Is Business Process Management (BPM) ready for ambidexterity? Conceptualization, implementation guidelines and research agenda

Business Process Management ambidexterity is a nascent concept providing a philosophy and framework for organizations to radically innovate their business processes, while maintaining their capabilities in process efficiency and operational excellence. Considering the novelty of this topic, there is not yet an agreed conceptualization of the term, nor a consolidated view on related implementation guidelines. We aim to address this research gap through a Systematic Literature Review, where we provide a dual conceptualization that focuses on (1) the equilibrium balance between explorative and exploitative processes, as well as (2) the organizational capability to support exploration and exploitation. Based on this conceptualization, we provide consolidated guidelines for practitioners, including decision steps, followed by a research agenda in order to let this promising domain further advance

Methods and tools for supporting industrial design innovation

The introduction of information technology (IT) systems to support designers’ activities and data management have profoundly affected company structure and design organization. This evolution has brought the introduction of systematic methods, close to information tools skills and prerogatives, using computer management and data recovery skills as main design support. The use of the IT also improved information exchange among different work figures involved during product development process. In this direction authors have intended to analyze the role and the implementation of systematic methods and tools within industrial designer area of the design process and their impact on the conceptual design phase in particular. Consequently, the research has been developed primarily in reference to design methods able to support the strict ideation stage of the Conceptual Design, that can be referred to two typologies: knowledge based and functional approaches. Subsequently authors have analyzed the information tools currently used during design process, as CAD systems, and some innovative, as Virtual and Augmented Reality tools, that can be used within industrial design area. The result of the study has been a formalization of the course followed during idea conceptual phase in order to include and to arrange the design methods and tools analysed. The research proposes a structured view of a process of product conceptualization, usually considered as mainly heuristic, focusing on the integration of methods and tools to support project and its communication. In this area the research has highlighted industrial designer role characteristics during design process, changeable in reference of project development level, and also some important new questions have been identified about the interaction between industrial designers and the other design areas involved in the process. In this direction the study has highlighted the need to support knowledge exchange and recovery, introducing the possibility to extend the research to the whole process and integrate industrial design and engineering collaboration in a more effective way. Keywords: Conceptual design process, Systematic innovation, Knowledge management, Integration</p

Developing personalized education. A dynamic framework

Personalized education—the systematic adaptation of instruction to individual learners—has been a long-striven goal. We review research on personalized education that has been conducted in the laboratory, in the classroom, and in digital learning environments. Across all learning environments, we find that personalization is most successful when relevant learner characteristics are measured repeatedly during the learning process and when these data are used to adapt instruction in a systematic way. Building on these observations, we propose a novel, dynamic framework of personalization that conceptualizes learners as dynamic entities that change during and in interaction with the instructional process. As these dynamics manifest on different timescales, so do the opportunities for instructional adaptations—ranging from setting appropriate learning goals at the macroscale to reacting to affective-motivational fluctuations at the microscale. We argue that instructional design needs to take these dynamics into account in order to adapt to a specific learner at a specific point in time. Finally, we provide some examples of successful, dynamic adaptations and discuss future directions that arise from a dynamic conceptualization of personalization. (DIPF/Orig.

Algorithm Appreciation: Algorithmic Performance, Developmental Processes, and User Interactions

© 2020 IEEE. In this research, we conduct an online experiment to better understand perceptions of algorithmic features (fairness, accountability, transparency, and explainability) This study identifies key factors of algorithm and conceptualizes such issues in relation to trust by testing how they affect user emotion and satisfaction of personalized machine learning algorithms. The results indicate the heuristic roles of algorithmic characteristics in terms of their underlying links to trust and subsequent behaviors. Users experience a dual-process in assessing AI features and formulating trust through their heuristic-systematic evaluations. Heuristic and systematic processes are positively linked to trust and systematic processes are positively connected to trust and performance expectancy, which serve as antecedents of emotions. Heuristic and systematic processes offer a useful perspective on the conceptualization of AI experience and interaction. User cognitive processes identified provide solid foundations for algorithm design and development and a stronger basis for the design of sensemaking AI services

Using Textual Data in System Dynamics Model Conceptualization

Qualitative data is an important source of information for system dynamics modeling. It can potentially support any stage of the modeling process, yet it is mainly used in the early steps such as problem identification and model conceptualization. Existing approaches that outline a systematic use of qualitative data in model conceptualization are often not adopted for reasons of time constraints resulting from an abundance of data. In this paper, we introduce an approach that synthesizes the strengths of existing methods. This alternative approach (i) is focused on causal relationships starting from the initial steps of coding; (ii) generates a generalized and simplified causal map without recording individual relationships so that time consumption can be reduced; and (iii) maintains the links from the final causal map to the data sources by using software. We demonstrate an application of this approach in a study about integrated decision making in the housing sector of the UK

Internal branding: conceptualization from a literature review and opportunities for future research

Recently, internal branding has gained relevance in the marketing literature because researchers recognize that corporate brand management not only implicates external actions but also an internal approach that involves employees. Despite the growing interest, there is no consensus among authors about antecedents, dimensions, and outcomes of internal branding. In this sense, this paper aims to explore the conceptualization of internal branding and to offer opportunities for future research. The study is a systematic literature review that uses a specific database. The contributions of each article were extracted, organized, and processed following systematic procedures. This review defines internal branding as a cross-functional process that involves both marketing and human resource departments. It focuses on managing the brand internally through brand-centered human resource management, internal brand communications, and brand leadership, with the aim of achieving brand outcomes among employees (brand understanding, brand identification, brand commitment, brand loyalty, brand citizenship behaviors) so they can build brand equity in front of external stakeholders. Although a lack of consensus had been established, the literature evidenced similarities that gave rise to the conceptualization proposed in this study. Nevertheless, the discussion about internal branding is still open because there are several issues to investigate in this field

Problematics of Grounded Theory: Innovations for Developing an Increasingly Rigorous Qualitative Method

Our purpose in this article is to identify and suggest resolution for two core problematics of grounded theory. First, while grounded theory provides transparency to one part of the conceptualization process, where codes emerge directly from the data, it provides no such systematic or transparent way for gaining insight into the conceptual relationships between discovered codes. Producing a grounded theory depends not only on the definition of conceptual pieces, but the delineation of a relationship between at least two of those pieces. Second, the conceptualization process of grounded theory is done in hierarchical fashion, where individual codes emerge from the data but then are used to generate insight into more general concepts and thematic statements. But various works on grounded theory have failed to provide any systematic way of using data specific levels of scale (the codes) to gain insight into more macro levels of scale (concepts and themes). We offer fractal concept analysis as a means of resolving both of these issues. By using a logic structure generator, fractal concept analysis delineates self-similar conceptual frameworks at various levels of abstraction, yielding a method for linking concepts together within and between levels of scale encountered in the grounded theory coding and categorization process. We conclude that this fractal analytic technique can bolster the aims of grounded theory as a formalized and systematic process for generating theory from empirical data

Knowledge Management Task Complexity In Emergency Management: An Instrument

While there has been a rich body of literature on knowledge management, little research has been reported that defines the dimensions and operationalization of the complexity of knowledge management tasks. Based on literature reviews and field study observations, we conceptualize knowledge management task complexity as consisting of six dimensions: component complexity, interactive complexity, task novelty, task non-routineness, task difficulty, and lack of task information. Using a systematic instrument development process with interviews, observations and survey data obtained at Miami-Dade County Emergency Operations Center (MD-EOC) in Florida, we developed measures of the six dimensions for knowledge management tasks in the context of emergency management. The final instrument demonstrated sufficient reliability and construct validity. Implications of our conceptualization and measures of knowledge management tasks to research and practice as well as directions for future research are discussed

An Exploration of Prototyping Strategies and Frameworks through a Systematic Literature Review

Prototyping is an integral component of the engineering design process, serving as a bridge between conceptualization and realization. This systematic literature review examines existing published literature to understand how the broader engineering design community approaches the prototyping process through defined and formalized strategies and frameworks. To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive search, identifying 402 unique papers across 11 esteemed journals using crafted search strings. Applying inclusion criteria, we refined the selection to 94 papers that demonstrated relevancy to prototyping strategies and practices. Currently, we are in the process of the second phase of our inclusion criteria, further refining the literature to ensure alignment with our research questions. The anticipated outcome is the development of a taxonomy that not only assists designers during the embodiment stage of design but also integrates a systematic evaluation of critical factors. This taxonomy aims to guide designers in selecting the most effective prototyping strategies tailored to specific project contexts. The scarcity of aggregated research on prototyping and its approaches highlights a significant gap in the literature. Our research seeks to fill this gap of knowledge in this domain, thereby providing a valuable framework that synthesizes and clarifies prototyping strategies, contributing to both academic scholarship and practical application in the field of engineering design

Getting to the Heart of It (Book Review)

Reviews the book, Assessment of Client Core Issues by Richard W. Halstead (see record 2006-21518-000). According to Kays, this book offers a conceptualization of clinical cases synthesizing elements from narrative, schema, and cognitive therapy traditions. The author\u27s stated goal is to present a model that might help counselors think past a symptom-based formulation for diagnosis and incorporate a structured process for analyzing the vast amount of information clients reveal about their struggles in life . Depending heavily on schema therapy concepts originally developed by J. E. Young, Halstead develops an assessment approach that addresses both the unremarkable and problematic client situations. His purpose in writing is to provide therapists with a tool for conceptualizing cases beyond psychiatric symptoms. Halstead demonstrates that focusing on client core issues, in addition to the DSM-IV diagnostic process, provides four advantages: (a) working with presenting clientconcerns, (b) identifying core themes or issues as a treatment focal point, (c) improving systematic monitoring of client progress, and (d) reducing relapse probability by addressing foundational issues. The advantages of this approach make available practical applications for both students and veteran clinicians. Kays notes specific book strengths, as well as a disadvantage