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Svenja Christen

Research project job sharing: debating is good, measuring is better!

Together with the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB) and Daimler AG, we are launching the first large-scale job sharing study in Germany.


Whether under job sharing, top sharing, co-sharing or shared leadership: the working model for two has now reached a high level of awareness. First level completed! Second level: more and more job sharing pilots have taken off in the last 2 years, many of them with professional support from the job sharing hub. And the first companies now want to take it to the next level: job sharing as an integral part of their corporate DNA, anchored in mindsets, structures and core processes. Just the right time for an honest interim check. How successful is the model really? What makes job sharing easier or more difficult than traditional full-time work? Are job sharers really happier or even more productive? We think: debating is good, but scientific research is better!


And so we at the jobsharing hub are launching the first large-scale research project on the subject of job sharing, together with two strong partners: Daimler AG and the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB). For many years, Daimler has consistently relied on job sharing, making it the frontrunner in Germany. More than 160 employees now practise job sharing, right up to top management. And it is precisely this group that forms the core of our study. In a second phase of research, the data collected at Daimler will be compared with that of job sharers from many other companies. This is a major project that requires expertise and concentrated power: Dr. Martin Krzywdzinski is head of the research group “Globalization, Work and Production” at the WZB and head of the doctoral program "Gute Arbeit in einer transformativen Welt". Angela Lechner is Manager for Policies & Procedures Working Culture at Daimler and the driving force behind the success of job sharing in the company. And we, the jobsharing hub, have been advising and supporting many companies and job sharers in the professional introduction of the model for two years. Now we are joining forces to do pioneering work in the field of field research. As a prelude to our joint work, I interviewed the two.

Svenja (the jobsharing hub): It didn't take long to get you on board for this research collaboration.  After meeting last year, Ms. Lechner, you were immediately interested in this joint project, and you, Martin, were on fire after our first phone call. What do you find appealing about joint research?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): We have been rethinking the topic of job sharing since 2011. Since then, many initiatives have been launched, which has led to us now being the benchmark for this working model in Germany and to a great deal of interest in verifying the existing success factors in a study and making them tangible.


Martin Krzywdzinski (WZB): On the one hand, from a research perspective, there is simply very little on this topic. On the other hand, job sharing is a possible solution for many issues that are also being discussed in the digitalization debate. Such as stress and overwork due to increased availability and efficiency. And it is simply an interesting question whether this can actually be solved by working more cooperatively and sharing the work. And as full-time workers with two children, my wife and I also ask ourselves the question in our private lives: how could we actually organize our work differently?


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): We are already getting a lot of requests from interested companies that would like to take part in the study with individual tandem pairs. The reason: job sharing is clearly on the rise, but there is a lack of evidence in the form of concrete data. How can the results of the study urther advance the topic of job sharing? Who does the study help?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): Above all, the study helps interested and practicing job sharers. For example, if we can scientifically identify certain success factors for a tandem or certain characteristics and skills. Because in my experience, these definitely exist. And this study also helps managers to dispel concerns that may still be around. Because for me, job sharing is currently actually the only way to reconcile career and private life well.


Martin Krzywdzinski (WZB): I see above all a feedback in the direction of human resources and managers. So: which factors are perceived as supportive or as hindering cooperation?  And through the two-pronged approach of the study, i.e. a quantitative survey in the form of standardized questionnaires, but also follow-up in-depth interviews, I hope that we will be able to look at individual developments of tandems and see what different phases and difficulties there are here, and what kind of support is needed.


Angela Lechner (Daimler): From the feedback from our job sharing communities and matchings, we know that it is easier to apply for full-time positions as a pre-existing tandem than to apply alone and then have to look for a tandem partner. So far, this has been too time-consuming for the one job sharing half and the department. The study can help to develop a speedy process for this too, e.g. really good matching based on new findings.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): Many companies struggle with the introduction and implementation of job sharing. Daimler AG stands out as a positive example throughout Germany. What is your recipe for success, Ms. Lechner?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): Our recipe for success is that job sharing is supported and wanted by management. And we also do a lot. We have four target group-oriented part-time communities and offer annual forums and experience exchanges. We have guidelines and checklists and organize workshops, e.g. “How to apply correctly in tandem”. We also communicate best practices. The topic is simply here to stay. And it is not only relevant for women, but also for men.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): Hats off! And it's a really strong achievement and a clear corporate statement that there are clear contact persons at Daimler for this topic! Our study focuses, among other things, on the topic of Tandembility©, i.e. the individual “suitability” for job sharing and the topic of matching. From your point of view, what makes a good tandem? Can anyone do job sharing?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): In our experience, employees and managers are very good at assessing themselves: Am I actually the right person for job sharing, or not? For example, I have to allow my tandem partner to prepare a presentation on Monday that he or she will then give on Friday. This

requires trust. In particular, it also requires tolerance and restraint, e.g. to do a project that might not be as interesting as that of the tandem partner. And yet critical issues must be communicated.

 Also, very important: a well-functioning tandem also arises very strongly from the framework conditions that the company provides and not just through the personalities.


Martin Krzywdzinski (WZB): From my point of view, it is important that there is no competition and an equal understanding of the quality of the work. Because you need the trust that the other person is doing the same good job that you are doing. But I also think the role of superiors and the organization are crucial. They can narrow or expand the scope for tandems, even for tandems that may not be quite perfect in terms of individual fit.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): An important point. Working in tandem means a close form of cooperation on the one hand, and on the other hand, it allows more leeway for the job sharers. In another blog post, for example, we present a job sharing model across national borders. We also observe a very high degree of digitalization among job sharers. Martin, your research focuses on the transformation of the world of work under the main drivers of globalization and digitalization. To what extent do you think job sharing is a future model?


Martin Krzywdzinski (WZB): Similar questions, for example on the subject of trust, also arise in other forms of work, such as international, virtual teams. There are developments that are becoming increasingly important. And on the other hand, regardless of globalization, we see that employees' own time is becoming increasingly important.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): What has been your experience, Ms. Lechner? Is job sharing a driver of digitalization for you, do job sharers use more digital tools, for example?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): Yes, absolutely! It starts with creating a presentation together via Skype, but it goes further with the active use of digital planners and documents, as well as the application of agile methods. In addition, the integration of mobile work is also an option here.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): The true potential of job sharing goes far beyond the issue of part-time work. A great manager, whom we supported in introducing job sharing (man/woman tandem) to his team, aptly described one of these potentials: "I know that many simple jobs will be automated in the future, I know that many more jobs will be eliminated by ever-improving AI, but at the same time, the very complex jobs will remain and become more and more complex. That's why I'm setting up job sharing. Because I want to be prepared for this increased complexity. With two people who make excellent and quick decisions in close sparring”. What is your opinion, or your experience: is job sharing one of the answers to the VUCA world?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): Absolutely, because a tandem can often offer much more than one person alone. At the same time, with regard to globalization, working hours will shift. And here, too, job sharing helps enormously in providing better coverage of these working hours. Digitization,

globalization and the VUCA world with its increasing complexity are causing conventional boundaries to become increasingly blurred. Job sharing helps here, even in part-time jobs, to set clear boundaries while still meeting the requirements. So being constantly online is not a requirement for job sharing.


Martin Krzywdzinski (WZB): I can only agree with that.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): And now the classic question at the end. Could you imagine working in job sharing yourself?


Angela Lechner (Daimler): Yes, I would have definitely liked to have had a tandem partner a few years ago when I was working part-time! On your own in a part-time job, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile childcare and work. At home, you think you urgently have to finish something for work, and at work, the child calls and asks, “Mom, when are you coming?” The balancing act is sometimes just difficult.


Martin Krzywdzinski (WZB): Yes, and I have already indicated that I can also imagine it personally. Unfortunately, you have to say that the evaluation systems in science are not so friendly. Because we are all judged by uniform criteria such as publication performance and presence. That means you will unfortunately not be able to list the tandem partner's publication among your own achievements. However, this shows how strongly target systems and performance evaluation criteria influence such working models. Unfortunately, in our field of science, this is currently having a negative effect.


Svenja (the jobsharing hub): Thank you both. I'm really looking forward to our work together!



The results of the study are expected to be published in early fall 2019. For press inquiries, please contact: info@jobsharing-hub.de

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