The Home as Productive Place? Investigating Individual Work While Working From Home

Table of Contents

1 Motivation

2 Theoretical background

2.1 Deep individual work (DIW)

2.2 Knowledge worker productivity

2.3 Enforced working from home (EWFH)

2.4 Affordance theory

3 Research methodology

3.1 Literature search and review

3.2 Interviews

4 Results of the literature review

4.1 Overview of the selected literature

4.2 Concentration in EWFH settings

4.3 Tasks suitable for DIW in EWFH settings

4.4 Longer, foreseeable, interruption-free phases in EWFH settings

4.5 DIW in EWFH settings

5 Results of the interviews

5.1 Demographics

5.2 Concentration in EWFH settings

5.3 Tasks suitable for DIW in EWFH settings

5.4 Longer, foreseeable, interruption-free phases in EWFH settings

5.5 DIW in EWFH settings

5.6 Linking the DIW phases of higher quality to productivity

6 Limitations, further research and reflection

7 Conclusion

Research Objectives & Topics

This thesis investigates the relationship between the enforced working from home (EWFH) setting and the ability of knowledge workers to engage in deep individual work (DIW), ultimately examining how improved DIW conditions impact individual productivity. It addresses the research questions of how EWFH facilitates DIW and how this improved quality of work links to increased productivity.

• Analysis of DIW as a core component of knowledge worker productivity.
• Application of affordance theory to understand the shift from office to home environments.
• Exploration of how EWFH conditions influence concentration and interruption-free work phases.
• Qualitative assessment through interviews with knowledge workers.
• Examination of the "DIW-beneficial virtue cycle" in remote work settings.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1 Motivation: Defines the research context of knowledge worker productivity and introduces the shift towards enforced working from home (EWFH) as a catalyst for deep individual work (DIW).

2 Theoretical background: Establishes the foundational concepts of DIW, knowledge worker productivity, the EWFH setting, and the application of affordance theory.

3 Research methodology: Outlines the abductive approach, the critical literature review process, and the qualitative analysis of interviews.

4 Results of the literature review: Synthesizes existing research regarding concentration, task suitability, and organizational admissibility for DIW in EWFH environments.

5 Results of the interviews: Presents empirical evidence from expert interviews, analyzing how individual strategies and the EWFH setting interact to facilitate DIW.

6 Limitations, further research and reflection: Discusses the scope of the study, identifies avenues for future research, and reflects on the methodology used.

7 Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, confirming that EWFH can lead to higher quality DIW phases and subsequent productivity gains, while outlining future research needs.

Keywords

Deep individual work, DIW, Enforced working from home, EWFH, Knowledge worker, Productivity, Affordance theory, Concentration, Interruption-free phases, Work-life integration, Qualitative research, Task management, Work environment, Remote work, Schedule control.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this thesis?

The thesis focuses on how the enforced working from home (EWFH) setting affects the ability of knowledge workers to engage in deep individual work (DIW) and how this relates to their overall productivity.

What are the central thematic areas?

The key themes include the conditions for deep individual work, the application of affordance theory to work environments, the role of office versus home settings, and the link between concentrated work phases and productivity.

What is the primary research question?

The research questions are: How does enforced working from home allow KWs to engage in deep individual work? and How is deep individual work linked to the increase of productivity?

Which research methodology is applied?

The study follows an abductive approach, utilizing a critical literature review and conducting exploratory, semi-structured interviews with knowledge workers to gain qualitative insights.

What is addressed in the main body of the work?

The main body discusses theoretical foundations, reviews existing literature on remote work environments, and analyzes interview data to provide evidence on how home settings afford better concentration, task preparation, and schedule control.

Which keywords characterize this work?

Key terms include deep individual work (DIW), enforced working from home (EWFH), productivity, affordance theory, concentration, and task management.

How does the "DIW-beneficial virtue cycle" work?

The cycle suggests that fewer interruptions lead to higher schedule control, which enables the planning of DIW phases. This planning leads to better task preparation, which in turn results in even fewer interruptions, creating a self-reinforcing positive loop.

How does the author define the "hospitable workplace"?

A hospitable workplace is one that allows knowledge workers to adjust environmental conditions (like climate or acoustics) to suit their personal needs, thereby reducing the mental effort required to filter out distractions and facilitating deeper concentration.