ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS FOR DIGITAL INTRAPRENEURSHIP: TOWARDS THE DESIGN OF AN ASSESSMENT TOOL

In today\u27s hyper-dynamic business environment, the capability to foster innovation is critical. Many organizations recognize their employees as an unresolved source for innovation during digital transformation. Consequently, intrapreneurship has become of strategic importance, and initiatives, such as digital intrapreneurship platforms, arise. However, many initiatives do not provide aspired outcomes due to the lack of organizational readiness. We follow the action design research method to design a multi-dimensional framework that measures organizational readiness for digital intrapreneurship. Hitherto, we identify 27 factors that contribute to an organization\u27s readiness for the successful implementation and usage of digital intrapreneurship platforms. Ultimately, we strive to provide a digital intrapreneurship readiness tool that helps innovation managers to detect and remove hindering factors before implementing solutions

The business opportunities of implementing wearable based products in the health and life insurance industries

The ability to collect biometric data continuously was recently enabled by the development and massification of wearable technologies - computers that are incorporated into items of clothing and accessories which can be worn on the body - unlocking huge opportunities for health and life insurers. Although a great deal of research has been done regarding the technical aspects of these devices, very few works explore the business and managerial implications of implementing wearables into insurance products. Through the combination of secondary data and in-depth expert interviews, this work analyses the impact of wearables and wearable data in the insurance value chain, identifying the main opportunities and challenges to leverage such a technology. This research concludes that in spite of the current narrow use of wearable devices as engagement tools in insurance wellness programs designed to drive user loyalty, this technology has the potential to accelerate the underwriting process, support preventive care, expand the customer base, enable dynamic pricing and enhance the customer experience as part of a connected health ecosystem. Customer adoption, data privacy and legislation are some of the main obstacles for insurers to leverage this technology, on top of the necessary IT infrastructure and data management capabilities which insurers are acquiring mainly through partnerships with innovative players. By implementing wearables technologies, health and life insurers may benefit from reductions in operational costs, new revenue streams and ultimately gains in competitive advantage.A recolha contínua de dados biométricos foi recentemente possibilitada pelo desenvolvimento e massificação dos wearables – computadores incorporados na roupa e acessórios que podem ser vestidos – que representam uma grande oportunidade para as seguradoras de vida e saúde. Apesar de já existir bastante pesquisa sobre os aspetos técnicos destes dispositivos, o mesmo não se verifica ao nível do negócio e da gestão, na implementação de wearables na indústria seguradora. Através da combinação de dados secundários e entrevistas a experts da indústria, este trabalho analisa o impacto dos wearables na cadeia de valor das seguradoras, identificando as principais oportunidades e desafios da sua implementação. A pesquisa conclui que apesar da atual aplicação dos wearables ser limitada, visto que são utilizados como pontos de contacto com o consumidor em programas de bem-estar promovidos pelas seguradoras para reforçar a lealdade à marca, esta tecnologia tem o potencial para acelerar a subscrição de seguros, promover ações de cuidado preventivo de saúde, expandir a base de clientes, possibilitar a prática de preços dinâmicos e melhorar a experiência do consumidor integrados num ecossistema conectado de saúde. A adoção, a privacidade de dados e a legislação são alguns dos principais obstáculos aquando da implementação destes dispositivos, a par da infraestrutura de TI e capacidades de gestão de dados que as seguradoras têm adquirido maioritariamente via parcerias com novas empresas. A implementação dos wearables pode assim contribuir para a redução de custos operacionais, criação de novas fontes de receita e ganhos de vantagem competitiva para as seguradoras

Internal Open Innovation—Lessons Learned from Internal Crowdsourcing at SAP

Crowdsourcing provides companies with access to widespread knowledge pools and constitutes a well-established inbound open innovation practice. More recently, some companies have introduced the approach of open innovation within their company boundaries. Using internal crowdsourcing (IC), companies can apply open innovation principles to overcome information silos. Multinational corporations often have thousands of employees around the globe, embedded in divisions and virtually separated from each other. Although a large proportion of companies nowadays use social IT to mitigate problems of distance, only a few companies can access their employees’ wisdom effectively—let alone efficiently. With almost 100,000 employees worldwide, SAP possesses significant resources, which IC can help to unlock and develop. In this business case study, we report the findings of our investigation of five IC implementations at SAP. Based on interviews and secondary data, we analyze the process and related governance tasks of the different IC approaches. The applications for IC range from the search for new and sustainable business models to an approach that uses crowdsourcing for the competence development of SAP’s employees. Our paper contributes to our understanding of open innovation and crowdsourcing by conceptualizing IC as a form of internal open innovation. Further, from our observations, we derive six lessons learned to support managers in implementing and executing IC initiatives successfully. Our findings will subsequently help managers to increase the innovation capabilities of their companies, create more sustainable business models, further the entrepreneurial mindset of their employees and thus provide a competitive advantage.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel – 2020BMBF, 02L15A230, Verbundprojekt: Internes Crowdsourcing in Unternehmen: Arbeitnehmergerechte Prozessinnovationen durch digitale Beteiligung von Mitarbeiter/innen (ICU); Teilprojekt: Entwicklung IC-Modell und Erarbeitung betrieblicher und arbeitsrechtlicher IC-Verfahrensstandards & Konzeptgestaltung für Mitarbeiterbeteiligun

The Current Landscape of Corporate Social Responsibility

This is a "mapping exercise" on the definitions, current concepts and practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) worldwide. It aims to serve as a reference material for grantmaker associations and philanthropic support organizations that promote and support corporate giving. It also aims to provide an overview to those who intend to engage in the support of corporate giving

Unfolding Effect Areas of Employee-driven Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

Over recent years, employee-driven innovation (EDI) has emerged as a prominent topic in both practical and academic circles. Particularly in economic-oriented organizations seeking growth, there is an increasing trend to involve “ordinary” employees—those whose primary responsibilities do not traditionally include innovation tasks—in the innovation process. These employees are tapped for their creativity and experience in the hope that they will generate innovative ideas beneficial to the organization. Consequently, EDI is increasingly acknowledged as a significant source of competitive edge, with employees often seen as initiating innovators that complement traditional channels, such as formal research and development departments. Despite the growing body of research in the interdisciplinary field of EDI and the interplay of multiple perspectives and effect areas, a comprehensive overview remains elusive. In this article, we conduct a systematic literature review to expose the vast effect areas of EDI, focusing on the micro (employee) and meso (organizational) levels. We identified four effect areas at the micro-level and seven at the mesolevel. Our research enhances the understanding of the multi-layered components of EDI and provides insights and implications for academics and practitioners aiming to harness its potential

Design Requirements for AI-based Services Enriching Legacy Information Systems in Enterprises: A Managerial Perspective

Information systems (IS) have been introduced in enterprises for decades to generate business value. Historically systems that are deeply integrated into business processes and not replaced remain vital assets, and thus become legacy IS (LISs). To secure the future success, enterprises invest in innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence-based services (AIBSs), enriching LISs and assisting employees in the execution of work-related tasks. This study develops design requirements from a managerial perspective by following a mixed-method approach. First, we conducted ten interviews to formulate requirements to design AIBSs. Second, we evaluated their business value using an online survey (N = 101). The results indicate that executives consider design requirements as relevant that create strategic advancements in the short term. With the help of our findings, researchers can better understand where further in-depth studies are needed to refine the requirements. Practitioners can learn how AIBSs generate business value when enriching LISs

Understanding Collaboration with Virtual Assistants—The Role of Social Identity and the Extended Self

Organizations introduce virtual assistants (VAs) to support employees with work-related tasks. VAs can increase the success of teamwork and thus become an integral part of the daily work life. However, the effect of VAs on virtual teams remains unclear. While social identity theory describes the identification of employees with team members and the continued existence of a group identity, the concept of the extended self refers to the incorporation of possessions into one’s sense of self. This raises the question of which approach applies to VAs as teammates. The article extends the IS literature by examining the impact of VAs on individuals and teams and updates the knowledge on social identity and the extended self by deploying VAs in a collaborative setting. Using a laboratory experiment with N = 50, two groups were compared in solving a task, where one group was assisted by a VA, while the other was supported by a person. Results highlight that employees who identify VAs as part of their extended self are more likely to identify with team members and vice versa. The two aspects are thus combined into the proposed construct of virtually extended identification explaining the relationships of collaboration with VAs. This study contributes to the understanding on the influence of the extended self and social identity on collaboration with VAs. Practitioners are able to assess how VAs improve collaboration and teamwork in mixed teams in organizations

AI Hype: Public Relations and AI's doomsday machine

This chapter broadens current professional debates by highlighting a different but vital relationship between the PR profession and AI, one in which PR professionals – acting as AI cheerleaders – are deeply implicated in generating AI hype. My discussion explores recent market studies research on disruption and hype cycles, before delving into the latest, somewhat disturbing phase in AI’s hype cycle, in which end-of-the-world scenarios are invoked to stimulate a climate of fear around AI. The chapter concludes by exploring some ethical concerns with promoting AI and automation as humanity’s inevitable future