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Future of Work

Exponential Research

The study aims to explore the factors that contribute to employee wellbeing and thriving, which are important for organizations to develop and succeed.
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The Exponential Research project is a longitudinal multi-level multi-source survey. 

The project builds on current management literature but adds to it in important ways. First, our focus on virtual and hybrid work settings and the comparison to more traditional settings in the same organization carries significant promise for the future. If Finnish firms want their employees to thrive, they will need to re-evaluate their current approaches to leadership and management to have a better fit with new ways of working. Given that in many organizations, people are their most important resource, we believe the findings of this study could contribute towards a competitive advantage for Finnish firms. Second, our multi-method and multi-level research design allows us to take a broader organizational perspective than extant research has been able to do, including both insights into employee experiences, and evidence of what kinds of leadership competences and practices work best in modern organizations. 

Based on our current data from 17 organizations, the main drivers for organizational thriving are

  • Culture: Mastery climate, psychological safety, employee-friendly company policies, social responsibility
  • Leadership: Empowering, supportive and transformational leadership
  • Work: Meaningful work, goal clarity
  • Emotions: Positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions
  • Relationships: Social support from peers and management
  • Personal: Self-efficacy, resilience, and active self-reflection
  • Wellbeing: Mental recovery (detachment, relaxation, mastery and control), active life and aerobic exercise, work-life balance

Nurmi, N., Mäkelä, K., Äkräs, J. Exponential Research Project (2018 – 2025): Well-Being and Performance in the Digitally Disrupted Workplace

Meet the exponential research team:

Elina Sura
Niina Nurmi
Juha Äkräs

Prof. Niina Nurmi

Leadership, organizational culture & wellbeing in hybrid work

Niina Nurmi
Juha Äkräs
Hertta Vuorenmaa

Juha Äkräs

Leadership, organizational development, top executive coaching

Juha Äkräs
Hertta Vuorenmaa
Jari Ylitalo

Hertta Vuorenmaa

Future of work, People management & organizational culture

Hertta Vuorenmaa
Jari Ylitalo
Ville Eloranta

Jari Ylitalo

Leadership and team coaching, organizational cultural development

Jari Ylitalo
Ville Eloranta
Elina Sura

Ville Eloranta

AI-powered team coaching, creative team processes

Ville Eloranta
Elina Sura
Niina Nurmi

Elina Sura

Research data coordination and reporting

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