Raumzeitliche Mobilitätsdynamiken im Kontext wissensintensiver Arbeit - Zur theoretisch-konzeptionellen Fundierung und empirischen Analyse von Dynamisierung und Flexibilisierung der berufsbedingten zirkulären Mobilität von Wissensarbeitenden

The socio-economic structural change towards a knowledge economy is widely accepted in social science. There is a continuous shift to research- and knowledge intensive sectors in highly developed countries and knowledge-based practices gain importance. Against this background knowledge work is increasingly getting into scientific focus, especially in spatial research. However, the daily mobility of knowledge workers has not yet been a subject in systematic scientific analyses. There are numerous indications in different fields of research that the spatiotemporal organization of knowledge work, in comparison to more physical practices, is characterized by modified mechanisms. How these processes influence the daily job-related – so-called circular – mobility of knowledge workers has not been systematically examined in-depth and the research strands are still unconnected. This gap leads to the research question how knowledge work and its specific tasks influence the job-related circular mobility. Merging interdisciplinary mobility research with the spatial innovation and knowledge science seems to be a promising approach for utilizing synergy potentials. It allows a more differentiated analysis of the fluid, spatiotemporal connection between knowledge work and its complex implications for the job-related circular mobility. Based on these conclusions novel methodical approaches to the empirical ascertainment of so-called mobility dynamics have been developed. The empirical results from two representative online surveys with highly qualified knowledge workers from the scientific sector of the university towns Göttingen and Marburg indicate that job-related circular mobility is characterised by spatial and temporal dynamics and flexible mobility patterns which are closely related to the knowledge intensity of practices. It is found that job-related circular mobility of knowledge workers is not only marked by a higher intensity but also by qualitative dimensions like a temporal discontinuity of daily and weekly activities. Additionally knowledge work is performed at different places and business trips take place beyond various spatial scales.