Speaker
Dr. Nicky Dries, Full Professor of Work and Organizational Studies at KU Leuven (Belgium) and Full Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at BI Norwegian Business School; Director of the Future of Work Lab at KU Leuven

Lecture Time
April 1, 2025 (Tuesday), 10:00–12:00

Venue
Room 343, Qiu Shi Building

Lecture Language
English

Moderator
Dr. Wen Chen, Assistant Professor 

Lecture Introduction
In this editorial published in the Journal of Management, we discuss and define the phenomenon and research field of "the future of work," while outlining pathways for further conceptual and empirical research. We begin by briefly reviewing different scholarly approaches to studying the future of work within the fields of management and organizational studies, as well as related disciplines. We then elaborate in detail on what we consider to be the most promising research directions, organized around five fundamental questions: what, when, who, how, and why. Specifically, research on the future of work needs to clarify its assumptions regarding: the phenomena it considers within scope; the temporality associated with these phenomena; which actors are involved in shaping the future of work and for whom the research is intended; the methods and types of data used to empirically study the future; and the desired impacts and envisioned outcomes. We examine how moving beyond technological determinism, depoliticized perspectives, and present-centric views can open up new and important pathways for both near-term and long-term research on the future of work. Finally, we provide concrete examples of potential research questions and methodological approaches.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Nicky Dries is a Full Professor of Work and Organizational Studies at KU Leuven (Belgium) and of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at BI Norwegian Business School. At KU Leuven, she directs the Future of Work Lab, which investigates emerging work paradigms through the lens of social imaginaries, employing media analysis, robotic art/design, virtual reality, and science fiction films to stimulate futuristic thinking.

A Fulbright Scholar (2012, Boston), she has published 60+ peer-reviewed articles, 2 monographs, and 20 book chapters. Beyond academia, she actively engages in science communication, contributing to Harvard Business Review and Forbes, hosting podcasts, and appearing in the documentary The Digital Dilemma on disruptive technologies' labor market impacts. In 2021, she was selected among 1,000+ candidates for Belgium’s inaugural "40 under 40" list, honoring the nation’s top young leaders.

She serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Management and on editorial boards for Human Resource Management Journal (HRMJ) and European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology (EJWOP). She also evaluates grants for the Belgian FWO, Dutch NWO, Finnish Research Council, and European Commission.