Jean-François Stich : Research articles

29/10/2025 Research Publication, Work, Technology, Human Resources

Publication: Holiworking: Perspectives on New Ways of Integrating Holiday and Work

29/10/2025 Research Publication, Work, Technology, Human Resources

Digitally enabled work arrangements such as remote work, mobile work and digital nomadism have increasingly been researched. More recently, a distinct form of work arrangement has emerged that allows employees to relocate temporarily to a foreign destination where they simultaneously engage in both professional work and leisure activities. This study develops an empirically grounded, substantive theory of this emerging novel arrangement termed ‘holiwork’. Employing grounded theory methodology, the research draws upon the experiences of six individuals engaged in holiwork. The findings illustrate that holiwork constitutes a complex blend of ambivalent feelings and experiences split between the novelty and alluring appeal of unfamiliar cultural environments and the continuous demands of their full-time professional responsibilities. These insights contribute to the literature on the sociology of digitally mediated work, offering theoretical implications for understanding new work arrangements shaped by digital connectivity and global mobility.

24/09/2025 Research Publication, Work, Human Resources

Publication: Talent Development in Higher Education Institutions: Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

24/09/2025 Research Publication, Work, Human Resources

This systematic literature review examines talent development (TD) as part of the talent management (TM) approach taken by higher education institutions. The aim is to consolidate the conceptualisation of TD, its main themes and challenges, and potential TD research at higher education institutions (HEIs). Scopus and Web of Science databases were used for the article search. Employing a PRISMA protocol and meticulous rejection criteria, 57 articles were ultimately included in the review. The contribution of the review is that it systemises current knowledge about TD within higher education institutions and identifies transverse themes and tensions in the literature. The themes reveal contextual influences, higher education managerialism triggering new skills development, institutional support and alignment, the role of line managers, and underutilised and unstructured talent development. The potential avenues for future research include examining the socio-political and contextual factors that affect TD, adopting a multidimensional approach involving stakeholders and various actors, and exploring the systematic implementation of TD practices.

20/05/2025 Research Publication, Work, Technology, Human Resources

Publication: Combining work and vacation: workation as an attractive work arrangement

20/05/2025 Research Publication, Work, Technology, Human Resources

Purpose: The fulfilling blend of work and leisure experienced by digital nomads has inspired some organizations to offer “workation” (work-vacation) as a new fringe benefit, allowing employees to work remotely from international locations while simultaneously engaging in travel and leisure activities. This study seeks to understand to what extent and under what conditions this workation arrangement is attractive to candidates compared to other work arrangements.
Design/methodology/approach: The research employs two vignette experiments that manipulate work arrangements, involving a total sample of 351 participants. The data and results were analyzed using multilevel regressions, moderation tests, and simple slope tests.
Findings: The results indicate that job offerings featuring workation demonstrate significantly higher organizational attractiveness compared to those featuring other work arrangements. The appeal of workations is especially pronounced and attractive among candidates with previous international experience and positive attitudes towards such experiences, contingent upon their degree of community embeddedness.
Originality/value: Within the evolving landscape of changing work arrangements, this study contributes to the literature by distinguishing workation as an innovative and attractive work option. Additionally, the findings offer insights for HR practices by identifying the specific reasons that make workation particularly enticing for certain candidates.

08/04/2025 Research, Impact, Opinion Work, Technology, Telework

Starter packs, character sheets and virtual work

08/04/2025 Research, Impact, Opinion Work, Technology, Telework

A recent trend on social media is to share an AI-generated image of oneself depicted as an action figure in a blister with one’s favourite items – a “starter pack”. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this fun and harmless trend, and put it back in the wider context of working virtually with one another.

16/04/2024 Research none

Publication: Techno-eustress creators: Conceptualization and empirical validation

16/04/2024 Research none

Technostress is an inevitable part of work life. This paper takes a step toward mastering it by focusing on positive stress that Information Systems (IS) creates for IS users, known as techno-eustress. Factors that create techno-eustress are known as techno-eustress creators, which we conceptualise as cognitions experienced by IS users, that IS positively challenges and motivates them to enhance their work. They are important to study because they represent foundational opportunities for professional achievement and growth emanating from IS use. Drawing from theories of psychological eustress, self-determination and proactive work, this paper theorises and validates an instrument to measure techno-eustress creators. We establish the construct's validity and examine its nomological relationships based on data collected from working professionals who used IT for their work. We draw on data from two qualitative studies (N = 35) and three quantitative surveys (N = 980) conducted at different points in time. We validate techno-eustress creators as a second-order reflective construct having four dimensions: techno-mastery, techno-autonomy, techno-enrichment and techno-relatedness. We examine its nomological relationships with factors that create techno-distress, IT strain, and user satisfaction. We contribute to the literature by theorising and validating four ways in which IS users are challenged and motivated by IS to enhance their work. We inform to managerial practice by drawing attention to how organisations can strengthen the different ways employees experience the creators of the ‘good’ stress that use of IS generates.

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