Enablers and Challenges in Digital Work Productivity and Sustainability : A Study in Finnish Organizations

Abstract

This study complements the productivity and sustainability research by focusing on digital work productivity from the perspective of knowledge work professionals in Finnish workplaces. Using a mixed method approach involving survey and case strategies, a questionnaire was sent to the members of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland to collect data for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Over 300 responses produced a rich variety of information over the research area, which indicated that the use of IT in relation to work productivity in Finnish workplaces is perceived differently depending on the professional role, field of workplace, sector, size of workplace and domestic or foreign ownership of the organization. The results indicated that while the use of IT in work was widely acknowledged, its impact was unknown or seen as difficult to determine by many respondents, and the evaluation of the productivity impacts was often based on subjective experiences rather than tangible measurement. For improving knowledge work with the use of IT, the study provides suggestions including better alignment of remote and on-site work, increasing the inclusion of knowledge workers, and the development of tangible measurement methods for the follow-up of productivity of IT.