The role of social networks for careers

The aim of this report is to elaborate on the centrality of social networks in the professional context (professional networks) of organizations. Professional networks are a career-relevant resource often called social capital. Social capital from professional networks entail relationships to colleagues or other departments, and can provide relevant and timely information or resources required for advancement on tasks and objectives. We will introduce different types of professional networks such as leadership networks, developmental networks or buy-in networks. Furthermore, the importance of professional networks for employees as well as employers will be explained. For employees, we will also provide information on the relevance of professional networks at different career stages.     

Verteilt und doch verbunden: Virtuelle TeamarbeitFar from Distant: Virtual Teamwork

This article provides an overview of the current research on the topic virtual teamwork. Despite all the advantages (cost savings, increased flexibility etc.), this form of cooperation is confronted with a number of challenges. Since it is accompanied by a more difficult exchange of information, it represents a source for conflicts and loss of trust. This can severely impair performance and satisfaction within the team. Aside from pointing out potential challenges of virtual teamwork, research-based recommendations on preventing and handling these problems are also demonstrated.     

Let’s go out for a drink after work! The relation between leisure time spent with colleagues and employees’ life satisfaction

Despite the tremendous research studying the factors that influence employees’ well-being, the effect of what happens when leisure time is spent with colleagues remains yet unexamined. Building on the Conversation of Resource Theory, we propose that leisure time spent with colleagues could be understood as a resource, especially for those individuals who have few friends at their workplace. In a cross-sectional design, 136 university employees provided information about the number of friends they have at work, the amount of leisure time spent with befriended colleagues, and their life satisfaction. Results suggest that a larger network of friends at work is positively associated with life satisfaction. Furthermore, the effect of the number of friends at work on life satisfaction is moderated by the amount of leisure time spent with befriended colleagues. Employees who have few friends at work report more life satisfaction, if they spend more leisure time with befriended colleagues, whereas such an effect was not found for employees with a large friend network at work. These results are placed into the context of current discussions about work-life-blending.     

„Change Management“

Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) -     

Guiding Change: Using Motivational Interviewing Within Organizations

Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) - This contribution to the journal “Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)” portraits...     

Über innovationsverhindernde und innovationsfördernde DenkweisenAbout Innovation Impeding and Innovation Facilitating Mindsets

This article examines the question why large organizations, despite skillful employees and available resources, are seldom the driver of innovations. Subsequently, we highlight possibilities to overcome this current situation. It is argued that organizations have a distinct focus on an analytic-deductive mindset that undermines the acquisition of new knowledge. Therefore, organizations miss to recognize and react according to the needs of clients, as well as their employees. As a possible solution, an abductive-hypothetical mindset is presented, which supports organizations to create innovations. In order to illustrate the differences between these mindsets, we compare these approaches and examine the reasons and structures that lead to the dominance of the deductive mindset within the majority of organizations. Building on this discussion, we identify possibilities how consultants could establish abductive, innovation enhancing elements within the organizational structure. These suggestions are based on the five discovery skills (questioning, observing, experimenting, networking, and associating) of the Innovator‘s-DNA-model and are supplemented by examples how these skills can be implemented into the organization’s routine.