(English) New Work

Job Crafting in Academia

The goal

The professional world is undergoing significant changes: For many people, work is more than just earning money. Employees (in academia and elsewhere) want their work to be meaningful and fulfilling, to offer them opportunities to develop personally and professionally – and to be compatible with their private lives. This change in work structures and cultures is one of THE defining issues when we think about the future of work. The concept of New Work offers innovative approaches for actively shaping your job role and creating a more fulfilling work environment.

In this seminar, you will learn what the concept of New Work really means and how to apply its principles to your academic career and to creating a contemporary work environment for your team. By providing you with the methods and tools of Job Crafting, we aim to help you navigate your academic journey successfully and purposefully. This seminar is intended for all levels, i.e. PhDs, PostDocs, and (Junior-)Professors, who are interested in rethinking and redefining work.

The guiding questions

• What is the concept of New Work, and how can it be applied to the academic world?
• What is Job Crafting and what effects does it have?
• How can I use Job Crafting to help me shape my work to align with my strengths and interests?
• What opportunities and challenges does the shift towards New Work present for me and my team in academia?

The implementation

In this seminar, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the concepts of New Work and Job Crafting. We will explore both the scientific foundations of these concepts and practical strategies for applying them in the academic context. Through a combination of theoretical insights, practical exercises, and interactive discussions, you will determine your own values and visions, develop personalized Job Crafting strategies to enhance your work environment, and explore options how to tailor your academic responsibilities to better fit your own needs and interests.

Instructors

Dr. Silvana Weber is a research associate, trainer, and consultant at the LMU Center for Leadership and People Management. She studied Psychology at the University of Göttingen and UC Berkeley, and subsequently completed her PhD with international research stays in Australia and Austria at the University of Koblenz-Landau (2016). In addition to her academic work (Acting Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 2020/21, ongoing habilitation at the University of Würzburg), she is currently pursuing training as a systemic consultant and therapist.

Saskia Glaas, M.Sc. is a research associate, trainer, and PhD candidate at the Center for Leadership and People Management. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of Regensburg and her Master's degree in Economic, Organizational, and Social Psychology at LMU Munich, focusing on Leadership, Training, and Consulting.