GOVERNANCE IN IMPLEMENTING WEAKLY STRUCTURED INFORMATION SYSTEMS

The implementation of information systems (IS) is a complex process that requires appropriate governance to ensure that the technical capabilities of the new IS align with organizational goals. However, existing literature lacks insight into how this alignment occurs when IS are designed as open-ended, weakly structured systems that offer generic functions, rather than for a singular purpose. To address this gap, this study examines the implementation of a low-code AI platform in eight large companies and the governance practices they employed to align the system\u27s capabilities with their organizational goals. The findings highlight the importance of balanced governance practices that support and constrain the generative capacity of weakly structured IS, while enabling continuous interdependent development of organizational and technical capabilities throughout implementation. This study contributes to IS literature by responding to calls to examine challenges of implementing weakly structured IS and offering practical recommendations for implementation teams and system vendors

Virtual Reality and Implications for Destination Marketing

Virtual Reality and Implications for Destination Marketing Abstract This study considers the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) in affecting destination image. Three groups viewed related promotional content on South Africa as either a website, a 2D Video, or an immersive VR video using a head mounted display. Participants were asked questions relating to destination image and advertisement effectiveness. Results show that VR positively impacted affective destination image, as well as most items within conative destination image and advertisement effectiveness. Practitioners should consider using VR to visually promote their destinations and experiences, as participants did generally feel more positive emotions towards the destination, and were more likely to share their experiences about the destination and the advertisement itself with friends and relatives

Framing Generative Technology for Dynamic Capabilities: A case study of AI platform implementation in large enterprises

Organizations are increasingly turning to generative technologies known for their inherent dynamic, malleable, and context-agnostic nature to innovate and create a competitive edge. As generative technologies offer virtually unlimited potential applications, organizations are constantly challenged to identify appropriate applications. To date, our knowledge of how organizations implement these technologies to deliver the anticipated outcome is still limited. Inspired by the recent calls on the nature and management of one such generative technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), this thesis aims to provide insights on how large organizations make sense of the open-ended nature of AI, and how such framing impacts how they leverage its potential for dynamic capabilities and organizational innovation. As large organizations are typically characterized by established processes, routines, and accumulated collective experiences, this would suggest particularly challenging dynamics when implementing a highly versatile technology. Following an abductive research approach and a qualitative multiple-case study methodology, this thesis puts forward two empirical papers covering the implementation of an award-winning conversational AI (CAI) platform and its applications, i.e., chatbots and voicebots, across eight large organizations. Findings indicate that the implementation trajectory differed strongly across those organizations. In all organizations, there were initially inter and intra-organizational incongruent interpretations towards a suitable application of the platform and its use. This illustrates the uncertainty that comes with the open-ended nature of generative technologies, which is in line with prior research. However, contrary to the predominant notions that such incongruencies hinder successful implementation, this thesis illustrates how some organizations actively sought these ‘creative conflicts’ to align diverse perspectives and subsequently uncover new opportunities for dynamic capabilities and organizational innovation. Notably, those organizations shifted from an outcome-oriented to an opportunity-oriented implementation strategy by crafting and employing various cognitive and behavioral processes allowing further exploration of the platform’s generative potential. Two main practical takeaways can be drawn from this thesis. First, this thesis illustrates that organizations still often evaluate generative technologies using traditional efficiency-orientated key performance indicators (KPIs) that prioritize short-term cost reduction. Such KPIs may be unsuitable for generative technologies that require organizational flexibility to explore the long-term strategic applications related to the ‘horizon of opportunities’ that the generative technology can offer. Second, organizations should be open to rethink their processes, tactics and routines in which they engage in order to realize the full benefits of emerging generative technologies. This is especially relevant for large organizations that have strongly established processes. Findings from this thesis suggest that seeking out and learning from ‘creative conflicts’ is key to adapting those processes, routines, and tactics. This thesis refutes a deterministic view on technology and its implementation. It suggests that organizations must engage in open processes of learning and reframing in order to effectively utilize increasingly malleable technologies

"Flora of Russia" on iNaturalist: a dataset

The "Flora of Russia" project on iNaturalist brought together professional scientists and amateur naturalists from all over the country. Over 10,000 people are involved in the data collection.Within 20 months the participants accumulated over 750,000 photo observations of 6,853 species of the Russian flora. This constitutes the largest dataset of open spatial data on the country’s biodiversity and a leading source of data on the current state of the national flora. About 85% of all project data are available under free licenses (CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-NC) and can be freely used in scientific, educational and environmental activities