Chair:
Marko Orel (Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech Republic)
Panelists:
Rachel Morrison (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)
Rianne Appel-Meulenbroek (Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands)
Matej Černe (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Annotation:
“In the near future, we expect that meeting room tables and walls will act as computer displays. Eventually, virtually all the surfaces of the architectural space will function as computer displays.”
– Rekimoto & Saitoh (378, 1999)
A quarter century after Rekimoto and Saitoh’s ‘prophetic’ vision of digitally augmented workspaces, we find ourselves at a crossroads where their prediction has not only materialized but evolved beyond their initial conception. In the age where ‘going to work’ might mean anything from entering the traditional office building, choosing a local café, coworking space or putting on VR goggles to enter a digital office, what anchors remain for organizational culture and human connection? This fundamental shift in workplace
geography demands a deeper understanding of how we construct work experiences and relationships across physical and digital domains, and what are the shifting constructs behind the work environments.
Within the panel, we will be debating how workplaces are evolving into physical-digital hybrids, exploring the shifting dynamics of knowledge work across distributed environments. The discussion will debate emerging management approaches, team cohesion strategies, and methods for fostering innovation when employees operate between in-person and virtual spaces. Special attention will be given to the challenges and opportunities that arise when traditional office culture intersects with digital collaboration tools and remote work patterns. Building on interdisciplinary perspectives spanning workplace psychology, built environment design, and organizational behavior, the panel brings together leading scholars to address the human-centric aspects of hybrid work.
Four core topics debated throughout the panel:
1 Human Connection & Psychological Well-being in Hybrid Work Environments
2 Physical-Digital Integration: Space Design & Collaboration Patterns
3 Leadership Innovation & Team Dynamics in Distributed Settings
4 Technology-Mediated Work: Human-Centered Approaches & Practices