Special Issue Introduction: Building Digital Resilience against Major Shocks

2023 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 5

Authors: Boh, Waifong; Constantinides, Panos; Padmanabhan, Balaji; Viswanathan, Siva

Abstract: Major shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic create unique and exceptional challe ... Expand

Abstract: Major shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic create unique and exceptional challenges for different entities, including individuals, groups, and organizations. In this special issue editorial, we introduce the concept of digital resilience, which refers to the capabilities developed through the use of digital technologies to absorb major shocks, adapt to disruptions caused by the shocks, and transform to a new stable state, where entities are more prepared to deal with major shocks. The individual papers in this special issue offer compelling examples of how digital resilience is exhibited and how the process of digital resilience can unfold in response to specific major shocks. Drawing upon and extending these papers, we present an integrated framework of how digital technology can help build resilience capabilities, which is missing in past research but needed to mitigate and manage future major shocks, including financial recessions and climate change. We conclude with four important themes for future IS research. Collapse

Topics: pandemic open source IT investment IT governance lean manufacturing

Methods: participant observation qualitative interview mixed method

No Ground Truth at Sea – Developing High-Accuracy AI Decision-Support for Complex Environments

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Bumann, Adrian

Abstract: As AI decision-support systems are increasingly developed for applications outsi ... Expand

Abstract: As AI decision-support systems are increasingly developed for applications outside of traditional organizational confinements, developers are confronted with new sources of complexity they need to address. However, we know little about how AI applications are developed for natural use domains with high environmental complexity, stemming from physical influences outside of the developers’ control. This study investigates what challenges emerge from such complexity and how developers mitigate them. Drawing upon a rich longitudinal single-case study on the development of AI decision-support for maritime navigation, findings show that achieving high output accuracy is complicated by the physical environment hindering training data creation. Further, developers chose to reduce the output accuracy and adapt the HMI design to successfully situate the AI application in an existing sociotechnical context. This study contributes to IS literature following recent calls for phenomenon-based examination of emerging challenges when extending the scope frontier of AI and provides practical recommendations for developing AI decision-support for complex environments. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence decision support decision support system geographic information system innovation management

Methods: qualitative interview single case study personal interview longitudinal research field study

Theories: socio technical theory

Freelisting: A Research Guide for Information Systems Researchers

2023 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Califf, Christopher B.; Stumpf, T. S.

Abstract: Freelisting is a widely used ethnographic data elicitation and analysis techniqu ... Expand

Abstract: Freelisting is a widely used ethnographic data elicitation and analysis technique that can help researchers quickly and systematically collect and quantify qualitative cultural data. The paper discusses the value of freelisting for IS researchers who conduct qualitative and/or quantitative research. Specifically, the paper provides an overview of freelisting; examines how prior research has used freelisting; gives step-by-step instructions about how to collect, analyze, and present freelist data; and describes the benefits of freelisting in the context of IS research. The following items are explained in detail: (1) how to understand when freelisting can be an appropriate choice; (2) the different types of freelists; (3) how to focus freelists on a specific phenomenon; (4) how to analyze freelists; and (5) how to triangulate freelist data. Additionally, the paper details seven ways IS researchers can benefit from using freelisting: (1) creating culturally salient surveys; (2) revisiting or generating new field-specific theories; (3) enhancing a mixed-method research design; (4) uncovering information about cultural similarities and differences in intracultural and cross-cultural research designs; (5) consciously considering the importance of context; (6) developing more robust quantitative analysis techniques; and (7) eliciting culturally relevant data about development or refinement of technology in applied settings. Collapse

Topics: technology adoption cross cultural research

Methods: ethnography survey participant observation computational algorithm qualitative interview

Match Made by Humans: A Critical Enquiry into Human-Machine Configurations in Data Labelling

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Chandhiramowuli, S.; Chaudhuri, B.

Abstract: We present a critical ethnographic study of data labelling conducted in a Banga ... Expand

Abstract: We present a critical ethnographic study of data labelling conducted in a Bangalore-based AI start-up. Labelled datasets are primarily produced by human data workers. We explore how humans and machines are configured together in data labelling and what are the demands placed on human workers, including on their body and cognition, while being assigned in the service of machine intelligence. We also show how these human-machine configurations sustain and reproduce the seamless functioning of apparently "autonomous" AI as a normative vision. Though labelled datasets are an indispensable prerequisite to creating ML/AI-based systems, the human labour that produces these datasets cannot be acknowledged fully if the techno-entrepreneurial vision of "self-learning" machine intelligence is to be celebrated and sustained. In pursuit of a normative position of what AI should be, we are left with a denial of how AI is actually produced now. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence price management organization structure outsourcing crowdsourcing

Methods: qualitative interview ethnography participant observation personal interview grounded theory

Theories: sociotechnical systems theory

Unpacking the Societal and Institutional Risks of Crypto Assets: The Policy-Innovation Nexus

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Currie, Wendy; seddon, jonathan

Abstract: The Crypto Winter of 2022 exposed multi-dimensional risks in the crypto ecosyst ... Expand

Abstract: The Crypto Winter of 2022 exposed multi-dimensional risks in the crypto ecosystem which extend beyond technical imperatives to include societal and institutional factors. A domino effect saw several major crypto firms losing large amounts of investor cash or becoming bankrupt. This practitioner focused study adopts a grounded methodology to gather empirical data from regulators, crypto firms, and investors on developing a policy framework for crypto assets. The case study context is the US regulatory environment. Findings show regulatory agencies face ideological, operational, and technical obstacles, as they engage in debates about the efficacy of competing regulatory scenarios. The paper presents two major tensions which require the attention of policy makers and legislators to mitigate future societal and institutional risks from crypto assets. Collapse

Topics: cryptoasset innovation management decision making

Methods: qualitative interview grounded theory participant observation archival research qualitative coding

The Design of Social Inclusion Interventions: A Paradox Approach

2023 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Curto-Millet, Daniel; Cañibano, Almudena

Abstract: Are social inclusion and social exclusion opposed? Through a three-year ethnogr ... Expand

Abstract: Are social inclusion and social exclusion opposed? Through a three-year ethnography of an open source civic crowdsourcing platform aiming for generalized social inclusion, we show they are not. We argue that social inclusion and exclusion have a paradoxical relationship: ongoing tensions exist between them, and information systems shape those tensions. We find that design choices have crucial influence over the capacity of information system interventions to include and exclude and propose a framework for designing IS-based social inclusion interventions. The framework encompasses four types of strategies (positive discrimination, integrative oscillation, equitability and iterative inclusivity) for managing the paradoxical link between inclusion and exclusion through IS design. We also present the notion of "collectives" as a new way of thinking about exclusion criteria. Collapse

Topics: systems design crowdsourcing mobile application software developer open source

Methods: qualitative coding qualitative interview ethnography personal interview longitudinal research

Theories: sociomaterialism theory

Implementation as Regulation: Implementing Industrial Internet of Things in Manufacturing

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Eley, TC; Lyytinen, Kalle

Abstract: There is an exponential increase in information systems with few or no organiza ... Expand

Abstract: There is an exponential increase in information systems with few or no organizational rules initially embedded in them, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Implementing these systems has been identified as an important challenge in practice and research. However, past information systems implementation research has mostly focused on systems with many organizational rules embedded in them. We present an initial case study of implementing IIoT using a regulation lens. This research demonstrates the embeddedness of rules within systems leads to different implementation processes and develops an initial process model of implementing systems with few rules embedded in them. These results show the usefulness of viewing implementation as regulation and suggest opportunities to improve implementation outcomes for IIoT. We plan on continuing this research by conducting a multiple case study. Collapse

Topics: systems implementation IS implementation success electronic mail

Methods: qualitative interview participant observation case study archival research theory development

Theories: theory of affordance socio technical theory

Dynamics of control on digital platforms

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 1

Authors: Ens, Nicola; Hukal, Philipp; Blegind Jensen, Tina

Abstract: Digital platforms are supraorganizational entities that use digital technology t ... Expand

Abstract: Digital platforms are supraorganizational entities that use digital technology to facilitate interactions between diverse actors, leading to novel forms of organisation and accompanying forms of control. The current Information Systems (IS) literature, however, struggles to describe control on digital platforms in a way that does justice to the dynamic character of the phenomenon. Taking this as an opportunity, we follow the enactment of control over time and across parties in a hybrid ethnographic study of the social commerce platform Poshmark. Specifically, we conceptualise the dynamics of control as changes in the means of control—formal or informal—and the sources of control—operator or participants—over time. Tracking these conceptual dimensions, we identify the distinct ways control has changed on Poshmark. Synthesising these findings into four dynamics of control, we show that control on digital platforms is rarely static due to aggregate effects arising from the operator and from participant interactions with each other through the digital features deployed on the platform. Based on these insights, our study contributes to the IS literature on control by broadening the conception of control on digital platforms. The theoretical and practical insights generated in this paper thereby lay the foundation for the systematic study of the dynamics of control that are unique to platform environments. Collapse

Topics: digital platform social commerce Facebook social media IT career

Methods: ethnography qualitative interview synthesis design artifact case study

Reimagining "gamers" via Twitch platform tools

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Garvey, K.

Abstract: The live streaming platform Twitch hosts thousands of streamers vying for the a ... Expand

Abstract: The live streaming platform Twitch hosts thousands of streamers vying for the attention of users. Previous studies have identified the salience of parasocial relationships and emotional labor for understanding the work of streamers as well as the presence of toxic geek masculinity (Ruberg et. al., 2019) and gendered differences in streaming labor (Jenson & de Castell, 2018). Twitch has grown steadily since its start in 2011 (Taylor, 2018) and saw a massive increase in growth in 2020, maintaining its position as the number one game streaming site, ahead of YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming (Partis, 2021). As a visual platform where gamers of all kinds broadcast their gameplay, Twitch is a valuable site for research into the ongoing intersections of gender roles and gaming culture. Via thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, this pilot study examines how platform tools for discoverability and moderation influence female Twitch streamers' presentations of themselves as game players. Findings suggest that active 'anti-gate-keeping' is widespread among streamers who wish to build inclusive, sustainable channels in which to play, socialize, and earn. Collapse

Topics: Twitch digital platform

Methods: qualitative interview personal interview qualitative content analysis participant observation

Towards Artificial Intelligence Augmenting Facilitation: AI Affordances in Macro-Task Crowdsourcing

2023 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 0

Authors: Gimpel, Henner; Graf-Seyfried, Vanessa; Laubacher, Robert; Meindl, Oliver

Abstract: Crowdsourcing holds great potential: macro-task crowdsourcing can, for example, ... Expand

Abstract: Crowdsourcing holds great potential: macro-task crowdsourcing can, for example, contribute to work addressing climate change. Macro-task crowdsourcing aims to use the wisdom of a crowd to tackle non-trivial tasks such as wicked problems. However, macro-task crowdsourcing is labor-intensive and complex to facilitate, which limits its efficiency, effectiveness, and use. Technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) might overcome these limits by supporting the facilitation of crowdsourcing. However, AI’s potential for macro-task crowdsourcing facilitation needs to be better understood for this to happen. Here, we turn to affordance theory to develop this understanding. Affordances help us describe action possibilities that characterize the relationship between the facilitator and AI, within macro-task crowdsourcing. We follow a two-stage, bottom-up approach: The initial development stage is based on a structured analysis of academic literature. The subsequent validation & refinement stage includes two observed macro-task crowdsourcing initiatives and six expert interviews. From our analysis, we derive seven AI affordances that support 17 facilitation activities in macro-task crowdsourcing. We also identify specific manifestations that illustrate the affordances. Our findings increase the scholarly understanding of macro-task crowdsourcing and advance the discourse on facilitation. Further, they help practitioners identify potential ways to integrate AI into crowdsourcing facilitation. These results could improve the efficiency of facilitation activities and the effectiveness of macro-task crowdsourcing. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing artificial intelligence affordance user experience usability

Methods: qualitative interview literature study literature sample personal interview natural language processing

Theories: theory of affordance