dr. S. Janssen (Suzanne)

I study how employees’ professional development, motivation, and thriving are affected by their organizational environment. My qualitative approaches focus on theory building in the context of self-determination theory and basic need-fulfillment in organizations.

During my Ph.D. research, I focused on the role of mentoring relationships and developmental networks in employees’ professional development. Therefore, I interviewed protégés, mentors, dyads of mentors and protégés, and co-workers in their direct work environment. My studies showed how self-determination theory is a relevant framework for understanding mentoring processes. From a basic need-fulfillment perspective, my qualitative studies provided more insight into the role of need-fulfillment processes in interpersonal relationships. This resulted in several key publications in major journals in the fields of management and organizational behavior.

My current research focuses on understanding the nature and consequences of smart (communication) technologies in organizations. An important aspect is to understand the relevance of technology to employees and to examine how they experience those technologies and put them into practice. The interplay between technologies and employees' basic need-fulfillment in work environments is central to my research interests.

Publications

• Communication Science
• Management, Society & Technology

• Communication Science

• 202100036 - Organizational communication (T)
• 202100091 - Change Management & Leadership

• 201800097 - Work and Technology

Working Life in the Robot Age: Employees’ Experiences in Working with Robots (NWO Veni Grant)

As robots become more and more advanced and integrated into working life, it is important to understand their impact on employees. This project is a first critical step in addressing this challenge by investigating how employees integrate robots in their work and how working with robots is linked to fundamental processes of employee motivation and well-being. It will also examine the mutual shaping of human-robot collaborations and social practices in organizations (e.g., collaboration, communication). 

Resilience towards Robotization: The Willingness, Opportunity, and Ability of Individuals to Prepare for Automation at the Workplace (ODISSEI LISS Data Grant, PI: Giedo Jansen, UT, with Mark Levels, ROA, Maastricht University). 

With the rise of smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms, many job tasks can be automated within the next decade, and it is increasingly important that humans upgrade their skills to stay employable. While current research predominantly focusses on aggregate labour market outcomes and occupational risks of automation (i.e. assessing which jobs are most vulnerable to automation), little is known about how individuals deal with or cope with the prospect of automation at the workplace. This research aims to examine the extent to which there are differences in the extent to which people in the Netherlands (1a) are interested in reskilling or upskilling to prepare for automation; (1b) have access to relevant types of education; and (1c) have the ability to engage successfully in reskilling or upskilling. Moreover, we aim to investigate whether these differences relate to (2a) the estimated risk of automation (2b) other labour market risks, and (2c) other existing social inequalities.

• VENI grant for Suzanne Janssen
• Rising Star
  

Organisations

• Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), Communication Science (CS)