Putting humans back in the loop: An affordance conceptualization of the 4th industrial revolution

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 2

Authors: Melville, Nigel P.; Robert, Lionel; Xiao, Xiao

Abstract: The current technology epoch—sometimes called the fourth industrial revolution ( ... Expand

Abstract: The current technology epoch—sometimes called the fourth industrial revolution (4IR)—involves the innovative application of rapidly advancing digital technologies such as artificial intelligence. Societal implications of the 4IR are significant and wide-ranging, from life-saving drug development to privacy loss and app addiction. A review of the information systems literature, however, reveals a narrow focus on technology-enabled business benefits. Scant research attention has been paid to the role of humans and humanistic outcomes. To spur new research addressing these issues, formalised affordance theory is employed to develop a new 4IR conceptualization. Four groupings of affordances that capture salient 4IR action possibilities are developed within two categories: machine emulation of human cognition (expansive decision-making and creativity automation) and machine emulation of human communication (relationship with humans and intermachine teaming). Implications are explored in the context of human-machine coworking and the development of artificial intelligence safety regulations. Overall, the affordance conceptualization of the 4IR advances a new sociotechnical lexicon of action possibilities and their joint enactment in achieving humanistic and instrumental outcomes, enabling alignment of the scope of 4IR research with the scope of 4IR phenomena—and bringing humans back into the loop. Collapse

Topics: affordance user experience production management industry 4.0 usability

Methods: literature study literature sample

Theories: theory of affordance

Cryptocurrency Rewards and Crowdsourcing Task Success

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Meng, Shan; Zhao, Xia; Zhao, Xi

Abstract: Crowdsourcing task success depends on the contributions of developers. How to id ... Expand

Abstract: Crowdsourcing task success depends on the contributions of developers. How to identify capable developers and motivate them to actively contribute to a task is a challenging issue. This study investigates how the use of cryptocurrency rewards, i.e., the choices of stablecoins and unstablecoins affects the crowdsourcing task success, and how the relationship depends on task difficulty. Based on 3858 crowdsourcing tasks, we find that the use of unstablecoins reduces the number of participating contributors and extends the time period of having the first contributor, but has no significant effect on the likelihood of task success. In addition, task difficulty alleviates the negative effect of the unstablecoins on the number of participants. Our study potentially provides important implications for the use of cryptocurrency tokens as task rewards. Collapse

Topics: crowdsourcing cryptocurrency stablecoin task characteristic open source

Methods: experimental group regression analysis method propensity score matching survival analysis hazard function

Affordances and Information Systems Research: Taking Stock and Moving Forward

2023 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Mesgari, Mostafa; Mohajeri, Kaveh; Azad, Bijan

Abstract: The term affordance appears with increasing frequency in the Information Systems ... Expand

Abstract: The term affordance appears with increasing frequency in the Information Systems (IS) literature. Nevertheless, those who study information technologies/information systems (IT/IS) via the affordance lens often have different views about its origin, meaning, and appropriate application in IS research. In turn, not spelling out the related assumptions and boundaries inherent in these diverse views may have hindered a wider and more cumulative adoption of the affordance lens in IS research. This paper offers a potential solution by (1) synthesizing the ecological psychology literature to suggest five key modules of the affordance concept relevant to IS research and (2) taking stock of IS research that has employed the affordance concept and classifying it according to its focus on three key affordance elements: IT artifact, user, and context. Finally, this paper presents a set of challenges, opportunities, and recommendations regarding how IS researchers can advance affordance-based research in the field. Collapse

Topics: user experience affordance usability systems implementation information system use

Methods: design artifact literature study theory development synthesis mixed method

Theories: theory of affordance evolutionary theory

The Pace of Decarbonization: Can the Power System Transition Meet Climate Policy Goals?

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Metz, L.; Cardell, J.

Abstract: To reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the United States will need ... Expand

Abstract: To reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the United States will need to simultaneously expand and decarbonize its electricity supply. Aggressive clean energy policies supported by sociallyaware modeling frameworks are necessary for the pace of the transition to meet this goal. Policymakers rely on computer modeling to inform decarbonization policies, even though most power sector models were not developed for this purpose. This paper investigates elements of modeling that are, and are not, constructive for climate policy design through a case study of Massachusetts. The analysis discusses typical uses for modeling results in the context of recent energy projects, in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses of power sector modeling as a tool to inform policy making.The discussion acknowledges what all modelers know -that modeling is useful for identifying technically feasible options and for comparing them based on quantifiable indicators. Frameworks such as general equilibrium modeling notwithstanding, this paper asserts that power sector models are incapable of identifying socially optimal solutions and estimating achievable pace of decarbonization, because they necessarily omit underlying social dynamics that affect policy implementation and decarbonization goals. Collapse

Topics: IT productivity offshoring

Methods: case study simulation

DESIGN THINKING IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Minet, Alice; Raff, Stefan; Wentzel, Daniel

Abstract: Design thinking (DT) as an innovation method has gained increasing importance i ... Expand

Abstract: Design thinking (DT) as an innovation method has gained increasing importance in recent years, both for traditional and digital products. However, the rapid acceleration of digitalization across all domains of the modern working world has changed the way innovation management and DT are conducted. As a result, highly interactive offline workshops have been replaced by remote online workshops, which are supported by digital tools. This radical shift warrants a reconsideration of the potentially sociopsychological dynamics within DT workshops. To address this, we conducted 16 qualitative in-depth interviews with DT experts from different backgrounds and contextualized our interview findings with construal level theory and embodied cognition. Thus, we show how the DT process is affected by the changing socio-psychological dynamics created by the shift to digital environments. In sum, we identify both chances and challenges of DT in digital environments and derive implications for future research and practice in this area. Collapse

Topics: innovation management idea generation digital innovation design thinking technological change

Methods: qualitative interview personal interview design artifact design methodology

Theories: construal level theory

Unveiling and Unraveling Aggregation and Dispersion Fallacies in Group MCDM

2023 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 0

Authors: Mohammadi, Majid; Tamburri, Damian A.; Rezaei, Jafar

Abstract: Priorities in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) convey the relevance prefere ... Expand

Abstract: Priorities in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) convey the relevance preference of one criterion over another, which is usually reflected by imposing the non-negativity and unit-sum constraints. The processing of such priorities is different than other unconstrained data, but this point is often neglected by researchers, which results in fallacious statistical analysis. This article studies three prevalent fallacies in group MCDM along with solutions based on compositional data analysis to avoid misusing statistical operations. First, we use a compositional approach to aggregate the priorities of a group of DMs and show that the outcome of the compositional analysis is identical to the normalized geometric mean, meaning that the arithmetic mean should be avoided. Furthermore, a new aggregation method is developed, which is a robust surrogate for the geometric mean. We also discuss the errors in computing measures of dispersion, including standard deviation and distance functions. Discussing the fallacies in computing the standard deviation, we provide a probabilistic criteria ranking by developing proper Bayesian tests, where we calculate the extent to which a criterion is more important than another. Finally, we explain the errors in computing the distance between priorities, and a clustering algorithm is specially tailored based on proper distance metrics. Collapse

Topics: decision making

Methods: descriptive statistic computational algorithm cluster analysis Wilcoxon signed-rank test nonparametric test

Theories: SERVQUAL

The Decoy Effect and Recommendation Systems

2023 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Mousavi, Nasim; Adamopoulos, Panagiotis; Bockstedt, Jesse

Abstract: In this paper, we explore the decoy effect in recommendation systems. Including ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper, we explore the decoy effect in recommendation systems. Including a decoy item in a set of alternatives can influence the attractiveness of the other items by facilitating decision making. Prior research literature has indeed shown the decoy effect to be robust in traditional choice settings, with consistent reporting of an overall positive impact. Practitioners often use decoys to help drive demand for specific items. Recommendation systems too are increasingly being used to present item choice sets to customers and users. Both recommendation systems and the decoy effect can be used as strategies to help facilitate decision making. However, previous work has not examined the decoy effect in the context of recommendations. The decoy effect may facilitate consumer decision making and positively impact user behavior when used with recommendation systems. However, in the recommendation context, customers often have different expectations for the reliability and quality of the presented information. Hence, a decoy as a recommendation could signal issues in system reliability, resulting in a negative effect. We perform a randomized, controlled laboratory experiment and use persuasion theory as the theoretical lens to demonstrate that the decoy effect works differently in the context of recommendation systems. Specifically, we show that depending on the recommendation context, the decoy effect can or cannot drive demand for target items. We find that including a decoy minimizes the demand for the target option when personalized recommendations are presented, which deviates from the traditional decoy effect. However, a decoy increases the target’s demand when nonpersonalized recommendations are shown, following the conventional decoy effect. We explore the mechanism behind these findings and show the robustness of our results by conducting multiple analyses and additional experiments. The findings of our paper have important implications for the design of recommendation systems and our understanding of consumer decision making. History: Ravi Bapna, Senior Editor; Idris Adjerid, Associate Editor. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1197. Collapse

Topics: recommender system usability personalization database system user behavior

Methods: experiment experimental group laboratory experiment computational algorithm experimental task

Introduction to the Minitrack on Practice-based IS Research

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Milovich, Michael; Gonzalez, Ester; Kettinger, Bill; Piccoli, Gabriele

Abstract: University milovich@rowanAs business and classrooms return to "a new" normal, a ... Expand

Abstract: University milovich@rowanAs business and classrooms return to "a new" normal, academics have a renewed opportunity to interact and deliver research value to practice. This mini-track, a yearly venue for academics interested in informing practice, offers practice-based research on new and emerging IS issues in organizations. Practicebased research aims to bridge the gap between academic theory and practice; it aspires to introduce researchers to state-of-the-art techniques and topics from industry, introduce managers to research that makes sense, and bring coherence to the problems they face.The intense pressure to achieve methodological distinction and theoretical contribution often result in very current practice-based topics being eschewed by researchers because the issues themselves are not mature enough in practice to attain desirable samples or sample sizes, nor are they conducive to theorizing since so little is known. These are precisely the reasons that exploratory, practice-based research can play a tremendous role in helping establish and lay the foundations of a research domain while providing insights into an emerging topic.This mini-track's objective is to encourage practicebased research in information systems and disseminate the research results in a manner that makes its relevance and utility readily apparent.This mini-track invites authors to submit in-depth research that provides rich stories, unique insights, and valuable conceptual frameworks for information systems practice. Papers are based upon single cases, multiple cases, field interviews, or literature itself. While it is assumed that researchers are guided by theory, submissions to this mini-track are not expected to make distinct or novel theoretical contributions. The contributions focus on essential and unique lessons for practice. The mini-track chairs coordinate with the editors at MIS Quarterly Executive in selecting papers for fast-tracking to an issue of MISQE.Overall, the papers appearing in this mini-track: • Showcase high-quality practice-oriented IS research • Promote practice-oriented IS research as a critical source of insight and guidance for digital leaders •Provide researchers a platform to present and discuss their practice-oriented IS research findings and expose the community to current challenges in creating value with IT • Help identify the most challenging managerial issues for digital/IT leaders and frame them as new questions that could guide future practiceoriented IS research. Collapse

Context Changes and the Performance of a Learning Human-in-the-loop System: A Case Study of Automatic Speech Recognition Use in Medical Transcription

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Mucha, Tomasz; Seppälä, Jane; Puraskivi, Henrik

Abstract: The paper presents how organizational practices enable the improvement and maint ... Expand

Abstract: The paper presents how organizational practices enable the improvement and maintenance of task performance in a learning human-in-the-loop system exposed to a wide range of context changes. We investigate how the case company tripled the efficiency of medical transcribers by leveraging its machine learning-based automatic speech recognition technology. We find that the focal system operated across stable, drifting, and jumping contexts. Despite changes, it continued to improve or maintained performance thanks to two sets of organizational practices aligning it with the context: extending and refining. This paper makes two key contributions: It shows the importance of considering context changes in the design and operation of learning human-in-the-loop systems. Our empirical findings help with resolving some contradictory outcomes of the recent conceptual work. Secondly, we show that context alignment practices are situated at the sociotechnical system level and, thus, are not just technical solution nor can be detached from social elements. Collapse

Topics: human computer interaction human in the loop task productivity IT productivity online learning system

Methods: qualitative interview case study computational algorithm conceptual modelling machine learning

Theories: socio technical theory

Unpacking task-technology fit to explore the business value of big data analytics

2023 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Muchenje, Givemore; Seppänen, Marko

Abstract: Understanding how the application of big data analytics (BDA) generates business ... Expand

Abstract: Understanding how the application of big data analytics (BDA) generates business value is a persistent challenge in information systems (IS) research. Improving understanding of how BDA realizes business value requires unpacking theories to study the phenomenon. This study unpacks the task-technology fit (TTF) theory toward generating new and improved insights into the business value of BDA. Extant studies on TTF have mainly focused on traditional IT which is different from digital technologies like BDA that are malleable and dynamic. While TTF has primarily focused on how the technology meets task requirements, this study contends that tasks can also be structured to fit the functionality of technology. This study proposes a 2 × 2 matrix framework to explain how BDA and tasks interact. The framework indicates how the reconfigurability of tasks and the editability of BDA impact the fit between tasks and BDA. Future research should explore how the fit between tasks and BDA changes over time. Collapse

Topics: organizational value problem solving big data

Theories: theory of task technology fit