Advantages of virtual reality for the participative design of work processes: An integrative perspective

Issue title: Special Section: Future of Work in Germany

Guest editors: Christopher Brandl and Verena Nitsch

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Straatmann, Tammo^{a; 1; *} | Schumacher, Jan-Philip^{a; 1} | Koßmann, Cosima^{a; 1} | Poehler, Ludger^b | Teuteberg, Frank^b | Mueller, Karsten^a | Hamborg, Kai-Christoph^a

Affiliations: [a] Department of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Osnabrueck University, Osnabrueck, Germany | [b] Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Osnabrueck University, Osnabrueck, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Tammo Straatmann, Department of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Osnabrueck University, Seminarstraße 20, 49074 Osnabrueck, Germany. E-mail: [email protected].

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this study.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:The participative design of work processes is hampered by as-yet unresolved challenges. A root cause is seen in high information-pass-on-barriers. Virtual Reality (VR) may have a significant potential to overcome these challenges. Yet, there is no systematic understanding of which advantages provided by VR can support the participative design of work processes. OBJECTIVE:The present study aims to assess the potential of VR to support the participative design of work processes by conducting an integrative literature review identifying the advantages of VR in general work contexts and mapping them to known challenges in participative design of work processes. METHODS:The integrative literature review was conducted based on 268 sources of which 52 were considered for an in-depth analysis of the advantages offered by VR. RESULTS:The resulting conceptual framework consisted of 13 characteristic-related advantages (e.g., immersion, interactivity, flexibility) and 10 effect-related advantages (e.g., attractivity, involvement, cost efficiency) which readily address known challenges in the participative design of work processes. CONCLUSION: Mapping the advantages of VR to the challenges in participative design of work processes revealed a substantial potential of VR to overcome high information-pass-on-barriers. As such, employing VR in work process design initiatives represents a fruitful avenue for the promotion of prevention and employee health.

Keywords: Virtual environment, participation, process design, process modeling, literature review

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-211260

Journal: Work, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 1765-1788, 2022