In this editorial, we discuss and define the “future of work” as a phenomenon and research area, and outline avenues for further research at the conceptual and empirical level. We first offer a brief review of the different streams of research that study the future of work, both in management and organization studies and in adjacent fields. We then elaborate on what we see as the most promising avenues for research on the future of work, organized around five questions of what, when, who, how, and why. That is, research on the future of work needs to clarify its assumptions about (1) the phenomena it considers within scope; (2) the temporality associated with these phenomena; (3) which future of work actors it is about and whom it is for; (4) the methods and data types used to be able to study the future empirically; and (5) desired impact and envisioned outcomes. We discuss how moving beyond techno-determinism, depoliticization, and a present-day focus could open up new and important avenues for further research on the near and distant future of work. We conclude with some specific examples of research questions and methods.

中文翻译：

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工作的未来：研究议程


在这篇社论中，我们讨论并将“未来工作”定义为一种现象和研究领域，并概述了在概念和实证层面进一步研究的途径。我们首先简要回顾了研究未来工作的不同研究流，包括管理和组织研究以及相关领域。然后，我们详细阐述了我们认为最有前途的未来工作研究途径，围绕什么、何时、谁、如何和为什么这五个问题进行了组织。也就是说，关于未来工作的研究需要澄清其对以下方面的假设：（1） 它考虑的范围内现象;（2） 与这些现象相关的时间性;（3） 它是关于哪些未来工作参与者的，它是为谁服务的;（4） 用于实证研究未来的方法和数据类型;（5） 预期影响和预期结果。我们讨论了如何超越技术决定论、去政治化和当今的关注点，为进一步研究工作的近期和遥远的未来开辟新的重要途径。我们以一些研究问题和方法的具体示例作为结论。