Exponential Research

The Exponential Research project is a longitudinal multi-level multi-source survey. 

The project builds on current management literature but adds to it in important ways. First, our focus on virtual and hybrid work settings and the comparison to more traditional settings in the same organization carries significant promise for the future. If Finnish firms want their employees to thrive, they will need to re-evaluate their current approaches to leadership and management to have a better fit with new ways of working. Given that in many organizations, people are their most important resource, we believe the findings of this study could contribute towards a competitive advantage for Finnish firms. Second, our multi-method and multi-level research design allows us to take a broader organizational perspective than extant research has been able to do, including both insights into employee experiences, and evidence of what kinds of leadership competences and practices work best in modern organizations. 

Based on our current data from 17 organizations, the main drivers for organizational thriving are

• Culture: Mastery climate, psychological safety, employee-friendly company policies, social responsibility
• Leadership: Empowering, supportive and transformational leadership
• Work: Meaningful work, goal clarity
• Emotions: Positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions
• Relationships: Social support from peers and management
• Personal: Self-efficacy, resilience, and active self-reflection
• Wellbeing: Mental recovery (detachment, relaxation, mastery and control), active life and aerobic exercise, work-life balance

_{Nurmi, N., Mäkelä, K., Äkräs, J. Exponential Research Project (2018 – 2025): Well-Being and Performance in the Digitally Disrupted Workplace}