Change processes and methodologies of future perspectives of work

António Brandão Moniz (coord.) & Margarida Ramires Paulos (IET/FCT-UNL, Portugal), Duco Bannink (University of Twente, Netherlands) with the collaboration of Bettina Krings & Linda Nierling (ITAS-FZK, Germany), Ringo Ossewaarde (University of Twente, Netherlands), Funded under the Sixth Research Framework Programme of the European Union

The main topics in this thematic report are based on the hypotheses on the nature of work in the knowledge-based society how it is described in the theoretical framework of the WORKS project (Huws, 2006). The objective of the report is to develop some conceptual approaches for a methodology of scenario building and construction processes of the scenarios in order to provide some ideas about the future of work in European countries.
Thus, this study is presenting information that is taken from other foresight experiments and its methodological features. The main needs for a scenario structure are provided in the explanation of four steps in order to develop such a process. The first step establishes a model on the changing structures of work in the knowledge-based society and a set of dimensions related with the central WORKS theoretical framework with the key variables and indicators that allows to find the information to be developed in step 3 (drivers of change). The second step provides the information about these dimensions in the theoretical analyses and complements it with data from the quantitative and qualitative pillars. It also could identify the main components as well as the variables more important to understand the changes, observing and defining the relations between them and clarify the trends. In the final step, one should define a set of periods for scenarios, and establish a set of possible scenarios of the different ways work organisation might evolve into different models of a knowledge-based society. Some examples are presented.

Annexes to the book "Change processes and methodologies of future perspectives on work"

1 Detailed information about summarised trends and features 5
1.1 Organisational and employment structures – B 5
1.2 Work patterns and terms of employment – C 18
1.3 Quality of life – D 29
1.4 Policy of working life – E 38
2 Analyses of case studies 49
2.1 Introduction 49
2.2 Occupational studies; synthesis report 49
2.3 Design in clothing 50
2.4 R&D in ICT 52
2.5 Production in clothing 57
2.6 Production in Food 60