through the whole organization show resistance against HNW,
because it is a relative radical change and they don’t know what to expect
and what is going to change for them’.

Following the data, all organizations have to deal with resistance through the organization, although
they try to take away most of the resistance by providing the earlier mentioned workshops. However,
sometimes:

41
 ‘you see that not everybody sees the need of it and that it often requires a form of customization’
(HR manager, organization H).

To reduce the resistance during the HNW implementation, the data showed that the HR discipline
stays continuously in contact with the groups or people that have inconvenience with the change. As
said by the HR manager of organization E:

‘we ask continuously for feedback and we keep talking and discussing different
HNW topics with those who are not convinced of the advantages of it’.

Finally, a fifth perception of the HR discipline is the topics related to working conditions and CAO
arrangements. This perception is reflected in the opinions of the HR manager of organization D and
the HR manager of organization F:

‘although it is not the most sexiest part of HR management within HNW, it is not less important.
In our organization, every employee gets a ‘arbo-passport’ where the sizes for chairs
and tables are registered’. (HR manager – organization D)

‘when implementing HNW in the organization there need to be new arrangements about HNW
included in the CAO of the organization or branch’. (HR manager – organization F)

With this information, the data showed that the HR discipline within the process of HNW is concerned
with the attraction of employees, the mental change of the employees and managers as well as with
the resistance HNW can produce. Furthermore, the HR department has to deal with topics in the field
of working conditions. However, as said before, HNW is not only an organizational change where the
HR management discipline is involved, but also the disciplines of ICT management and facility
management have an important role within the change towards HNW.

4|3|2 ICT management: change the tools and software

Where the perceptions of the HR management discipline have a special focus on the mental and
cultural change, the focus of ICT management has principally to do with innovation. The most
important perception on HNW of the ICT managers is that they want to innovate the ICT structure of
the organization. This is done by the providing of supporting software tools and systems. Like the data
showed, all organizations see the providing of laptops and smartphones as a way to innovate. By
providing these supporting tools, the ICT department enables the employees to work independent of
time and place:

42
 ‘at one moment, you see that there is the need for new ICT support to realize the HNW concept.
Therefore, we decided to provide our employees a laptop and a smartphone. These are their personal
devices to work with and within HNW’ (ICT manager, organization I).

In almost all organizations, the ICT department has investigated which laptops and smartphones are
suitable for the different functions of the employees. Within organisation H, the ICT department has
developed different profiles of users:

‘for each function profile we decided what was the best equipment. We have made a specific
distinction between different functions, which was also a matter of costs’.

Also organization D looks at different functions by providing a laptop and/or smartphone. Although this
organization first decided to give all their employees the same laptop and smartphone, in a later phase
they realized that not all employees have the same needs. This is reflected in the interview with the
ICT manager of this organization:

‘after the pilot of HNW it became clear that not all employees need a smartphone, because some of
the employees only use a phone application on their laptop. With such findings, we decided to look at
the activities of the employee and then make a choice which tools are needed’.

Together with the facilitation of laptops and smartphones the other most important goal of the ICT
department is to provide the right software(tools). The development of a virtual/digital sharepoint and
videoconferencing are the most mentioned software(tools). The ICT manager of organization G
emphasizes this importance:

‘for employees the most visible ICT tool is the digital sharepoint. With this tool, people can upload all
their documents and share them among the other employees.
The employees have everywhere access to this tool’.

The facilitation of videoconferencing is also an important ICT-aspect within HNW, because it enables
the employees of an organization to work in a flexible way. With the providing of videoconferencing,
the ICT managers meet the characteristic of flexibility/freedom of HNW. This is mentoined by the ICT
manager of organization D:

‘we wanted that employees can virtually have conferences, because in that way they can work
everywhere. Therefore, we created the possibility of videoconferencing rooms or videoconferencing
applications on laptops’. (ICT manager, organization D).

43
Besides the focus on the applications and tools for the employees, for the ICT department it is also
important to deal with security topics of important information within the organization. The ICT
manager of organization B underlines this importance:

‘security is an very important topic for ICT, because when people work at home, the documents are
available and not protected. Therefore, some applications are excluded on purpose when people work
at home or at another location than the office’.

Not only organization B have taken specific decisions in order to secure information virtually, but all
the other organizations have made decisions, such as organization B. This is reflected in the opinion
of the ICT manager of organization I:

‘if information is lost on the internet or ends up with the competitor,

we – as ICT department – will be approached’.

A last interest of the ICT department is the user friendliness of the software. To guarantee the user
friendliness of the tools, the organizations guide their employees through the ICT environment. The
perception of guaranteeing user friendliness by providing workshops for the employees is reflected in
the opinions of the ICT manager of organization D and the ICT manager of organization H:

‘we want to reduce the complexity of the ICT environment, because complexity means extra work and
extra costs. And that is what we want to prevent’. (ICT manager – organization D)

‘we provide workshops to give people more insight in the tools and explain for which activity which
tools is the most appropriate’. (ICT manager, organization H).

Besides the perceptions of the HR discipline and ICT discipline, the discipline of facility management
has also their own perceptions of the concept of HNW.

4|3|3 Facility management: change the office and workplaces

The other organizational discipline concerned with the implementation of HNW is facility management.
In contract to the previous disciplines, the perceptions of facility management are situated in the field
of the designing of different workplaces and the facilitation of supporting services, such as catering
and cleaning. However, the most important perception of the managers of this discipline is to reduce
space and housing costs. This is also often one of the reasons for organizations to introduce HNW.
The perception is reflected in the opinion of the facility manager of organization A:

44
 ‘when I count what will be the influence of HNW on the number of workplaces, I see that we can
reduce the number of workplaces with a half. This means that you can close the half of your offices
and that reduces millions each year’.

Organization B found out that most of the workplaces where not occupied during the week and
realized that they can save space and costs by implementing HNW:

‘we walked through the offices on Friday and we saw so many empty workplaces and so few people
working and thought: we have to do something with that’.

The reducing of office space and costs is not only a motive for organizations to implement HNW, but
also the most important interest of the facility discipline. With the closing of offices and ending of
leases, the facility department reduces as well the office space as well as the housing costs. In former
years, all the organizations made use of a workplace ratio of 1 or higher, which means that there is
one workplace per employee. With the introduction of HNW, the Facility management discipline has
the goal to reduce this ratio to scores ranging from 0.5 to 0.8. The data showed that this interest is the
most important for the facility department, because the managers first mention this issue in the
interviews. A second important issue for the facility discipline is the providing of different - activity
based - workplaces. To enable the employees to work according the themes of HNW, the appropriate
facilities need to be offered. Within this, facility management investigate which types of workplaces are
needed in the offices. In most organizations this is done by research on the activities of the
employees. According to the facility manager of organization B:

‘With HNW it is important that people find a workplace which fits the activities
they do and that they switch from workplace if they switch to another activity.
So, it is our focus to offer different types of workplaces’.

The data shows that all organizations therefore have at least four types of workplaces: closed
workplaces for individuals, closed workplaces for two or more people, open workplaces for individuals,
and open workplaces for two or more people. The closed workplaces are meant for employees who
want to work in concentration, on the other hand, the open workplaces are created for employees who
want to meet colleagues or have conferences. Most of the organizations offer also a sort of coffee
plaza in the office, where employees can have informal meetings. With the change towards more
flexible and open offices, the facility departments of the organizations focus on ‘the office as meeting
place’. A third perception of the facility department is to guide the supporting staffs, such as catering,
cleaning, and security services. These services are an important part of the responsibility of facility
management, because:

45
 ‘you get a higher pressure of cleaning and catering services. That is because your offices have a
higher occupation. And that is something to take into account, because itt means you need to organize
and manage those services in another way’ (facility manager, organization C).

The facility department of the organization have thus the responsibility that these supporting services
in the offices are managed in the right way. With this, the facility managers need to organize these
services in other ways than before. For example:
example: the employees do not have fixed workplaces
anymore, but are responsible for the cleaning of the workplaces they have used. Therefore, the
cleaning service
vice works during office times to give a good example to the employees. Another point of
focus for the facility discipline is that the offices have larger openings hours, which has consequences
for the security services. In the next paragraphs,
paragraph it is highlighted in which way the disciplines
experience tensions that derive from the different interpretations of HNW
NW and in which way HR-, ICT-
and facility management interact with each other through cooperation.

4|4 Tensions between HR, ICT and facility management

manage

The contrast in interpretations of HNW is reflected in different tensions between HR, ICT and facility
management within the implementation of HNW. The data shows that these
these tensions become obvious
at several levels of the organization. This is illustrated in the next figure.

Tensions in interpretations on HNW between

HR, ICT and Facility management

Strategic level
Tensions between the disciplines about scope and financing
'you get big discussions about budgets'

Operational level
Tensions between the disciplines about deadlines
'there are differences in tempo'

Supporting level
Tensions between the disciplines about fine tuning
'work with the drawings of somebody else can give confusion'

Figure 4.3 Tensions in interpretations on HNW between HR, ICT and facility management at three organizational levels.
levels

Within the implementation of HNW it is important that - at the strategic level of the organization
organ - the
three disciplines have the same perception about what HNW means for the organization. Furthermore,
it is important that they together formulate the goals they want to achieve and how they want to

46
achieve these shared goals. However, the perceptions and goals of HNW are not always the same for
the three disciplines, which is reflected in the following opinion:

‘all parties involved have the same ideas and scope about HNW and that is – sometimes – very
difficult’ (ICT manager, organization H).

The data showed that at this level of the organization, organizations indicate tensions in scoping and
financing. The tensions on strategic level of the organization are reflected in the statement of the ICT
manager of organization H:

‘when you want to achieve a shared vision on HNW, you get discussions such as:
ICT only cost money and facility saves money, what is the balance?
These are quite sensitive discussions to go through’.

Also the facility manager of organization I faced tensions between the three disciplines on financing
and scope at the strategic level of the organization. His opinion is that:

‘it was quite a challenge to bring the different worlds together, with that,
you get big discussions about budgets’.
Although not all organizations were outspoken in this way, the data showed that the tensions in the
cooperation on the strategic level mainly focus on the differences in scope and discussions about
financing and budgeting. This tensions become clear in the way that changing towards HNW asks for
big investments in ICT tools and software. This brings tensions with the facility discipline, which are
supposed to save money through saving on housing costs. Furthermore, in some organizations, the
facility discipline is seen as the leading department within the implementation of HNW. According to
the literature, this can be the fact because this specific subgroup may have a stronger interest in
promoting the new concept. At the strategic level HNW can therefore be perceived as a interest of the
facility discipline, which can cause tensions between the three disciplines. The HR and ICT discipline
can perceive HNW as a concept only interesting for facility managers and hinder the implementation.

Second, at the operational level, the data shows that organizations face tensions about the deadlines
of the project teams. As reflected in the citation of the HR manager of organization D:

‘you have to take into account the other project teams when you formulate deadlines and time lines.
Sometimes you see differences in tempo between the disciplines,
this may cause some tensions between the project teams’.

47
The facility manager of organization A also recognized tensions of deadlines between the different
disciplines at the operational level: According to this interviewee it became clear that:

‘between the project teams we saw some differences in tempo. Facility management has always been
very progressive. IT and actually inhibits the most, but that is mainly due to security reasons’.

The data showed that most project teams on HNW work with deadlines and/or goals and discuss
these frequently with each other. The organizations indicate that these deadlines are needed to
achieve successes. However, these deadlines can produce some tensions, because the project teams
have different time lines, can be hindered by unexpected developments and/or have problems with the
pressure of running projects in their own discipline. In the organizations these tensions became clear,
because the ICT discipline is mostly dependent of the speed with which the software and tools are
developed. It causes tensions between HR management, facility management and ICT management
when the latter cannot deliver the software and tools on the agreed deadline. Not only ICT has some
problems with deadlines, also the HR discipline sometimes causes tensions at the operational level.
This is because they sometimes fail in the deadlines of the trainings for the employees. At last, facility
management can also causes tensions between the disciplines, because they are late to begin the
transformation of the work floors. Furthermore, the three disciplines each have their own running/daily
projects/activities which are affected by the implementation of HNW. This gives tensions with HR- and
ICT management, because they are then also hampered in their development towards HNW. Finally,
tensions in the cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management can also occur at the
supporting level of the organization. These tensions have mainly to do with the fine tuning of the
supporting aspects of HNW. As said by the business development manager of organization D:

‘of course you always find tensions at the micro level. For example: someone from facilities makes the
drawings and someone from ICT has to work with that. Sometimes that give rise to confusion. But
these tensions have mainly to do with fine tuning’.

The fine tuning of the supporting aspects of HNW is also familiar to the facility manager of organization
C. His opinion about this kind of tension is reflected in the following quotation:

‘concerning the implementation of HNW, I really need synchronization with ICT management about
meeting rooms, videoconferencing, etc. Sometimes that gives some conflicts about furnishing’.

At the supporting level of the organization, the disciplines have mainly to work with tensions ‘on the
floor’. This organizational level is there where the three disciplines meet each other to cooperate within
the executive work concerning HNW. As the presentation of the data shows, tensions between the
three disciplines is an inevitable form of interaction within the organizational change process of HNW.

48
These tensions are – at the one hand – the result of the interdependence between the three
disciplines within the organizational change towards HNW and – on the other hand – they are the
result of the difference in interpretations and perceptions of the HR-, ICT- and facility managers on the
concept of HNW.

4|5 Cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management

Although the data showed various tensions between the three organizational disciplines, the data also
assumed that there is another side of interaction. This kind of interaction is reflected in the cooperation
between the different disciplines within HNW. The data showed that the disciplines HR management,
ICT management and facility management are not only face tensions within the implementation of
HNW, but also are likely to cooperate to develop an integral vision on HNW. In this vision the different
perceptions and goals of the three disciplines are reflected. The existence of cooperation and an
integral vision is reflected in the opinion of the ICT manager of organization H:

‘it is absolutely essential that HR, ICT and facility management have the same thoughts about HNW,
with the same scoping and the same goal. Because when you are not on the same road, you – as the
organization – cannot manage HNW in the right way’.

Also the facility manager of organization A underlines the importance of cooperation between the
three disciplines. According to him:

‘it should not be a conflict of tribes.

We must all ensure that our employees work in a productive and effective way’.

The data showed that this cooperation comes from the two pressures. First, in most of the cases the
board of directors or the top management has the view or idea that the three disciplines should
cooperate to successful implement HNW. This pressure comes from the behavior of other
organizations in the field where HR, ICT and facility management are combined by implementing this
flexible work concept. This approach towards HNW is therefore a shared belief among (top)
management. A second pressure is that the organizational disciplines are interdependent by
developing and implementing HNW. This result is reflected in the quote of the business project
manager of organization D:

‘it was the interaction and interdependence between the disciplines which makes
it that they need to cooperate’.

The interdependence between HR, ICT and facility management can be expressed in the following
way: when an organization wants to implement the concept of HNW, the employees need to be

49
 motivated to work independent of time and place and managers need to manage their people on
results, etc. This part of HNW lies in the field of HR management. On the other side, to enable
employees to work according the principles of HNW, they need ICT tools and support to work
independent of time and place. Furthermore, the employees also need the right workplaces and
facilities to work in a flexible way. This part of HNW lies in the field of facility management. The data
shows that there is a continuous interaction and cooperation needed between the three fields. This is
underlined in the following quote of the facility manager of organization I:

‘nowadays it is all more complicated, so the organizational departments cannot do it alone anymore.
Previously, facility management could develop a product on their own, nowadays, you at least need
ICT for that. With organizational changes, such as HNW, you need to work cross departmental.

The assumed importance of an integral approach with the developing and implementing of HNW is
reflected in the way the ten organizations shape the implementation of this concept. To clarify the way
in which the organizations developed the concept of HNW, the next table will be used.

Organization Initiator / Initiating department Involved departments in the development of HNW

A Facility management and HR management HR, ICT and facility management and different division chairmen

B Facility management HR, ICT and facility management and Finance

C Facility management HR, ICT and facility management

D HR management HR, ICT and facility management and Finance and Compliance

E Facility management and HR management HR and facility management, Marketing and the CEO

F ICT management and HR management HR, ICT and facility management

G ICT management / ICT director ICT and facility management and a part of the management team

H Facility management HR, ICT and facility management

I Board of Directors HR, ICT and facility management and Communications

J A running organizational change (program) HR, ICT and facility management and trainees

Figure 4.4. The way in which the organizations of the empirical study shaped the HNW concept.

The first result of the data that attracts attention is that in most cases the facility department is the
initiator of HNW. According to an interviewee this is because:

‘facility management can make the ‘best’ business case, because they can show that reducing
workplaces and squared meters can really reduce costs’.
(ICT manager, organization H).

Another interesting result is that in three cases facility management together with HR management are
the initiators of HNW. This is may be due to the fact that:

50
 ‘HR sees an upcoming trend in the labour market where young professionals
are attracted to flexible employers’.
(HR manager, organization I).

In the other organizations the ICT departments or other initiators have developed the idea for HNW.
When it comes to cooperation between different organizational disciplines in the implementation of
HNW, the data shows that almost all organizations involved the three disciplines HR. ICT and facility
management. It can be seen that organization E has not involved the ICT department in the
development of HNW. This organization was also one of the organizations which have used a top-
down approach to implement the concept. Furthermore, organization G has not included the HR
discipline. It is remarkable that also this organization has used a top down approach to implement
HNW. The reason to not include the HR discipline is that

‘there was already a HR project started with the focus on flexible employees and managers’
(facility manager, organization G).

The remaining organizations have involved the three disciplines with the development of HNW, where
some added other departments of the organization, such as Communication or Finance. As can be
found in the table, the data shows that the organizations shape cooperation between the three
disciplines by involving these departments in the development – and later in the implementation – of
HNW. Not only the involvement of the three disciplines within the development of HNW is a way to
shape cooperation, but also in the operational side of HNW the three departments interact with each
other. This cooperation in the implementation of HNW can be expressed in the following figure.

51
 Ways of cooperation between
HR, ICT and Facility management

Strategic level
Program team with the different disciplines involved where the
integral vision on HNW is developed.
It is essential that all disciplines have the same thoughts'
´It

Operational level
Project teams of HR, ICT, and Facility management which
operate individually, but also have frequent meetings.
'we have frequent meetings to inform each other'

Supporting level
Meetings between HR managers, ICT managers and Facility
managers on the floor.
'I meet the managers of other disciplines on the floor and in that way we
can help each other with fine
fine-tunig problems'

Figure 4.5. Ways of cooperation

eration between HR, ICT and facility management within HNW on different organizational levels.
levels

The data showed that the cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management can be categorized
in different organizational levels. On a strategic level, most of the organizations compose a program
team with the different organizational disciplines involved. Within this way, cooperation between the
different disciplines is established by developing an integral vision on HNW for the entire organization.
Through regular
gular meetings, the three disciplines express their perceptions on HNW and develop a
complete vision on this flexible work concept where all three perceptions are represented. This integral
vision is shaped in project teams, each focusing on a specific discipline.
discipline. Thus the cooperation on the
operational level is shaped by installing
install project teams on in the field of HR, ICT and facilities. At this
level, different project teams are active in the organization to implement HNW. They do this by
formulating specific
ific goals for the department. For example, the project team ICT of organization D has
the goal to:

‘offer the best service with the lowest costs and to reduce the complexity of the ICT environment’.
(ICT manager, organization D).

Thus, at the operational

al level, the three disciplines translate their interests and goals to operational
activities. Then, these activities will be executed at the supporting level of the organization. The data

52
 showed that cooperation at this level in the organization takes place in the form of meetings between
HR, ICT and facility managers. When the HNW-concept is implemented in the organization, most
organizations transform different divisions separately into HNW. At this supporting level, the HR, ICT
and facility managers of the relevant division cooperate to let HNW succeed. Therefore, the data
showed that cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management within the concept of HNW can
take place in different forms at several levels of the organization. Moreover, the interviewees
underlined that cooperation between the disciplines is a necessary form of interaction to change the
organization towards HNW. Although the differences in interpretations of HNW of the HR-, ICT and
facility managers, they are aware of their interdependence within the change process towards HNW.
As one of the interviewees noted:

‘As one of the three disciplines is not involved or does not participate in the change process, it is
difficult to change the organization to HNW. Because all three are needed’
(HR manager, organization D).

Through this mutual dependence HR, IT and facility managers interact with each other throughout the
whole organization when it comes to HNW. And therefore there are not only visible tensions between
the three disciplines, but they also work closely together to change the organization towards HNW.
With other words, the skills of the HR-, ICT and facility management discipline come together within
the organizational change towards HNW.

The results of the empirical study can be combined into the model in figure 4.6. Within the
organizational change towards HNW there are different perceptions present within an organization.
However, these perceptions of HR-, ICT- and facility management are all three important to the
concept of HNW. With other words, the three disciplines have an interdependent relationship. This
interdependency leads to interaction between the three disciplines and this interaction is reflected in
two ways: tensions and cooperation between HR-, ICT- and facility management.

Interdependency
Perceptions of HR-, ICT and
between HR-, ICT and
facility managers on HNW
facility management
Tensions
- at the strategic level
- at the operational level
- at the supporting level
Interaction between
HR-, ICT- and facility
management
Cooperation
- at the strategic level
- at the operational level
- at the supporting level

Figure 4.6. Results on the interaction between HR-, ICT and facility management within the change towards HNW

53
 5| “The purpose of qualitative evaluation is to
produce findings useful for decision
making and action ” (Patton, 1990)

CHAPTER 5 – CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION

This final chapter will – on the base of theoretical and empirical

research – draw a final conclusion by providing an answer on the
central research question. Additionally, new insights on HNW as a
flexible work concept and as an organizational change where
different disciplines interact will be highlighted. Furthermore,
limitations concerning this research will be discussed. Finally,
recommendations for future research and organizations are
described.

5|1 Introduction

5|2 Conclusion

5|3 Theoretical implications

5|4 Limitations and recommendations for future research

5|5 Practical implications

54
 5 Conclusion and discussion

5|1 Introduction

This research focused on the central research question: in which way do HR management, ICT
management and facility management interact within the implementation of Het Nieuwe
Werken? To answer this question, the research consisted of a theoretical study and an empirical
study. The theoretical study was conducted to review the existing scientific literature concerning
flexible work concepts and organizational change. The empirical study included 25 interviews with HR,
ICT and facility managers and was conducted with the aim to analyze the existence of different
perceptions on HNW and the way in which these perceptions interact.

5|2 Conclusion

The theoretical study showed that organizations in today’s business face several factors which
changed their way of working, such as rising real estate costs, global competition, and increasing
power of new information and communication technologies. According to various researchers, a way
to respond to these rapid changes in the environment is the adaption of flexible work concepts.
Nowadays, more and more organizations are choosing therefore to implement Het Nieuwe Werken
(HNW). As a result of the empirical study, this concept can be seen as a flexible work concept which
consists of two characteristics: trust and flexibility/freedom. First, HNW is characterized by trust which
is reflected in an open and transparent culture, the emphasis of responsibility of the employees by
making agreements based on results, and the existence of less rules and procedures. Second, HNW
is a flexible work concept where flexibility and freedom is an important characteristic. This is reflected
in the findings that the members of the organizations can work independent of time and place, they
are able to make a balance between their private- and work life, and that the office is intended as a
meeting place. To meet the characteristics of HNW, the organization has to involve HR-, ICT and
facility aspects of the organization. This is because HNW asks for a changing culture, supporting
software, and support by activity based workplaces. Because HNW asks for a new structure of the
organization, this research analyzed the concept in the perspective of organizational change. In the
context of organizational change, the scientific literature assumes that different organizational
disciplines have different perceptions on a new concept, such as HNW. The difference in perceptions
would therefore lead to conflicts between the disciplines. When analyzing the interaction between the
HR, ICT and facility discipline in the empirical part of this research, it became clear that there were
indeed tensions between the different disciplines within the implementation of HNW. These tensions
occurred at different levels within the organization, namely at the strategic, operational and supporting
level. However, interaction between the disciplines is not only visible in tensions, but also in the
cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management. This kind of interaction also occurs at three
levels of the organization. The organizational disciplines involved in HNW therefore interact in two

55
ways and at three organizational levels. This kind of interaction occurs because of the
interdependency between the three disciplines when implementing HNW.

5|3 Theoretical implications

In this research, the researcher drew on theories of flexible work concepts and organizational change
to analyze the way in which HR, ICT and facility management cooperate within the concept of HNW.
The findings on the interaction between different organizational disciplines within this specific flexible
work concept begin to shed light on the poorly understood flexible work concept of HNW and the
poorly understood process of the interaction that is important to the implementation of HNW. This part
of the research highlights and discusses the shortcomings in the research streams and adds insights
concerning HNW as a flexible work concept and the interaction between three organizational
disciplines within it. This research extends the present literature on HNW in particular and flexible work
concepts and organizational change in general in fifth distinct ways.

5|3|1 Het Nieuwe Werken as a new flexible work concept

First, the earlier mentioned changes in the environment of organizations are assumed to give rise to
flexible work concepts. Although there is a lot of literature on the practice of flexible work concepts,
these researches do not highlight the concept of HNW. Within the existing literature on flexible work
concepts, researchers mainly focus on the advantages and disadvantages of flexible work concepts
and the perceptions of the employees. However, the flexible work concept ‘HNW’ is never mentioned
in these researches. This is probably because the concept of HNW is relatively young in practice. To
address this shortcoming in the scientific literature, the empirical research showed that HNW is a
flexible work concept where trust, flexibility/freedom and HR, ICT and facility aspects are central. As a
result, this shows that HNW is more than equivalent flexible work concepts such as teleworking and
telecommuting, where only the aspects of freedom and working at home are central. Furthermore,
scientific research on flexible work concepts lacks focus on the interaction of HR, ICT and facility
aspects and in this way this research shed light on the poorly understood flexible work concept HNW.
Second, no researcher has ever combined literature on flexible work concepts with literature on
organizational change. As already said, researchers concerned flexible work concepts, mainly focus
on the advantages and disadvantages of those concepts. Within this research the focus is on the
implementation and organizational change towards HNW. Therefore, this research extends the
existing literature on flexible work practices by discussing HNW as an organizational change.

5|3|2 Integration of different perspectives on HNW

Third, as a consequence of the second shortcoming, this research extends the present insights into
the way value commitments in an organizational change are shaped within HNW. As discussed in the
literature on organizational change, the process of specialization within an organization leads to
significant differences between groups in terms of value commitments. However, both the literature on

56
flexible work concepts and the literature on organizational change do not pay attention to the
interaction of different perceptions of HR, ICT and facility managers on HNW. Although the literature
on flexible work concepts slightly pays attention to perceptions and interests of the ICT, HR and facility
disciplines within the organization, the existing researches do not integrate these three perspectives.
Moreover, the literature on organizational change lacks in the insight of value commitments specific for
HNW. Conducting the empirical showed that the HR, ICT and facility discipline have different
perceptions on HNW. Where the HR discipline is focused on the attraction and maintaining of
employees, the ICT discipline is concerned with the innovation of the ICT structure of the organization.
However, the facility department perceives the concept of HNW in terms of reducing housing costs
and space. With these findings, this research adds new insights by combining the different perceptions
within the implementation of HNW in one research. Moreover, the research shed light on the
interdependency among the three disciplines when an organization changes towards HNW.

5|3|3 Tensions in interpretations of HNW at different levels of the organization

Fourth, in the literature it is assumed that the presence of different perceptions may result in conflicts
between organizational disciplines. However, in the literature on flexible work concepts, it is not
discussed which specific conflicts or tensions can become present and in which level of the
organization they can become clear. This research showed that within HNW there exist different
perceptions on HNW due to the involvement of three organizational disciplines. These disciplines
experience tensions, as a result of conflicting perceptions. This research adds new insights on interest
dissatisfaction within HNW by the development of a model where the tensions in interpretations on
HNW are identified. With this model the present insights on interest dissatisfaction are extended by
identifying different kinds of tensions between the three disciplines within HNW. Additionally, the
model extends the present insights on conflicting perceptions by saying that the tensions between the
perceptions can exist at different organizational levels.

5|3|4 Cooperation between three disciplines at different levels of the organization

Fifth, although the existing literature and the empirical part of this research show that perceptions and
interests of different organizational disciplines can conflict in HNW, this research showed that within
HNW cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management is also a part of the interaction. The
existing literature on flexible work concepts and organizational change does not focus on cooperation
between organizational disciplines at all. Hence, this research presents a model which shows different
forms of cooperation between the organizational disciplines within HNW. Furthermore, this model
identifies three organizational levels at which these kinds of cooperation can occur. Besides the
development of a model of cooperation within HNW, this research also address the existing gap of the
scientific literature by giving an explanation for the importance of cooperation: according to the various
interviews it became clear that the concept of HNW has to do with HR, ICT and facility aspects. As a
result, these three organizational disciplines are involved within the implementation of HNW. And

57
because of the interdependency between these different disciplines it is evident that they interact
through cooperation at different levels of the organization.

5|4 Limitations and recommendations for future research

After conducting this research, two limitations became clear. These limitations have influence on the
results and conclusions of the research and are described in the next paragraphs. Furthermore,
recommendations for future research are provided.

5|4|1 Sampling

A first limitation of this study concerns the impact of the functions of the interviewees on the results.
This study included interviews with the involved HR, ICT and facility managers within the
implementation of HNW, which could mean that that the results of the study are influenced by
subjective and positive views regarding the implementation of HNW and interaction between the
different disciplines. This is because these people actually talk about ‘their project’ what might provide
a distorted picture about the implementation of HNW and the interaction within it. In addition, these
managers discussed the role of their ‘own’ discipline within the implementation of HNW in the
organization. As a result, the functions of the interviewees could lead to a distorted – and more
positive - picture of the interaction between the different disciplines.

5|4|2 Subjectivity and skills of the researcher

The second shortcoming of this research has to do with the subjectivity and skills of the researcher.
The chapter on the methodology of this research showed that the analysis of qualitative data depends
on the skills, knowledge and abilities of the researcher. It is said that the human factor is the strength
and the fundamental weakness of qualitative research. For the results of this research this can mean
that the interpretation of the data is based on the subjectivity of the researcher. If the analysis of the
data would be executed by another researcher, there were maybe slightly different results have
emerged. This limitation can be applied to the knowledge, skills and abilities of the researcher. These
characteristics can vary per researcher, which can result in a difference in results. In this study,
however, there is tried to keep the level of subjectivity as low as possible.

5|4|3 Recommendations for future research

Following the limitation of sampling within this research, this can provide interesting recommendations
for future research on HNW and the interaction between different disciplines. First, future research is
recommended to analyze people in other functions than managers. By interviewing the employees of
the different organizational disciplines or the board of directors, other results may become clear. This
is because they may have other perceptions on the interaction with the other disciplines. With this,
there will be a more complete picture of the interaction between different organizational disciplines

58
within the implementation of HNW. Second, it also may be interesting to conduct a research on HNW
among smaller Dutch organizations which have implemented HNW and not only among large
organizations – which has been done in this research. A third recommendation for future research
concerning the methodology is to analyze the interaction between organizational disciplines within
HNW in a longitudinal way. This can result in a more complete overview of the interaction within the
implementation, over time, where the degree of interaction may change over time.

Concerning the results of this research, future research could focus on the concept of HNW. As
known, there is little scientific research conducted on this new flexible work concept and future
research can therefore focus on different characteristics of HNW. First. the empirical research showed
that a frequently mentioned motive to adopt HNW is to attract and maintain (new) employees. Every
interviewee mentioned the increasing obsolescence as and the expected scarcity on the labor market
an important change in the environment of organizations. However, the existing research on flexible
work practices does not explicitly refer to this development. Future research can be recommended to
focus on the motives of organizations which shaped the decision to implement HNW. Second, the
empirical research showed that organizations want to learn from other organizations on HNW and
apply/copy that factors of HNW which fit in their own organization. Future research could therefore
focus on this mimetic pressure and the way organizations deal with that. Third, this research only
focused on the interaction between three management disciplines within HNW, but it can be expected
that there are more stakeholders involved within the organizational change process towards HNW.
Therefore, future research could focus of the role and perceptions of employees, unions and
customers within the change towards HNW. Fourth, according to the interviewees, future research can
focus on different areas of HNW, such as: the use of social media within HNW, the role of the line
manager in HNW, corporate social responsibility and HNW and social cohesion within HNW. Due to
the lack of scientific research on the concept of HNW as an organizational change, there is still plenty
to investigate and analyze in this area.

The above mentioned recommendations for future research are concerned with the concept of HNW,
but it is also worth to provide recommendations for future research on a number of other areas
concerning the interaction within the implementation of HNW. First, it would be interesting to give more
depth to the two models – on tensions and cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management –
which arose from this study. This can be done by analyzing the tensions between the different
organizational disciplines in depth on the three levels of the organization. Conducting future research
in this area can – for example – result in an overview of more different tensions between the three
disciplines. Furthermore, future research can develop guides about how to deal with the tensions
between the disciplines or ways to solve these tensions. Second, the recommendation for future
research on tensions also applies to the model of cooperation. Future research could focus on the
different forms of cooperation on the organizational levels, which can result in a more complete

59
overview of forms of cooperation between HR, ICT and facility management within HNW. Third, future
research could focus on differences between various organizations and/or sectors with regard to the
interaction between different organizational disciplines by implementing HNW. Conducting such an
analysis could result in interesting findings of different ways of interaction within different
organizations/sectors. Fourth, it is worthwhile to analyze the organizational change of HNW within one
organization. New studies could conduct a case study where the interaction between the HR-, ICT and
facility discipline within that particular organization is investigated in depth. This study could then be
used as a framework for the case study. By performing a case study the researcher can make
statements about the interaction of the three disciplines within a specific organization, which might
provide new insights concerning the interaction. Fifth, a recommendation for future research is to
analyze the interaction between the different organizational disciplines at different phases of the
implementation of HNW. This may result in different kinds of interaction at the different phases of the
change towards HNW.

5|5 Practical implications

Based on the results of this research, a number of recommendations for organizations can be
provided. First, with the information of this study, organizations can consider an organizational change
towards HNW. With the overview of advantages and disadvantages of flexible work concepts
organizations can judge whether HNW is an organizational change that is suitable. A second
recommendation based on this research is that organizations can be encouraged to achieve
interaction between different organizational disciplines within the implementation of HNW. When the
organization decided to change towards HNW, this research showed that HNW is a flexible work
concept that needs HR-, ICT- and facility skills. To come to interaction between these three parties, it
can be recommended to involve the three disciplines while making a vision on HNW. By bringing the
different perceptions together, the direction of HNW becomes clear for the involved disciplines and
they pursue the same goal. Thirdly, With achieving this interaction, it is furthermore important that
organizations continuously monitor the interaction between the different disciplines. For example by
frequent meetings where the involved disciplines discuss the issues concerning the change towards
HNW. A fourth recommendation for organizations – which actually follows the previous
recommendations – is to create support for HNW throughout the organization. The development of
support for HNW begins at the top of the organization: the board of directors must believe in the
concept. Furthermore, the involved disciplines must embrace the concept. It is recommended to
organize sessions to discuss the perceptions of HNW and then develop an integral vision on HNW. It
is also very important that the HR-, ICT and facility management disciplines support each other within
the change towards HNW. The more members of the organization believe in the HNW-concept, the
more support will be achieved and the less resistance will appear. As a fourth recommendation for
organizations, the tensions between HR-, ICT- and facility management can be highlighted. With the
results of the research, organizations can recognize the tensions at the different levels of the

60
organization. It is important to notice that a part of the tensions are mostly inevitable. However, it can
be recommended to organizations to tackle the tensions at the different organizational level. With this,
the organization can work towards an integral approach of HNW. Fifth, the model of cooperation
between the different disciplines can also be useful for organizations. It is recommended for the
organization to achieve cooperation at the different levels of the organization. This can be done by
emphasize the interdependency of the three disciplines, because the skills of HR-, ICT- and facility
management are needed within the organizational change of HNW. Moreover, it is important for
organizations to approach HNW not as a specific HR-, ICT or facility project, but to approach it as an
integral project where in some phases HR-, ICT or facility management is in the lead. Finally, a sixth –
and perhaps the most important – recommendation for organizations is to have a clear strategic
motive (for example: become an attractive employer or reduce costs) to change towards HNW.
Because with a clear strategic motive and goal, it is expected that the organization can create support
among the members of the organization and also the interaction between HR-, ICT- and facility
members may turn out in a positive way. When they all adopt the strategic motive and goal, the
direction of the change towards HNW is clear and the different perceptions of HR-, ICT- and facility
management may come closer to each other.

61
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APPENDIX

1 Invitation for interviews – e-mail

2 Explanation of the study – appendix of the e-mail
3 Topic list for the interviewees
4 Open coding process
5 Open- and axial coding table

67
1 Invitation for interviews – e-mail

Beste heer/mevrouw,

Momenteel ben ik mijn masterscriptie over Het Nieuwe Werken aan het schrijven voor de master
Business Studies (specialisatie Strategy) aan de Radboud Universiteit te Nijmegen in samenwerking
met Kirkman Company te Baarn.

Het doel van dit onderzoek is te analyseren en meer inzicht te krijgen in de percepties van ICT
managers, HR managers en Facility managers en de mate waarin zij (samen) bijdragen aan een
succesvolle implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW). Het blijkt dat de percepties op HNW van
verschillende functiegebieden in grote mate kunnen verschillen. Daarnaast kunnen managers
verschillende rollen aannemen bij de implementatie van HNW en kan er sprake veel – of juist weinig
interactie tussen verschillende disciplines binnen de organisatie. Deze factoren kunnen van invloed
zijn op de implementatie en het succes van HNW binnen een organisatie. Door het uitvoeren van dit
onderzoek, zal er een model ontstaan waaruit duidelijk wordt in hoeverre en op welke manier de
verschillende percepties en de interactie tussen ICT, HR en Facility managers kunnen bijdragen aan
een succesvolle implementatie van HNW binnen organisaties. Een uitgebreide beschrijving van het
onderzoek vindt u in de bijlage.

Gezien het exploratieve en kwalitatieve karakter van het onderzoek leveren interviews met de ICT, HR
en Facility manager interessante en waardevolle data voor het onderzoek. Graag zou ik dan ook u in
de maand juni of juli willen uitnodigen om te spreken over het onderwerp van het onderzoek. Voordat
het interview zal plaatsvinden, zult u aanvullende informatie met betrekking tot het interview
toegestuurd krijgen.

Als dank voor uw bijdrage ontvangt u de resultaten van het onderzoek in de vorm van een rapport.
Daarnaast zal naar aanleiding van de resultaten van het onderzoek tevens een informele sessie
georganiseerd worden. Hier zullen de resultaten worden besproken en actuele stellingen worden
bediscussieerd met ICT, HR en Facility managers van verschillende organisaties. U ontvangt hier tijdig
een uitnodiging voor.

Graag zou ik van u horen welke data in juni of juli geschikt zijn om het interview in te plannen. Als u
vragen heeft naar aanleiding van deze brief, kunt u uiteraard altijd bellen naar 06-46124395 of een e-
mail sturen naar e.van.damme@kirkmancompany.com.

Alvast hartelijk dank!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Evelien van Damme

Master graduate

68
2 Explanation of the study – appendix of the e-mail

HET NIEUWE WERKEN

Een onderzoek naar de percepties van en interactie tussen ICT, HR en Facility managers
en de invloed hiervan op de implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken binnen organisaties.

Waarom dit onderzoek?

Veel organisaties zijn momenteel bezig of aan het overwegen om hun organisatie op een meer flexibele wijze in
te richten, bijvoorbeeld door het implementeren van het concept Het Nieuwe Werken. Aanleidingen voor deze
tendens zijn onder andere de vraag naar flexibiliteit, kostenreductie, technologische ontwikkelingen,
ontwikkelingen binnen andere organisaties, toenemende concurrentie en globalisering. Onder andere door deze
externe factoren zijn organisaties steeds meer genoodzaakt om flexibel te reageren op veranderingen in de
omgeving. Een recente ontwikkeling op het gebied van organisatieverandering en de toenemende vraag naar een
flexibele werkomgeving is de implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken. Dit flexibele werk concept richt zich op drie
pijlers: technologie, organisatie en locatie. Met andere woorden, ICT, HR en Facility managers zijn relevante
stakeholders bij de implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken.

Het doel van dit onderzoek is meer inzicht te verkrijgen in externe factoren die ten grondslag liggen aan de
implementatie van HNW. Tevens richt dit onderzoek zich op de verschillende percepties van ICT, HR en Facility
managers bij de implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken en op welke manier deze verschillende functiegebieden
kunnen samenwerken om dit flexibele werk concept succesvol te implementeren. Het onderzoek moet vervolgens
een model opleveren waaruit duidelijk wordt in hoeverre en op welke manier deze functiegebieden Het Nieuwe
Werken succesvol kunnen implementeren binnen een organisatie.

Het onderzoek – de theorie

Het onderzoek is opgesplitst in een theoretisch gedeelte en een empirisch gedeelte. Het theoretische kader richt
zich op het beschrijven van de ontwikkeling van de flexibele werkomgeving, de opkomst van Het Nieuwe Werken,
de voor- en nadelen van Het Nieuwe Werken en de percepties van ICT, HR en Facility managers op dit nieuwe
concept. Deze bevindingen vanuit de literatuur zijn gebundeld in een theoretisch kader.

Het onderzoek – de praktijk

Gezien het exploratieve en kwalitatieve karakter van dit onderzoek zullen er bij verschillende organisaties diepte-
interviews worden afgenomen. Doormiddel van deze interviews worden de theoretische bevindingen verrijkt met
inzichten uit de praktijk. Binnen de deelnemende organisaties zullen er interviews gehouden worden met de ICT,
HR en Facility manager. Deze verschillende inzichten leiden tot een verhelderend beeld van de percepties van de
verschillende functiegebieden op Het Nieuwe Werken binnen een organisatie.

Resultaat
Dit onderzoek zal organisaties interessante en bruikbare data verschaffen over de percepties van verschillende
managers en de invloed hiervan op de implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken. Dit zal vervolgens resulteren in
een aantal factoren die de implementatie van Het Nieuwe Werken meer succesvol en strategisch kunnen maken.
De resultaten van dit onderzoek zouden bedrijven dan ook kunnen helpen een betere afweging te maken bij de
keuze voor het implementeren van Het Nieuwe Werken.

69
3 Topic list for the interviews

Introductie
• Introductie Kirkman Company
• Introductie Evelien van Damme en masterthesis over HNW (anoniem, toestemming
voicerecorder, aanbieden rapport en uitnodigen voor presentatie van resultaten)
• Introductie onderwerpen (definitie, motieven, implementatieproces, huidige situatie)
• Introductie geïnterviewde (achtergrond, functie)

Definitie HNW en de rol van HNW in de organisatie

• Hoe zou u HNW definiëren? Wat zijn voor u de kenmerken van HNW? Perceptions and

• Wat zijn volgens u de motieven geweest om HNW te implementeren? role of the

• Wanneer is HNW geïntroduceerd in de organisatie? interviewee;

• Wordt er een speciale term voor HNW gehanteerd in de organisatie? interest

dissatisfaction
Implementatieproces van HNW in de organisatie
• Wat waren de redenen voor implementatie van HNW?
• Welke externe en interne factoren hebben tot de introductie van Institutional and market context

geleid? Waarom deze?

• Hoe is HNW geintroduceerd/gecommuniceerd? Waarom Implementation process

op die manier?
• Wat was het doel bij de introductie van HNW? Capacity for action

• Was de organisatie klaar voor deze verandering?

• Welke personen/afdelingen hebben HNW geïnitieerd? Power dependencies

• Hadden deze de juiste competenties om HNW te initiëren? Capacity for action

• Op welke manier hebben zij legitimiteit in de organisatie gecreëerd?

• Was er weerstand bij de introductie van HNW? Waar? Interest dissatisfaction

• Welke afdelingen waren er betrokken bij de implementatie? Power dependencies /

Hoe waren de taken verdeeld? Wie nam het voortouw? interaction

Waren er conflicterende percepties tussen de afdelingen?

Welke percepties waren tegenstrijdig? Waarom? Value commitments

Hoe is daar mee omgegaan?

• Wat was uw rol binnen de implementatie?
• Hoe keek u tegen het implementatieproces aan? Perceptie van HNW?
• Waren er personen/afdelingen die een alternatief voor HNW prefereerden?

70
 • Op welke manier/met welke middelen is HNW geïmplementeerd?
• Is er een HNW-pilot gehouden? Hoe is dit vormgegeven? Implementation process

• Zijn er aanpassingen in het beleid gemaakt tijdens de implementatie

van HNW? Welke? Waarom?

Current situation of HNW within the organization

• Is HNW volledig geïmplementeerd/geïntegreerd?
• Is er een speciaal beleid voor HNW binnen de organisatie? Implementation and success HNW

• Zijn er problemen/obstakels in de huidige situatie? Welke?

Wat is daar de oorzaak van? Hoe deze op te lossen?

Evaluation of HNW and future of HNW within the organization

• Wordt HNW geëvalueerd? Op welke manier?
• Wat zijn de succes- en faalfactoren bij HNW? Capacity for action

• Welke factoren dragen bij aan een succesvolle implementatie

van HNW? Waarom?
• Hoe zou u de implementatie van HNW vanuit uw functie/afdeling evalueren?
• Wat zijn uw verwachtingen voor de toekomst van HNW binnen de organisatie?

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4 Open coding process

Open coding is the interpretive process by which data are broken down analytically (Corbin & Strauss,
1990; Wester & Peters, 2004). Its purpose is to give the researcher new insights by breaking through
standard ways of thinking about or interpreting phenomena reflected in the data (Corbin & Strauss,
1990; Patton, 1990). Open coding stimulates generative and comparative questions to guide the
researcher upon return to the field and once aware of distinctions among categories, the researcher
can spell out specific properties and dimensions of each (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). In this research the
open coding process is used to structure the huge amount of data into categories. This is done by the
use of the topic list and by categorizing the answers of the interviewees in the theoretical categories.

Interviews with:
• HR managers
• ICT managers
involved by the implementation of ‘Het Nieuwe Werken’
• Facility managers

Perceptions and roles of the interviewees on HNW

Definition of HNW
• Trust
• Freedom (less rules and procedures)
• Flexibility
• Open/transparent
• For professionals
• Independent of time and place
• The office as meeting place
• Supported by facilities and software
• Responsibility of employees and managers

Roles of the interviewees

• HR manager
• Facility manager
• I(C)T manager
• Programme manager HNW
• Business Development manager

External dynamics

Trends in the market context that have led to the implementation of HNW
• Attract, recruit and maintain new, young and professional people.
• Improvement of the reputation of the organization.
• Increasing obsolescence.
• To become more flexible to future changes in the environment.

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Trends in the institutional context that have led to the implementation of HNW
• Other companies that have implement HNW/ actions of leading companies.
• Monitor and copy other organizations, co-orientate with other organizations that have
successful implement HNW.
• A shared belief in the organizaton that HNW will result in cost reduction, higher productivity,
efficiency and employee satisfaction within the organization.
• Positive attitudes towards HNW and the focus on the advantages of this concept.

Internal dynamics

Trends in the internal context that have led to the implementation of HNW
• Save (housing) costs.
• Many unused workplaces.
• The need for higher productivity, efficiency and employee satisfaction.
• Employees want more freedom and flexibility.

Interest dissatisfaction
• The different departments have different interests. Facilities wants to reduces workplaces and
reduce housing costs. On the other hand, HR wants to achieve higher employee satisfaction
and ICT wants to implement innovative tools.
• But: in the organizations, these three departments together make an integral vision on HNW to
achieve all these goals. They do so in a special project group on HNW where all the parties
are represented.
• In this way, the greatest interest dissatisfactions are taken away.
• Not only interest dissatisfaction is seen, but also differences in speed/quickness.

Value commitments
• Competitive commitment
some groups support the new concept HNW, whereas others do
not support the new concept.
• All organizations face resistance within different parts of the organization. People have mixed
motives to resist to the concept of HNW.
• Organizations deal with this resistance to talk with people and convince them of the
advantages of HNW.
• They also deal with the resistance by giving workshops and provide information.

Power dependencies
• An idea for the implementation of HNW mostly come from within the organization and than top
management is convinced. In some organizations the idea of HNW comes from top
management.
• The idea of HNW is mostly adopted by top management (except within the Gemeente
Haarlemmermeer and Ministerie VROM/V&W.
• The facility management department is often the leading department within the idea of HNW.
This is because they can prove the greatest advantage (cost reduction) to the top
management and they see that much workplaces are unused.
Capacity for action
• Organizations first make an integral vision on HNW.
• Most organizations make use of the assistance of external consultants.
• All organizations start a project team on HNW with experts in the field of HR, ICT and
Facilities and there are different project managers to implement the concept.
• All organizations have faced many changes in the past, so they are experienced in change
projects.

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Cooperation between the HR, ICT and Facility department

• In the programme/project team the three disciplines of HR, ICT and Facility are represented.
In most organizations there are also other departments represent, like Communications,
Security and Change Management.
• HR, ICT and Facility together create an integral vision on HNW within the programme/project
team.
• In the programme/project team, HR, ICT and Facility, introduce shared goals for the
programme/project of HNW. They frequently discuss and review these goals.
• HR, ICT and Facility are aware that they need each other to successful implement HNW, and
together they create an integral vision on the concept.
• Within the programme/project team there is an integral vision developed and the three
disciplines also create separate visions and goals.
• Subsequently, HR makes their own vision and goals on HNW (out the integral vision on HNW)
and gives instructions to the HR departments in the organization. In the same way ICT and
Facility do this for their departments.
• The HR, ICT and Facility departments in the programme/project team then take care that
these visions and goals will be reached and be in line with the integral vision.
• Although in the literature it is presumed that different departments of an organization have
different visions and goals, within the concept of HNW there is a high awareness of the
dependency of these departments.

Organizational change - the adoption and success of HNW

The implementation of HNW

• Organizations start with the statement of internal and external developments in the field of the
organization.
• Most ideas of the adoption of HNW do not originate within the top of the organization, but
within a certain department of the organization. The next step is to convince the top
management with business cases and the advantages of HNW.
• When the top management has adopted the idea of HNW, a project team is formed. In this
project team different departments are represented (HR, ICT, Facilities, Real Estate,
Communications, Finance, and Security). The composition of the project team differs per
organization.
• When the top management has adopted the idea of HNW and the project team is formed, the
organizations search for the lessons learned of other organizations.
• Two organizations (Ymere and Vodafone) have implement HNW with a big-bang.
• All the other organizations have involved the whole organization within the implementation by
different communication expressions.
• Common parts of the implementation of HNW are workshops and introduction sessions for
employees and managers.
• In most organizations teams or departments are team/department per team/department
transformed to HNW.
• In one organization (Rabobank) teams/departments can choose when the transformation or
change will take place.
• In two organizations the implementation of HNW is an international project (Vodafone and
Philips). In both cases, the Netherlands were the first in the implementation of HNW.

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Important topics/statements
• The manager has an example function.
• The manager is ‘key’ in the adoption and change process.
• The office has to be place to meet.
• ICT and Facilities are mostly supporting, it is all about the mental (HR) part.
• HNW is not one size fits all.
• It must be an integral project of HR, ICT and Facilities.
• The implementation is a journey, it takes a long breath.

Facility topics
• Activity based workplaces.
• Different types of workplaces (open, closed, to concentrate, to talk, to meet).
• Some organizations facilitate also the furniture at the homes of the employees.
• Reduce housing costs and space.
• Create an inspiring furnishing within the organization.

HR topics
• Motivate and convince people of the advantages of HNW
• Higher employee satisfaction
• Deal with employee/manager resistance
• Workshops
• Arbo/CAO

ICT topics
• Laptops and smartphones
• Software tools (online meetings, communicators)
• Security
• User-friendly software

Future of HNW
• More innovative software tools
• Sharing of offices with other organizations
• More mixing of departments/teams in the office
• Social media
• Part of CSR

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5 Open- and axial coding table

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Code Theoretical concept
1 Definition of the concept Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW)
2 Trends in the market context that have led to the implementation of HNW (external dynamics)
3 Trends in the institutional context that have led to the implementation of HNW (external
dynamics)
4 Trends in the internal context that have led to the implementation of HNW (internal dynamics)
Results from the interviews
Professionalism, independent of place and time, freedom, choices, less
rules and procedures, combination of the virtual, physical and mental
environment, output and result-driven, the capability to adjust to the
changing environment, integral vision, change of management style,
people, setting free of old routines, a movement, activity based working,
efficiency, making suitable agreements, work-directed, a
meeting/cooperation concept, not one size fits all, the definition of the
organisation itself, change process, a journey, flexibility for the organisation
and for its employees, responsibility of employees, new way of working with
physical and technological support, trust.
Reduce (office) costs, increasing obsolescence, attract/recruit young
employees, maintain (young) employees, the need to distinguish the
organization from other organizations, corporate social responsibility, the
digital revolution, improve image/reputation, the need to become a flexible
organization, the need of future employees to work independent of time and
place, increasing live-work traffic.
Shared believe that HNW is the answer on the external developments, other
companies have (successful) implemented HNW, booming trend/hype in the
business context.
Reduce office(s) (space), too much internal migrations, too much offices, to
be an attractive employer, the need to change the conservative/hierarchical
way of working, increase (cross-functional) cooperation, increase efficiency,
increase productivity, the realization that only the half of the workplaces
were in use, the realization that HNW can be seen as a business/product of
the organization, the increasing attention on HNW of the employees,
increase employee satisfaction, more innovative way of working, more
flexible way of working, increase engagement and motivation of employees.
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5 Interest dissatisfaction (internal dynamics) The presence of different departments of the organization in the HNW
project, different goals of various departments, different values of various
departments, difference in tempo of various departments, discussions about
money/budgets.

6 Value commitments (internal dynamics) Resistance of groups of employees, uncertainty of employees, employees
are scared of social isolation/reduced workspace/the future/let go
routines/digitize, resistance of the financial department/juridical department,
resistance of some managers as a result of less control, incomprehension,
enthusiastic/motivated employees, employees that give the good example
and see the advantages of HNW, mainly resistance at the beginning of the
implementation, reduce resistance by providing a pilot/ workshops/
information and communicate/involve the employees in the process of
HNW/listen to complaints/give the good example as management.

7 Power dependencies (internal dynamics) Top down implementation, support of top management is important, I(C)T
and HR are supporting, facility department is mostly the initiator, bottom up
process in governmental organizations, (top) management has to believe in
the project of HNW.

8 Capacity for action (internal dynamics) Experience in earlier (cultural) changes, assistance of external consultants.

9 Cooperation between the HR, I(C)T and Facility department within the concept of HNW
Cooperation between Facility management and HR about chairs, tables, a
program team is formed with HR, ICT and Facility management included, in
the program team there are three expert groups: mental, virtual and
physical, HR, ICT and Facility management are involved with the
development of the concept, HR, ICT and Facility management are involved
with make clear a strategic vision on HNW, interaction between HR, ICT
and Facility management, the three disciplines are face dependency on
each other, focus on integrality, some little problems with synchronize
between the three disciplines, cooperation between Facility management

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 and ICT, frequent meetings with HR, ICT and Facility management, optimal
use of personnel, the virtual and physical environment to implement HNW,
no singular vision, the vision on HNW is separated in HR, ICT and Facility
management themes, it is necessary that different disciplines are working
with HNW, invest in one discipline to harvest in one another, HNW has to do
with the three disciplines so you have to visit each other, differences in
planning and budgeting can give some little problems, HR, ICT and Facility
management together formulate the goal for HNW, HR, ICT and Facility
management also formulate their own goals for HNW, HR, ICT and
Facilities face different trends in their environment that call for an HNW-
concept, it is not only a HR, ICT or Facility management project; it is an
integral project, ICT slows down the most because of security-issues, HR,
ICT and Facility together must take care of an efficient and flexible
organisation, the three disciplines influence each other, organizational
changes become more complex; you cannot do it alone anymore.

10 The implementation of HNW (organizational change and adoption) A project team on HNW is formulated, mostly with HR, ICT and Facility
management, with the project team an (integral) vision and goals on HNW
is formulated, business cases are formulated, a pilot is organized within the
organisation, in some organisations there was a big-bang implementation
without pilots, evaluation of pilots and some adjustments in the concept,
cooperation with consultancy firms, transform different departments of the
organisation in phases, continuously evaluate the concept.

11 Topics related to the facility side of HNW Transparency and openness in the interior style of the buildings, new
workplaces which must suffice arbo-rules, workplaces are designed on
different activities of employees, different workplaces: silence coupé,
meeting places, concentration places and open/closed workplaces, reduced
workplace factor (range from 0.8 to 0.6), facilitate a meeting concept (office
as a meeting place), no separate rooms for managers and employees,
reduction of office space, a dynamic environment, merge of

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 departments/offices, accommodation and interior facilitate HNW, facilitate
activity based working and place- and time independent working, workplace
calculator to calculate how much/which workplaces belong to a department,
creation of scarcity, evaluate the workplace wishes of the employees, set up
a pilot environment.

12 Topics related to the HR side of HNW Facilitate workshops/trainings on HNW, help employees to turn their
mindset into a more flexible way of working and thinking/mentality switch,
360 degrees feedback, formulate working conditions, change of culture,
rules about working at home, change management, support and motivate
employees, investigations on employee satisfaction, recruit/attract and
maintain new employees, CAO conditions.

13 Topics related to the I(C)T side of HNW Digital archivating of documents, ICT is supporting to HNW, facilitation of
smart phones/laptops/headsets, digital sharepoints, access to the network
of the organisation, provide software/applications such as video
conferencing, and office communicator, security, focus on user friendliness,
making user profiles to decide which ICT tools each user needs.

14 The future of HNW within the organization Attract young employees, increasing flexibility, decrease of offices, focus on
social cohesion, increasing cooperation over departments, use of
durable/sustainable products/materials, more focus on creativity, increasing
number of organisations who work with HNW, rent part of offices to other
organisations, sharing offices, technological/virtual innovations, use of
social media, implement HNW by call centers, optimize the concept,
development of productivity measurement tools.

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