A Bibliometric and Contextual Analysis of Technology-Related Stressors in Flexible Working Arrangements: A Socio-Technical Perspective

This study presents a bibliometric and contextual analysis of technology-related stressors in flexible working arrangements (FWA), examining 32 Web of Science-indexed articles for bibliometric analysis and 37 eligible studies for contextual analysis published between 2014 and 2024. Using bibliometric methods and socio-technical systems theory, the analysis reveals a rapid field growth, concentrated in Germany, China, and the United States, with limited international collaboration. The research identifies a fundamental thematic shift: well-being and work engagement displaced job satisfaction as primary research outcomes in the post-pandemic period, signaling a movement toward human-centric perspectives. The field, however, remains constrained by methodological homogeneity, theoretical concentration, and a geographic focus on digitally mature economies. The socio-technical analysis reveals that technology outcomes in FWAs depend on alignment across technical, personnel, organizational, and environmental subsystems rather than technology characteristics alone, challenging technology-centric intervention approaches. The study identifies critical research priorities, including fostering Global South partnerships, enhancing methodological diversity through longitudinal and mixed-method designs, adopting socio-technical perspectives in research design, and developing diagnostic tools for assessing cross-subsystem stressor interactions. These findings provide the foundation for evidence-based human-centric FWAs.