Proceedings of 8th European Assembly on telework (Telework2001)

194BoundlessnessThe drawback <strong>of</strong> the network structures is their boundlessness. The erosion <strong>of</strong> traditional workrelations, <strong>of</strong> the so-called regular employment relationship with full-time permanent employmentcontract, with a stable distribution <strong>of</strong> working hours over a fixed number <strong>of</strong> days per week.How can people deal with that newly gained freedom, if the structures that had also <strong>of</strong>fered securityand orientation become frail or even disappear?What is likely to create identity in the organisation beyond all bounds and what helps to keepworking conditions human in the new environment.? These are questions which must be answered,if the hopes placed on the knowledge-based economy are to meet human needs.Increasing complexityWith the increasingly dynamic changes and the networked structures, the resulting problemsare becoming increasingly complex. Flexibilization and individualisation - as consequences -contribute to even higher complexity. The management and communications requirements causedby the multitude <strong>of</strong> work time models applied within one company are just a simple example. Notto speak <strong>of</strong> the inscrutable structures <strong>of</strong> communications in the network.Individuals and organisations are faced with growing requirements for continuous learning. Theseparation/distinction between (formal) learning and working becomes an obstacle to copingwith rapidly changing processes. Therefore the relation between learning and working has to beredefined. A (re)integration <strong>of</strong> learning into the work process and the appropriate organisation <strong>of</strong>work are essential. That is one <strong>of</strong> the lessons learned from the transformation process in EasternGermany after the reunification.The new framework programme ”Innovative Workplace Development andthe Future <strong>of</strong> Work”This environment set the basic parameters when the German Federal Ministry <strong>of</strong> Education andResearch in January 2001 launched a new framework programme 1 on research and development(R&D) in the field <strong>of</strong> ”Innovative Workplace Development and the Future <strong>of</strong> Work”.It is set up as an open framework for research and development and is to be understood as a‘learning programme’. Based on the analysis <strong>of</strong> issues <strong>of</strong> high priority, projects will be defined andcarried out step by step. The emerging results will be fed back in a monitoring process to allownecessary changes.The first term will last for 5 years with a budget that amounts to 150 million DM (75 Mio Euro)(approx. 30 Mio DM per year).The aim <strong>of</strong> the programmeThe programme is part <strong>of</strong> the Federal Government’s goals for research policy during the 14thlegislature which places a strong emphasis on research to improve living and working conditions.The aim <strong>of</strong> the programme is to identify and to develop innovative concepts that are suitable forthe work-life <strong>of</strong> tomorrow. They are expected to contribute to• improving the effectiveness and quality <strong>of</strong> working life,• supporting a socially-balanced structural change,• and encouraging more high-quality employment.1 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung: (2001) Innovative Arbeitsgestaltung - Zukunft der Arbeit Rahmenkonzept