NEWS & INSIGHT
IS TECHNOLOGY CAUSING
DATA BACKS UP PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL OF CE ADOPTION COUNTRY: UK SCHOOL: Aston Business School
YOU STRESS?
COUNTRY: Portugal SCHOOL: Nova School of Business and Economics
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises that one of the major challenges to our health and wellbeing is the influence of technology. To find out how this impacts workers in a professional setting, Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) launched a study, through its Leadership and Wellbeing Observatory, to investigate the stress caused by the use and misuse of, and inability to adapt to, mobile technology. ‘Technostress’ is categorised by the report as occurring when technology is misused, and its use in professional work increasingly encroaches on the personal lives of employees and their family relationships. The report found that nearly half (47%) of respondents felt the need to adapt their working habits to keep up with digital evolution, and more than half (52%) agreed that their professional sphere invades their personal life due to the use of mobile technology. When participants were asked whether, in their current job, they had more work than they could handle because of mobile technologies, 22% ‘agreed’ and 5% ‘totally agreed’. Participants were also asked whether they agreed with the statement,.‘I have a higher workload because of the increasing complexity of mobile technologies’. Close to a third (28%) ‘agreed’ with this stagement and 10% ‘totally agreed’. These results came from a confidential and anonymous online questionnaire of more than 4,000 people, of whom the majority (62%) indicated that they are of Portuguese origin. It is hoped that the results of this survey can provide HR departments and leaders with insights into the importance of managing employees’ dependence on technology in order to create positive change in the work environment. The Leadership and Wellbeing Observatory is a research project that forms part of the Nova SBE Leadership Impact Knowledge Centre. It carries out research on issues relating to leadership, management change, burnout, flexible working solutions and other topics regarding wellbeing in organisations. / EB
Circular economy (CE) adoption is likely to allow SMEs to improve their environmental performance, according to the results of a new study led by Aston Business School. CE’s potential for enhanced environmental performance through energy and resource efficiency, as well as waste reduction, was found in each of four countries studied – Greece, France, Spain and the UK – in a survey of approximately 100 SMEs. In follow-up focus groups, the research team – helmed by Aston Business School Professor, Prasanta Dey, and Aston Business School Professor and Head of School, Pawan Budhwar – explored the wider remit of how SMEs can improve their sustainability performance. ‘Although from prior research there is evidence of SMEs achieving superior environmental performance by adopting CE, economic and social performances are not assured,’ Budhwar explained. ‘This motivated us to adoption.’ They found that products, processes and facilities design is likely to help SMEs to adopt CE the most in all the participating countries, while their waste management all needed improvement. The implication here is that room for improvement lies in areas that depend on SMEs’ self-motivation and policymakers’ pressure. Meanwhile, the current strength being shown in CE adoption, through the design function, is something that is most often governed by customer pressure. This offers clear guidance for those working to promote CE adoption. The study, published in the I nternational Journal of Production Economics , was conducted in conjunction with researchers from Toulouse Business School, Birmingham City University, the University of Essex and the Agricultural University of Athens. ‘The findings of this research enable us to continue CE adoption not only in other European countries but also in India, Thailand, Vietnam and Kenya,’ said Budhwar. / TBD
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