Browsing by Author "Krzywdzinski, Martin"

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Akzeptanz des Einsatzes von Wearables im Betrieb durch Betriebsräte und Beschäftigte
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2024-04-26) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Pfeiffer, Sabine; Ferdinand, Jonas; Yosefov, Or
Wearables (z.B. Datenbrillen und Smartwatches) sind ein besonders sichtbares, aber auch umstrittenes Element von Industrie-4.0-Anwendungen. Sie versprechen eine Verbesserung der Arbeitsqualität durch Unterstützung von Beschäftigten, bergen zugleich aber auch Gefahren der Rationalisierung und vor allem Überwachung von Arbeitsprozessen. In dieser Studie wird untersucht, unter welchen Bedingungen Betriebsräte und Beschäftigte den Einsatz von Wearables im Betrieb akzeptieren. Konzeptionell baut die Analyse auf Forschung über die Rolle von Betriebsräten in Digitalisierungsprozessen sowie dem Technology Acceptance Model auf. Empirisch fußt die Analyse auf 16 qualitativen Fallstudien sowie einer Befragung von 1.046 Erwerbstätigen. Die Studie zeigt Unsicherheiten beim Umgang mit der Wearables-Technologie, aber auch insgesamt erfolgreiche Einflussnahme der Betriebsräte. Ein interessanter Kontrast zeigt sich im Hinblick auf die Wahrnehmung der Betriebsräte und der Beschäftigten. Während einige Betriebsräte die geringe Mobilisierungsfähigkeit von Beschäftigten für Datenschutzfragen beklagen, bewerten die befragten Beschäftigten den Datenschutz als Bedingung für die Akzeptanz von Wearables deutlich höher als den Nutzen für die Arbeit. Potentielle Erklärungen sind das „Privacy Paradox“, aber auch eine Unterschätzung der Potentiale der Datenschutzthematik seitens der Betriebsräte. Wearables (e.g., data glasses and smartwatches) are a particularly visible but also controversial element of Industry 4.0 applications. They promise to improve the quality of work by supporting employees, but at the same time also harbor dangers of rationalization and, above all, surveillance of work processes. This study examines the conditions under which works councils and employees accept the use of wearables in the workplace. Conceptually, the analysis builds on research on the role of works councils in digitalization processes and the Technology Acceptance Model. Empirically, the analysis is based on 16 qualitative case studies and a survey of 1,046 employees. The study shows uncertainties in dealing with wearables technology, but also overall successful influence of works councils. An interesting contrast emerges with regard to the perceptions of works councils and employees. While some works councils complain about the difficulties to mobilize employees around data protection issues, the employees surveyed rate data protection as a condition for accepting wearables significantly higher than the benefits for work. Potential explanations are the “privacy paradox”, but also an underestimation of the potential of the data protection issue on the part of the works councils.
An uncertain elite: Professional differences and similarities between engineers and tech workers in times of digital transformation
(2025) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Pfeiffer, Sabine; Kuhlmann, Martin; Ottaiano, Mario; Heinlein, Michael; Ritter, Tobias; Neumer, Judith; Huchler, Norbert
The digital transformation of industries has given rise to new categories of tech workers, such as software engineers and UX/UI designers, who now work alongside traditional engineers. This study explores the evolving relationship between these groups, focusing on work processes, status perceptions and professional interactions. The research questions addressed include: how has digitalisation affected these two groups’ work processes? what strategies do they use to maintain or improve their career paths? and how do their roles converge or diverge? Using qualitative data from interviews and workshops in a German automotive company undergoing a digital and electric mobility transformation, the study finds both competition and cooperation between engineers and IT professionals, with the former adopting some IT work methods and the latter adjusting to the highly structured processes of the industrial sector. Despite growing overlaps, distinct professional identities nevertheless remain.
Annual Report 2020–2021
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2021) Neuberger, Christoph; Friesike, Sascha; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Eiermann, Karin-Irene; Weizenbaum Institute
Annual Report of the Weizenbaum Institute 2020–2021
Annual Report 2021–2022
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2022) Neuberger, Christoph; Friesike, Sascha; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Wendt, Matthias C.; Weizenbaum Institute
Annual Report of the Weizenbaum Institute 2021–2022
Arbeit und Qualifizierung 2030 – Essentials. Eine Momentaufnahme aus dem Maschinenraum der dualen Transformation von Digitalisierung und Elektromobilität: Transformationserleben – Transformationsressourcen – Transformationsbereitschaft bei Volkswagen
(Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 2023) Pfeiffer, Sabine; Baethge, Volker; Blank, Marco; Bolte, Annegret; Elsholz, Uwe; Hauschild, Janna; Heinlein, Michael; Huchler, Norbert; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Kuhlmann, Martin; Meyer, Rita; Neumer, Judith; Ottaiano, Mario; Ritter, Tobias; Rühling, Shana; Sauer, Stefan; Wilbers, Karl; Windelband, Lars
Automation, Digitalization, and Changes in Occupational Structures in the Automobile Industry in Germany, the United States, and Japan. A Brief History from the Early 1990s Until 2018
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2020) Krzywdzinski, Martin
In the current public discussion, it is considered certain that we are living in a time of rapidly advancing automation, which is driven in particular by the use of robots. Accordingly, many academic publications use robot density as the central indicator of automation. The present study challenges this perspective. It examines two central questions: First, what approaches to automation and digitalization have been pursued in the automotive industry in Germany, Japan and the USA? Second, how have employment and its occupational composition in the automotive industry developed in the three countries? The first part of the study focuses on the development of automation and digitalization approaches in the automotive industry from the early 1990s until today. It combines a qualitative analysis of press articles and a quantitative evaluation of the development of the stock of industrial robots from 1993 to 2018 based on the statistics of the International Federation of Robotics. The second part of the study focuses on the change in employment structures using occupational statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA), the Federal Employment Agency (Germany) and the Statistics Bureau of Japan. The study questions the perception of an automation-related threat to employment and especially to production employment. At the same time, it discusses developments in Germany, Japan and the USA in comparison and highlights differences in automation and digitalization approaches as well as different paths of change in employment structures.
Between control and participation: The politics of algorithmic management
(2024) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Schneiß, Daniel; Sperling, Andrea
Understanding the role of human management is crucial for the debate over algorithmic management—to date limited to studies on the platform economy. This qualitative case study in logistics reconstructs the actor constellations (managers, engineers, data scientists and workers) and negotiation processes in different phases of algorithmic management. It offers two major contributions to the literature: (1) a process model distinguishing three phases: goal formation, data production and data analysis, which is used to analyse (2) the politics of algorithmic management in conventional workplaces, which differ significantly from platform companies. The article goes beyond surveillance to elucidate the role of the regulatory framework, various actors' knowledge contributions to the algorithmic management system, and the power relations resulting therefrom. While the managerial goals in the examined case were not oriented towards a surveillance regime, the outcome was nevertheless a centralisation of knowledge and disempowerment of workers.
Combining Experiential Knowledge and Artificial Intelligence. The Digital Transformation of a Traditional Machine-Building Company
(2022) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Butollo, Florian
The development of Industry 4.0 technologies creates leeway for the digital transformation of manufacturing companies, whose business models increasingly rely on software and data-based services. While several studies emphasise that manufacturing has no choice but to follow this transformation, there is little knowledge about how companies are actually managing it. This article uses the case study of a leading mechanical engineering company to analyse how the company organised the development of new digital technologies and how it changed its organisational structures and practices. It is based on 22 interviews and an analysis of company documents. The analysis draws on ambidexterity theory, which is extended toward a dynamic process analysis. It shows that digital transformation presupposes the development of structures and practices supporting cross-functional cooperation and the creation of new skill formation approaches. It develops a model of organisational change related to the digital transformation of manufacturing companies which includes the proof-of-concept phase, the partial exploitation phase, and the organisational transformation phase.
Control and Flexibility: The Use of Wearable Devices in Capital- and Labor-Intensive Work Processes
(2024) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Evers, Maren; Gerber, Christine
The use of wearables in the workplace allows for close monitoring of work processes and might also have consequences for work content and skill requirements. Past research has emphasized the detrimental effects of wearables, particularly those caused by the standardization of work and monitoring of workers. By contrast, this study asks under what conditions the implementation of wearables as part of digital assistance systems is beneficial for workers. Based on recent contributions in the field of labor process theory, this study analyzes the implementation of new technologies using the concepts of the regulatory regime, organizational first-order factors, and workplace second-order choices. The analysis is based on findings from 48 interviews with 83 interviewees in 16 German manufacturing workplaces along with making site visits. It examines the implementation of wearables and the impacts on work content, skills, working conditions, and employment. Besides showing how labor agency affects the implementation of new technologies, the particular contribution of this study lies in analyzing the differences in the implementation of wearables in capital- and labor-intensive organizations. While standardization of work and reduction of work content prevailed in labor-intensive processes, capital-intensive processes were most often characterized by the extension of skill requirements and the risk of work intensification.
COVID-19 as a Jump Start for Industry 4.0? Motivations and Core Areas of Pandemic-Related Investments in Digital Technologies at German Firms
(2023) Butollo, Florian; Flemming, Jana; Gerber, Christine; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Wandjo, David; Delicat, Nina; Herzog, Lorena
Academic studies prior to the pandemic rather emphasized that the progression towards Industry 4.0 happened in an incremental manner. However, the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic have led to considerable investments that were widely interpreted as a (generalized) digitalization push. However, little is known about the character of such investments and their effects. The goal of this contribution is to provide an empirically based overview of recent investment in digital technologies in six economic sectors of the German economy: mechanical engineering, chemicals, automotives, logistics, healthcare, and financial services. Based on 36 case studies and a survey at 540 companies, we investigate the following questions: 1. How much did the COVID-19 pandemic reduce existing obstacles for investments in digitalization measures? 2. Is there a universal digitalization push due to the COVID-19 pandemic that differs from the trajectory before the pandemic? The results show that the pandemic affected investment in an unequal manner. It was driven by the immediate need to sustain business operations through the virtualization of communication among employees and with external partners. However, there was less dynamism in shop-floor-related digitalization, as it was less related to epidemiological concerns and is more long-term in nature.
Data Governance Act Proposal
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2021) Neuberger, Christoph; Friesike, Sascha; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Eiermann, Karin-Irene; Stocker, Volker; Schawe, Nadine; Efroni, Zohar; von Hagen, Prisca; Völzmann, Lisa; Müller, Ferdinand
This Position Paper contains statements drafted by several Research Groups at the Weizenbaum Institute concerning the Data Governance Act (DGA) Proposal. Each statement is followed by a short explanation. The purpose of this Paper is to highlight a number of important aspects of the DGA Proposal and stimulate the debate around it with a special emphasis on the part that concerns regulation of data sharing services (Chapter III, DGA Proposal). The Paper touches upon a number of selected matters without the ambition to cover all the important issues the DGA legislation raises. The statements address the potential risks in creating a centralized architecture for data intermediaries, the problem of imposing a duty on data sharing services to offer data on a non-discriminatory basis, the role and expertise supervision authorities will need to assume and exercise and questions regarding the interface between the anticipated DGA and existing data protection law in the EU. The Paper includes a number of specific recommendations regarding the formulation of several DGA provisions, specifically in connection with its intersection points with the GDPR.
Die Vermessung der Arbeitswelt. Wearables und digitale Assistenzsysteme in Fertigung und Logistik
(Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, 2022) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Pfeiffer, Sabine; Evers, Maren; Gerber, Christine
Der intelligente Arbeitshandschuh oder die smarte Brille: Mit der Digitalisierung rückt datenaufzeichnende Hardware eng an den Körper der Beschäftigten. Bewegungen, Vitalzeichen und selbst Emotionen können damit sichtbar werden. Was viele privat gerne zur Kontrolle von sportlichen Aktivitäten oder dem Monitoring der Gesundheit nutzen, eröffnet am Arbeitsplatz eine neue Dimension der Kontrolle. Die Studie gibt Einblicke in betriebliche Anwendungsfälle und die Einschätzungen von Beschäftigten. Es zeigen sich widersprüchliche Erfahrungen und ein deutlicher Gestaltungsauftrag.
Digital transformation and value chains. Introduction
(2022) Butollo, Florian; Gereffi, Gary; Yang, Chun; Krzywdzinski, Martin
New digital technologies based on the internet of things and artificial intelligence play centre stage in contemporary discussions about the prospects for economic development and the future of work. This article summarizes theoretical and empirical contributions on how these technologies affect global value chains (GVCs). We argue that the leading paradigms that analyse global production – the GVC framework and the related global production networks (GPNs) approach – are in need of some ‘technological uprading’ themselves. The GVC/GPN approaches acknowledge that technology is constitutive for the emergence of geographically fragmented production, but rarely address directly how technological change affects interfirm relations. The authors provide a framework that acknowledges the key role of technology while situating digital tools and systems in their social embeddedness, that is the role of human agency and institutions in shaping their development and impact. A research agenda is outlined focusing on three topics: the varieties of digitalization approaches in different world regions, the role of data as a specific form of intangible resource and the role of platform business models for industrial ecosystems. These topics are addressed in the special issue of Global Networks on ‘Digitalization and Value Chains’ introduced by this contribution.
Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt in und nach der COVID-19-Krise: Thesen und Handlungsempfehlungen
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2021) Butollo, Florian; Flemming, Jana; Wandjo, David; Gerber, Christine; Krzywdzinski, Martin
Es gibt Anhaltspunkte dafür, dass die durch die COVID-19-Pandemie ausgelöste Krise zu strukturellen Veränderungen der Arbeitswelt geführt hat, die in engem Zusammenhang mit Digitalisierungsprozessen stehen. Einige Veränderungen sind in industriellen Produktionsprozessen, der mobilen Arbeit und auch der Plattformarbeit zu erwarten. Damit solche Veränderungen sich positiv auf die Arbeitswelt auswirken ist politische Gestaltung gefragt. Beobachtbar ist, dass einige Unternehmen ihre Digitalstrategien überdenken, teils forcieren und vermehrt mit neuen Möglichkeiten experimentieren. Hier ist es notwendig, Betriebsrät_innen und Beschäftigte frühzeitig in die Gestaltung neuer Ansätze einzubinden. Am offensichtlichsten hat sich die Arbeitswelt in der Krise durch die digitale Kommunikation im virtuellen Raum verändert. Menschen die bereits im Homeoffice arbeiten, sind jedoch verschiedenen Schwierigkeiten ausgesetzt. Virulent sind Fragen der Geschlechtergerechtigkeit, die Vermischung von beruflichem und privaten, sowie die Ausstattung des häuslichen Arbeitsplatzes. Aufgrund der Erschütterung der regulären Arbeitsmärkte nahm auch über digitale Plattformen vermittelte Arbeit zu. Die prekären Arbeitsbedingungen der Plattformarbeiter_innen haben sich während der Pandemie noch zugespitzt, gleichzeitig ist international aber eine politische Regulierung der Plattformarbeit in Sicht, die inzwischen auch in Deutschland in Ansätzen stattfindet.
Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten. Eine systemische Transformation?
(Springer Fachmedien, 2024) Pfeiffer, Sabine; Nicklich, Manuel; Michael, Henke; Martina, Heßler; Martin, Krzywdzinski; Ingo, Schulz-Schaeffer; Pfeiffer, Sabine; Nicklich, Manuel; Henke, Michael; Heßler, Martina; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Schulz-Schaeffer, Ingo
Der Artikel untersucht die Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten als eine systemische Transformation, die alle Institutionensysteme der Arbeitsgesellschaft tiefgreifend und nachhaltig verändert. Der Text legt die Grundlage für die Forschungsarbeiten im gleichnamigen DFG-Schwerpunktprogramm 2267 und betrachtet die digitale Transformation als ein Zusammenwirken von drei Prozessdimensionen: soziale Vorbereitung, technische Ermöglichung und diskursive Aushandlung. Der interdisziplinäre Ansatz beleuchtet die vielfältigen Dynamiken und neuen Formen der Wertschöpfung, die durch die Digitalisierung entstehen. Ziel ist es, ein umfassendes Verständnis der digitalen Transformation als systemischen Wandel zu entwickeln und die theoretischen sowie methodischen Grundlagen für zukünftige Forschungen zu schaffen.
Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten: Zur Erfassbarkeit einer systemischen Transformation
(Springer Fachmedien, 2024) Pfeiffer, Sabine; Nicklich, Manuel; Henke, Michael; Heßler, Martina; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Schulz-Schaeffer, Ingo
Diese Open Access Publikation bündelt Ergebnisse aus der ersten Förderphase des interdisziplinären DFG-Schwerpunktprogramms 2267 „Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten“. Digitalisierung verändert Arbeit mit vielfältigen Konsequenzen für Arbeit(smarkt) und Qualifizierung. Wie dramatisch und grundsätzlich diese Veränderungen sind, wird seit Jahren kontrovers diskutiert und anwendungsbezogen erforscht. Das Schwerpunktprogramm nimmt die Veränderung der Arbeitsgesellschaft als Ganzes in den Blick – Geschichts-, Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften analysieren die vielschichtigen und widersprüchlichen Dynamiken als eine systemische Transformation. Leitend ist dabei die These von drei Bewegungsdynamiken: die Durchdringung (z.B. von digitalen Arbeitsprozessen), die Verfügbarmachung (z.B. von Daten über einzelne Arbeitshandlungen) und die Verselbständigung (z.B. von datengetriebenen Wertschöpfungsketten). Methodische Reflexionen zu Erfassbarkeit der Transformation runden den Band ab.
Digitalisierung und die Pandemie – aus der Krise lernen
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2024-04) Gerber, Christine; Cooiman, Franziska; Butollo, Florian; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Wandjo, David; Danyeli, Matthias; Delicat, Nina; Herzog, Lorena
Die vorliegende Studie skizziert, welche Technologien und Anwendungen im Zuge der Pandemie in Unternehmen an Bedeutung gewonnen haben und welche Ressourcen ihnen bei der Digitalisierung zugutekamen. Die Befunde basieren auf 34 qualitativen Fallstudien in sechs Sektoren (Maschinenbau, Logistik, Automobil, Chemie, Finanzen, Gesundheit) sowie einer quantitativen Befragung von 540 Betrieben. Die Pandemie hat v.a. die Virtualisierung von Kommunikation und Interaktion in Betrieben vorangetrieben. Auf Automatisierungsprozesse hatte die Pandemie wenig unmittelbaren Einfluss. Zugleich zeigen die Befunde, dass Digitalisierungsprozesse in komplexen und sozialen Kontexten verortet sind und vielfältige Ressourcen (technisch, organisatorisch, finanziell) und Bedingungen (Unternehmenskultur, regulatorische Rahmenbedingungen) benötigen. Vielmehr als einen allgemeinen Digitalisierungsschub verstärkte sich die Kluft zwischen Digitalisierungsvorreiter\*innen und -nachzügler\*innen. Abschließend formuliert die Studie Handlungsempfehlungen an Politik und Sozialpartner\*innen.
Digitalization and change in the global division of labor. Industrial work in transition
(2021) Krzywdzinski, Martin
The contribution discusses the impact of digitalization approaches in industrial companies and their implications for the global division of labour and work. It proceeds by investigating the scope and character of automation and its impact on the relationship between production locations in high and low wage countries. Contrary to expectations frequently voiced in public discourse the author does not identify a major push in automation in manufacturing industries (that would make a reshoring of production viable), because digitalization strategies rather concern new paths of flexibilization than automation. The effects on the geographies of production of technological change, however, result in new strategies of specialization and modifications of industrial governance, namely a refined division of labour between innovation-intensive production sites and their counterparts in the periphery. (The contribution is submitted in German language)
Digitalization and organizational change during the Covid-19 crisis (Data and Codebook)
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2024) Krzywdzinski, Martin; Butollo, Florian; Bovenschulte, Marc; Nerger, Michael
The data set is based on a survey of companies conducted to investigate the extent to which the pandemic led to a strategic reorientation of digitalization measures in companies. The aim was to investigate whether digitalization measures were newly established and intensified, in which areas digitalization took place, and how the digitalization measures differed depending on the company’s level of digitalization, sector, and size. #### Methods The survey was realized as CATI by the market research company Hopp Marktforschung with the support of VDI/VDE Innovation+Technik GmbH (Marc Bovenschulte and Michael Nerger). The survey was conducted in Germany in two waves: in July and August 2021 and September and October 2022. The survey included 540 companies in the first wave and 605 companies in the second wave. 120 companies participated in both waves. The respondents belonged to the top and middle management of the companies (e.g. head of division). The survey was conducted in two waves in order to examine differences between companies' approaches at the beginning and later in the course of the pandemic and to check whether companies’ strategies solidified over time or whether they were just short-term reactions.
Editorial: Special Issue: Fostering Societal Values in Digital Times – Peace, Care, and Tech Regulation
(Weizenbaum Institute, 2023-12-31) Neuberger, Christoph; Emmer, Martin; Iglesias Keller, Clara; Krasnova, Hanna; Krzywdzinski, Martin; Metzger, Axel; Schimmler, Sonja; Ulbricht, Lena; Vladova, Gergana
Joseph Weizenbaum would have been 100 years old on January 8, 2023. This anniversary was a welcome occasion to remember the life, work, and impact of the great computer scientist and public intellectual at the Weizenbaum Institute. This special issue compiles a series of articles directly or indirectly related to his work. Contributions center on Weizenbaum as an individual and his public role as a progressive intellectual, encompassing contemporary viewpoints on ethics in digital technology.