The Psychology of Digital Media at Work

by Daantje Derks

In many professions daily work life has become unthinkable without the use of a computer with access to the Internet. As technological innovations progress rapidly and new applications of interactional media are invented, organizational behaviour continues to change.

The central theme of this book is how new media affect organizational behavior and employee well-being. A variety of topics are considered:

• applications of new media in both personnel psychology and organizational psychology
• tools to improve selection and assessment
• issues arising in the context of training, learning and career development
• the use of online games for education and recreation
• the impact of mobile devices on organizational life
• the implications of new forms of collaboration by means of virtual teams.

The research documented in this volume consists of high quality, quantitative studies illustrated by lively practical examples. The combination of science and practice ensures that new insights supported by empirical studies are translated into practical implications. The book will be essential reading for researchers and students in organizational psychology and related disciplines.

"Editors Derks and Bakker (both Department of Wortk and Psychology, Erasmus Univ., the Netherlands) provide an overview of the evolution of digital media in the workplace in their introduction to this volume, which is part of the "Current Issues in Work and Organizational Psychology" series...This volume provides practical research results and guides for utilizing online tools in the workplace... Summing Up: Recommended" - N.J. Johnson, formerly, Metropolitan State University, for CHOICE, September 2013

"This timely collection highlights current concerns about the psychology of digital media use in the workplace - from email to social networks, from computer games to video conferencing, and from corporate training to surveillance. Each case study raises the question whether our high expectations about networked and mobile computing are over-hyped or justified, and how they impact work-life balance and productivity." - Peter Krapp, University of California, Irvine, USA

Derks & Bakker, The psychology of digital media @ work: Introduction. PART 1: ONLINE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION Rennecker & Derks, Email overload: Fine-tuning the research lens. Rennecker & Derks, Online Social Network in the Work Context. Jarvenpaa & Hedlund, Mobilizing Knowledge Collaboration: Today's reality vs. Future possibility. Krumm & Hertel Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics (KSAO's) for virtual teamwork. PART 2: GAMING AND ONLINE TESTS Xanthopoulou & Papagiannidis Games-Work Interaction: The beneficial impact of computer games on work behaviors. Korteling, Helsdingen & Theunissen Serious gaming @ work: Learning job-related competencies using serious gaming. van der Klink, Drachsler & Sloep Technology-enhanced learning in the workplace. Oostrom, Born & van der Molen Webcam tests in personnel selection.