From Accountant to Software Developer – Transforming Employees with Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Constantly changing technologies affect not only the value types that companies generate but also their processes and their most important resource: employees. Such transitions referred to as digital transformation, mean that employees must tailor their skills and ways of working to stay considered a long-term asset for their company. Intelligent information systems, such as robotic process automation (RPA), are gradually taking over employees' work efforts, and thus replacing part of the human workforce. In the paper, we investigate whether non-technical employees (in this case, accountants) can be retrained to work as entry-level RPA software developers. In our case study (observations blended with interviews), we show how retraining transforms employees’ identity, addresses their anxiety and skepticism, and impacts the organization. Further, we show the relevance of domain knowledge, digital literacy, and the cornerstones of a training program transforming accountants into RPA developers

Using Mobile Learning to Create a Reciprocal Peer Learning Environment

Larger learning environments can be found especially in higher education. They represent a challenge to teachers as they do not only exceed regular class sizes but also demand another teaching approach of them. Keeping up interaction, which is considered the basis of all learning, is hard to keep up, due to the number of students. One approach that is often considered is peer learning. It offers an opportunity to increase interaction and requires students to not only learn but also to teach. However, it is not easy to initiate peer learning in larger learning environments when most students act anonymously in them. Our created artifact called C4mpUs enables students to connect with other peers. It also enables teachers to initiate peer learning without investing too many resources. Lastly, it get students to work as frequently and willingly with newly acquainted peers as they would with someone they have previously known

How Feature- and Communication Constraints in CSS Affect Creative Collaboration in Virtual Teams - An Activity Theory Perspective

New Creativity Support Systems (CSS) provide additional features, but are also growing more complex and difficult to operate. Via new functionalities, CSS aim to facilitate virtual creative collaboration and enable better outcomes. However, research shows that, especially in the context of creativity, better outcomes are not always the result of more options and features. Our study applies activity theory (AT) as a lens in order to examine how constraints can be applied to creative collaboration in virtual teams. This study advances research on collaboration in information systems (IS) as well as human-centered development of IT-artifacts that facilitate creative collaboration. Our findings provide two practical takeaways for CSS developers and virtual teams: First, constraints in CSS can be designed to substantially benefit idea generation and exploration beyond routine performance; second, constraints can be designed to help teams access the potential of CSS faster and more efficiently

IT-Gestützte Kollaborative Kreativität

Companies and organizations must constantly evolve in order to stay competitive in the marketplace. An important role is played by innovations that ensure this continuous corporate success. Producing innovations depends strongly on creativity, which is why active support makes sense and is worthwhile. Creativity can be supported by information technology and is most effective in teams and groups. Collaboration and the consideration of different collaboration mechanisms play an equally important role in this context as the active support by information technology. This dissertation deals with the question of how information systems can be designed in order to use information technology to actively support creativity and that collaborative creativity processes are promoted. With the help of a systematic literature review, current creativity support systems were examined and the necessity of research was explained. A design-oriented approach was then used to develop and evaluate various approaches that address the research question. A total of 25 scientific articles were produced, five of which are included in this dissertation. Various conducted studies show the additional value of active support through information technology and provide design guidelines for better support of collaborative creativity.Unternehmen und Organisationen müssen sich ständig weiterentwickeln, um am Markt beständig zu sein und geschäftsfähig zu bleiben. Eine wichtige Rolle sind Innovationen, die diesen kontinuierlichen Unternehmenserfolg sicherstellen. Innovationen zu produzieren hängt stark von Kreativität ab, weshalb eine aktive Unterstützung sinnvoll und lohnenswert ist. Kreativität kann dabei durch Informationstechnik unterstützt werden und entfaltet vor allem in Teams und Gruppen ihre größte Wirkung. Kollaboration und die Betrachtung unterschiedlicher Kollaborationsmechanismen spielt in diesem Kontext gleichermaßen eine wichtige Rolle, wie die aktive Unterstützung durch Informatikstechnik. Die vorliegende Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit der Fragestellung, wie Informationssysteme gestaltet werden können, um einerseits Informationstechnik so einzusetzen, dass sie aktiv Kreativität unterstützt, andererseits so gestaltet werden sollte, dass kollaborative Kreativitätsprozesse gefördert werden. Mit Hilfe einer systematischen Literaturanalyse wurden dabei aktuelle Kreativitätsunterstützungsysteme untersucht und die Notwendigkeit der Forschung dargelegt. Mit einem gestaltungsorientierten Vorgehen wurden daraufhin unterschiedliche Ansätze entwickelt und evaluiert, die die Fragestellung adressieren. Dabei sind insgesamt 25 wissenschaftliche Artikel entstanden, von welchen fünf in diese Dissertation eingebunden sind. Unterschiedliche durchgeführte Studien zeigen daraufhin den Mehrwert von aktiver Unterstützung durch Informationstechnik auf und geben Gestaltungsrichtlinien zur besseren Unterstützung von kollaborativer Kreativität

Creative Potential through Artificial Intelligence: Recommendations for Improving Corporate and Entrepreneurial Innovation Activities

This paper shows how start-ups or established organizations can improve their creative performance via using AI-based systems to actively promote creative processes. With insights from two studies conducted with entrepreneurs, innovation managers, and workshop facilitators, we provide recommendations for companies and entrepreneurs on how they can use AI to support creative potential to remain innovative and marketable in the long term. Our studies cover aspects such as AI for entrepreneurial activities or creativity workshops and show how to use AI-based systems to enhance the creative potential of the person, the process or the press (environment). Our findings also provide theoretical insights into perceiving AI as an equal partner and call for further research on designing AI for the future creative workplace

Summer hot, Winter not! – Seasonal influences on context-based music recommendations

This paper explores artefact generativity as a novel conceptual frame to inform information system (IS) artefact design beyond designing for artefact utility at the time of an artefact’s introduction or implementation. The paper draws on three recently developed generativity conceptualizations and applies the findings to IS artefact design. Artefact generativity captures the notions that 1) sustained artefact utility may require potentially continuous artefact changes over its lifetime, 2) (re-)designers need to enact these changes within a design system, and 3) continuous artefact use may lead to further generative transformations in the artefact’s social and technical environment. IS design science researchers can draw on this paper’s findings to inform future artefact design decisions that address these three notions by drawing on the established and growing foundations of IS and social science theories that underlie the established generativity perspectives

Communicating with Machines: Conversational Agents with Personality and the Role of Extraversion

Communication with conversational agents (CA) has become increasingly important. It therefore is crucial to understand how individuals perceive interaction with CAs and how the personality of both the CA and the human can affect the interaction experience. As personality differences are manifested in language cues, we investigate whether different language style manifestations of extraversion lead to a more anthropomorphized perception (specifically perceived humanness and social presence) of the personality bots. We examine, whether individuals rate communication satisfaction of a CA similar to their own personality as higher (law of attraction). The results of our experiment indicate that highly extraverted CAs are generally better received in terms of social presence and communication satisfaction. Further, incorporating personality into CAs increases perceived humanness. Although no significant effects could be found in regard to the law of attraction, interesting findings about ambiverts could be made. The outcomes of the experiment contribute towards designing personality-adaptive CAs

ExtraBot vs IntroBot: The Influence of Linguistic Cues on Communication Satisfaction

Conversational agents (CA) have emerged as a new type of dialogue systems, able to simulate human conversation. However, research suggests that current CAs fail to provide convincing interactions due to a lack of satisficing communication with users. To address this problem, we propose the idea of a personality adaptive CA that could enhance communication satisfaction during a user\u27s interaction experience. As personality differences manifest themselves in language cues, we investigate in an experiment, whether linguistic styles have an influence regarding a user\u27s communication satisfaction, when interacting with a CA. The results show that users perceive greater satisfaction when communicating with an extraverted CA (ExtraBot) than with an introverted CA (IntroBot). The outcomes of our study highlight that different linguistic styles can influence the course of the conversation and determine whether the user is satisfied with the communication and sees any value in the interaction with the CA