THE IMPACT OF PERCEIVED PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS ON PROCESS VIRTUALIZABILITY

Du to the growing world-wide globalization and the possibility to use new innovations of the digital economy, more and more processes and services are being virtualized. Recently, Process Virtualization Theory has been suggested as one way for understanding factors that affect the behavior of process participants when they face a virtual process. In order to verify the theory´s core claims, we design a research model and subsequntly develop measurement instruments to empirically analyze and test why different process participants use or do not use this process in a virtual environment. Therefore we develop measurement instruments and conduct a qustionnaire-based survey study carried out in Frankfurt Airport as well as at the Leipzig Airport in Germany with 183 participants in total. The results indicate that process characteristics in the form of requirements affect individual attitudes towards using airline check-in processes, which can be conducted virtually by checking in online via a website, or physically by checking in at the counter at the airport. We provide empirical evidence for the validity of Process Virtualization Theory, and demonstrate that our model is statistically significant and well constructed

“Online Or Offline, What Do You Prefer?” Pre-Test of Measurement Scales for Empirical Analysis

In times of increasing globalization and the continuing growth of internet-based processes and services, it becomes necessary to study emerging phenomena such as user resistance from a novel theoretical perspective. In this paper, we develop measurement instruments to empirically analyze and test why different process participants use or do not use this process in a virtual environment, and why different types of people perceive a virtualized process as useful or usable. We are interested in why people reject or use virtual processes. In order to verify the rejection of virtual processes, we base our research on user resistance and we examine Process Virtualization Theory, service quality and user satisfaction and their impact on attitude towards user resistance. Therefore we conducted a pre-test in the form of an online-survey with 90 participants. The aim of this pretest is to validate our measurement instruments and to get an early understanding of construct validity

Towards Collaboration Virtualization Theory

With widespread use of collaboration technology and increasing dispersion of teams due to globalization of companies, more and more collaboration activities are being conducted virtually. However, virtual collaboration seems to work well for some cases, but not for others. This phenomenon motivates research questions: What factors determine the suitability of collaboration virtualization, and how do those factors affect the design of effective collaboration systems? Our literature study yielded little theoretical work in this regard. As such, we believe that research on collaboration virtualization theory (CVT) is critically needed. To this end, we present our preliminary findings on the purpose and composition of collaboration virtualization theory based on the literature. Essentially, our CVT contains three categories of constructs: task, team, and technology characteristics. Our main objective in this short paper is to initiate a new theoretical perspective for research in the field of collaboration technology and management

Virtually Extended Coworking Spaces? – The Reinforcement of Social Proximity, Motivation and Knowledge Sharing Through ICT

Coworking is characterized by different people sharing a workspace to benefit from the inspiring working atmosphere. Even before Covid-19, many positive effects and dynamics were not fully exploited by their users. One reason is a lack of trust among the users that leads to social isolation, although a coworking space should increase knowledge and idea exchange. As most people in coworking spaces use information and communication technologies (ICT) for their collaboration with their clients or employers, we examined if and how ICT can be used to support the positive effects and dynamics of coworking spaces. For this, we conducted eight interviews with freelancers and entrepreneurs who have already worked in coworking spaces in order to identify requirements for a complementary virtual coworking platform. We found that social proximity, motivation and knowledge sharing could be increased by such a platform. Based on the process virtualization theory, we derived six design principles

Which Processes Do Users Not Want Online? - Extending Process Virtualization Theory

Following the advent of the Internet more and more processes are provided virtually, i.e., without physical interactions between involved people and objects. For instance, E-Commerce has virtualized shopping processes since products are bought without physical inspection and interaction with sales staff. This study is founded on the key idea of process virtualization theory (PVT) that from the users’ perspective not all processes are equally amenable for virtualization. We investigate characteristics of processes, which are causing users’ resistance toward the virtualized process. Surveying 501 individuals regarding 10 processes, this study constitutes the first quantitative test evaluating the prediction capabilities of PVT by analysis of varying processes. Moreover, it introduces and successfully tests the extended PVT (EPVT), which integrates PVT with multiple, related constructs from extant literature in a unified model with multi-order causal relations. Thereby, it clearly enhances our understanding of human behavior with regard to the frequent phenomenon process virtualization

Why people reject or use virtual processes: Understanding the variance of users’ resistance

The globalization and the continuing growth of internet-based processes and services makes it necessary to examine the emerging user resistance phenomenon from a new theoretical perspective. In order to verify the user resistance’s core claims, we designed a research model and subsequently developed measurement instruments to empirically analyze and test why people reject or use a process in a virtual environment. Therefore we investigated the “airport check-in” process as our process of interest and conducted a questionnaire-based survey with 183 participants in total. The survey was carried out at Frankfurt Airport as well as at Leipzig Airport in Germany. The results indicate that perceived process characteristics, service quality and net benefit play an important role in user resistance towards conducting a process virtually. We provide empirical evidence for the validity of user resistance, and demonstrate that our model is statistically significant and well constructed

Digital Transformation in Higher Education – New Cohorts, New Requirements?

Digital transformation refers to changes that digital technologies cause and that influence various aspects of human life. Previous researchers mainly focused on the impact of the digital transformation in the context of commercial organisations and business processes. In this study, we aim to examine how digital transformation affects universities and students. We examine differences and changes in the usage of collaboration and communication platforms between different groups of members at the university and within the university lifecycle. To gain new insights, a qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews was conducted. One of the main results shows that Bachelor and Master students prefer the usage of social network sites for collaboration and communication while Ph.D. students and employees do not. Even though an increasing number of modern platforms for direct communication is offered, the results show that the communication between the groups of students and employees still takes place via email

THE PROCESS AUGMENTABILITY CANVAS - HOW TO FIND THE SWEET SPOT FOR AUGMENTED REALITY

The adoption of augmented reality (AR) has been one of the defining technological trends of the past decade. While AR has experienced significant growth in consumer electronics, its potential for professional use still needs to be explored. Despite the growing interest in AR, determining its feasibility and potential to satisfy business needs remains challenging. To address this gap, we used a mixedmethod research approach to create a guiding framework called the process augmentability canvas. Drawing on a comprehensive case study of a major European maintenance, repair, and overhaul service provider, as well as state-of-the literature, we present a canvas that allows scholars and practitioners to evaluate AR’s applicability for a given process thoroughly. By providing a structured approach to analyzing AR solutions, the process augmentability canvas contributes to a better understanding of how AR can be used efficiently in organizational settings

A Process Virtualization Theory Approach to Understanding the Usage Continuance of Cross-Channel Instant Messaging

Increasingly, we are witnessing the advent of IM software on mobile devices for users to communicate with other users who are using either the desktop or mobile channel. The emergence of such cross-channel instant messaging (CCIM) demands a renewed understanding of users’ continuance behaviours. In this research-in-progress paper, we draw upon the process virtualization theory perspective to extend the expectation-confirmation model for IT (ECM-IT). According to PVT, we propose that users’ confirmation of using the virtualized CCIM is determined by the communication process’s dimensions of sensory, synchronism, relationship, and identification & control. In addition, we propose that the extent to which the communication dyads make mutual adaptation to one another will moderate the relationship between confirmation and perceived usefulness of CCIM. We expect our findings to make theoretical contributions to the domain of research on IT usage post-adoption behaviours as well as managerial implications to CCIM application developers and other stakeholders in the mobile industry

Customers\u27 Intention to Use Digital Services in Retail Banking - An Information Processing Perspective

Service digitization increasingly impacts work and life. A frequent example is Internet banking. While customers act independently from time and space constraints, banks benefit from significantly lower transaction costs compared to branches. However, customers use online channels for distinct transactions and favor physical interactions with bank advisors for others. To understand the underlying drivers for the intention to use digital banking services, we derive a research model that is theoretically grounded in the Information Processing View. It is validated in a quantitative study with 338 evaluations among retail banking customers. The results indicate that customers’ information requirements and process risk negatively impact intended digital process use. In contrast, process experience positively impacts the intended digital process use. This paper is, to our best knowledge, the first to explore the role of information requirements and process-specific characteristics in detail. It guides practitioners in establishing more effective and efficient digital banking services