TWAIN Project

TWAIN Project – Technology use at Work And INnovative work practices: Assessing the impact on work environment, employees’ motivations and effort in Luxembourg

FNR CORE (FNR/C11/LM/1196209) – 07/2012-11/2015 – 525.000€

In the context of the advent of the knowledge-oriented society, the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within firms strengthens the acquisition and the transfer of information and knowledge between employees. The diffusion of these technologies associated with new work models (such as decentralization of decision-making or teamwork) are supposed to increase firms’ performance. The key economic problem for firms, in this context, is to build a compensation system and provide a motivating work environment to favour the optimal diffusion of information and knowledge that should, in turn, result in productivity gains. This motivating work environment can also allow firms to retain motivated and skilled workers. Thus, it increases the profits and decreases the costs due to labour turnover (relating to the recruitment and training of new workers).

The aim of the TWAIN project is to assess the impact of technological and organizational changes on workers’ motivations and effort. The overall methodological framework relies on econometric analyses of two sources of data coming from a survey and from experimental economics.

Three main research topics are analyzed in the TWAIN project: (i) the consequences of ICT use and new work models on employees’ motivations that are intended to reinforce their effort and their willingness to stay in the firm; (ii) the precise channels through which ICT use impacts on the structure of decision-making in the organization (centralization or decentralization), and beyond employee’s motivations and effort; and (iii) finally the role of teamwork, one of the most prevalent new work models in firms, in order to assess how the virtualization of contacts may affect teams’ outcome and also the broader issue of the firm’s performance. The results will help in defining good practices in the management of employees, and in outlining the pattern of information sharing and communication that could improve firms’ performance.

Produced articles:

Other version: Hauret L., Martin L., Omrani N., Williams, D.R. 'Exposure, participation in human resource management practices and employee attitudes', LISER Working Paper Series 2016-16, LISER


Other version:

Martin L. (2018) ‘How to retain motivated employees in their job?’, Economic and Industrial Democracy, First Published, January 8, 2018

Martin L. (2016) 'High involvement management practices, technology uses, work motivation and job search behaviour,' LISER Working Paper Series 2016-03, LISER



!!!!!! 2017-2018 - top 20 most read paper in Industrial Relations !!!!!!

Other version: Martin L. (2015) 'Innovative work practices, ICT use and employees' motivations', LISER Working Paper Series 2015-05, LISER



  • Grolleau G., Martin L., Rosaz J., Sutan A. ‘How do Information Technologies and Communication Technologies affect teamwork collaborations? ’


Articles in newspapers and magazines:

  • L’incompétence professionnelle et sociale, première cause d’une mauvaise ambiance de travail with Angela Sutan (LESSAC, Burgundy school of Business, France), The Conversation', 23 avril 2019 et republié sous la licence 'Creative Commons'.

  • Des primes de performance pour motiver les salariés ? Ce n'est pas forcément une bonne idée... with Angela Sutan (LESSAC, Burgundy school of Business, France), Brice Corgnet (EM-Lyon), The Conversation', 28 janvier 2019 et republié sous la licence 'Creative Commons'. Puis repris dans La Tribune, Slate, les news LISER, ou encore RTL Today

  • Comment l’usage des technologies influence-il le rapport des salariés à leur entreprise ?, January/February 2018, Entreprises Magazine

  • Les outils de surveillance informatique ne sont pas préjudiciables à la performance des managers with Angela Sutan (LESSAC, Burgundy school of Business, France), 10.10.2017 in Le Monde

  • Accroître la satisfaction au travail par la participation des employés aux pratiques managériales with Laetitia Hauret (LISER), Nessrine Omrani (PSB – Paris Business School), Don Williams (Kent State University), January/February 2017, Entreprises Magazine

  • Accroître la satisfaction au travail par la participation des employés aux pratiques managériales with Laetitia Hauret (LISER), Nessrine Omrani (PSB – Paris Business School), Don Williams (Kent State University), 17.11.2016, Femmes Magazine

  • L'évaluation professionnelle est trop ambiguë pour être efficace with Gabriel Cosmin Gheorghiu (Senior Researcher chez Nucleus, Canada), Peguy Ndodjang (during is PhD at LISER and Univ. Montpellier), Angela Sutan (LESSAC, Burgundy school of Business, France), 30/04/2013, Huffington Post

Media coverage:

  • Rémunérer les employés en fonction de leurs résultats permet-il réellement d’obtenir de meilleurs résultats ? 17 July 2019, www.science.lu

  • Un emploi sur deux automatisable. La digitalisation n'induit pas des pertes d'emplois massives mais crée de nouvelles frontières, 19 June 2018, Luxembourger Wort

  • Too much communication kills motivation, April 2018, Delano

  • Trop de communication tue la motivation?, April 2018, Paperjam

  • Bien digitaliser pour mieux motiver les employés, 06/03/2018, Daily Science Belgium

  • La digitalisation de l’environnent de travail a-t-elle une influence positive sur la motivation des salariés, 23/02/2018, LG Magazine

  • Quand la technologie motive les salariés, 23/02/2018, Luxembourger Wort

  • La digitalisation impacte la motivation des salariés, 22/02/2018, L'essentiel

  • La digitalisation de l’environnent de travail a-t-elle une influence positive sur la motivation des salariés, 19/02/2018, LISER press release

  • Boosting Job Satisfaction : How to Improve Attitudes of Employees with Laetitia Hauret (LISER), Nessrine Omrani (PSB – Paris Business School), Don Williams (Kent State University), 17-11-2016, Chronicle.lu

  • Qu'est-ce qui motive les salariés? - L’impact de la technologie sur les schémas comportementaux des salariés, 25.11.16, science.lu

  • Une étude sur la motivation au travail et la volonté de quitter son entreprise, May/June 2016, Entreprises Magazine

  • The TWAIN project on RTL radio, May 2016, Interview RTL radio

  • A higher likelihood to remain loyal, June 2016, Delano

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