Prof. Dr. Dr. Ayad Al-Ani is Professor for Change Management and Consulting. Since 2019 he is an associated member of the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF). Prof. Al-Ani is also Professor extraordinary at the School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, South Africa and teaches at Basel University in the area of Digital Culture. Previously, he has been president and professor at the ESCP Europe Business School, Berlin. Ayad Al-Ani investigates digital transformation in business, as well as the simultaneous transformation in society, economics and education. He looks back on more than 20 years of executive functions in international consulting firms; he was Executive Partner with Accenture and director of the respective Vienna office.

At Einstein Center Digital Future Professor Al-Ani is focusing on the adaptation of digital organisations and technologies in different spheres and sectors of the economy and society: “The current mode of analysing `digitalization and …’ is calling for an institution like ECDF which brings together different disciplines under the banner of digitlization like no other.”

Unstoppable, fast, intangible – digitalization brings many uncertainties, especially in working life, but also offers many opportunities. It is changing our everyday lives, especially the way we work in the future. Today, robots and highly automated machines take over activities that had to be done by humans just a few years ago. This can make the day-to-day work of employees easier, but it can also replace certain tasks in parts. However, Volkswagen's comprehensive in-house study "digital@work" investigates that not only production, but above all knowledge work could be influenced by digitalization.

Some time ago, the automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, or more precisely its works council, put forward the thesis that the greatest change in the course of digitization could take place in the administrative area of the company and not in production. With this study, the Group is now investigating whether and in which areas the frequently predicted loss of jobs in the course of digitization can actually be expected and is checking this in its own company.

There have already been several studies on this thesis, but they are based on different assumptions and thus arrive at different results with regard to the impact on employment. In order to investigate the concrete effects of digitisation in more detail and to obtain reliable data on their own company, the works council and the personnel director therefore started the "digital@work" study. To this end, the participants also enlisted the support of the political scientist and economist Prof. Dr. Dr. Ayad Al-Ani, who contributed his expertise on digital technologies.

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