Creating Sustainable Work Systems

Current trends reveal that increasing intensity at work has major consequences at individual, organizational and societal levels. New organizational approaches to work are needed so the balance between intensive and sustainable work can be achieved, yet there are no guiding models, theories or examples on how this can be done.

In exploring the development of sustainable work systems, this book analyzes these problems, and provides the basis for designing and implementing 'sustainable work systems' based on the idea of regeneration and the development of human and social resources. Shedding light on the emerging work systems, this book describes existing problems and paradoxes. The researchers, from various academic disciplines and institutions in the US and Europe, consider the existing possibilities and emerging solutions and explore alternatives to intensive work systems.

Peter Docherty is currently a researcher in the Business School of a technical university. His work is cross-disciplinary, concerning the interations between business, technology, people and organizations.

Jan Forslin is Professor in Operations Management and Industrial Ergonomics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.

A.B. (Rami) Shani is Professor of Organization Behaviour and Change, California State University, San Luis Obispo, and Visiting Research Professor at the FENIX Program, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden