The chair’s research interests center on management, people and information issues, i.e. how to enable individuals and organizations to thrive and be efficient. Specific areas of focus include organizational behavior, developing organizational capabilities, and information and communication technologies. The chair follows a problem driven, interdisciplinary, multi-method approach.
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Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in the workplace. From scenarios in which autonomous, learning role agents develop products and services, to decision-substituting AI that relieves employees of the actual decision-making process, to generative AI, there are numerous applications that influence a wide range of areas within an organization (e.g., management of future skills, autonomous processes, and structures). At the Chair of Management, Human Resources, and Information (Prof. Dr. Marina Fiedler), we have conducted intensive research into how AI influences employee identity, what unintended consequences AI can have in organizations as a result of its use, how XAI can be used to enable transparency in AI models, and how AI principles influence organizational identity. It has been shown that decision-substituting AI can have a strengthening effect on less experienced and less educated employees. On the one hand, this technology makes it possible to provide them with better tools and resources to perform their tasks more efficiently. On the other hand, AI can also have a weakening effect on experienced, well-educated employees, as it challenges their identity. One of the unexpected consequences we identified is that well-educated employees in particular challenge decision-substituting AI and often do not simply accept the result. These findings show, on the one hand, that employees do not want to be restricted in their work by decision-substituting AI and, on the other hand, that these unintended consequences require careful monitoring of the use and adaptation of these systems. To better understand the results produced by AI and make informed decisions, we rely on Explainable AI (XA). XAI technologies make it possible to examine the decision-making processes of AI systems and make their conclusions comprehensible. We are looking at how these systems can be used so that the information generated by AI is trustworthy and enables employees to make better decisions. Clear guidelines and principles must be developed to ensure that the integration of AI into the organization is effective for all involved. These principles help to manage organizational identity and ensure that AI supports the values and goals of the organization through ethically responsible AI use. Exemplary publications in this field include:
How can organizations promote environmentally friendly behavior among their employees in the workplace? This project, funded in part by the DFG, addresses this question by examining the potential of information systems (IS) to increase motivation for environmentally friendly behavior in the workplace. The project investigates the numerous interactions between competing institutional logics, psychological dynamics, and motivational affordances from a socio-technical perspective. The project thus makes theoretical contributions in the fields of business informatics and organizational behavior. Examples of publications include:
New web-based platforms such as MTurk, Clickworker, Freelancer, and Upwork are increasingly mediating work assignments. From small writing and translation services to logo and graphic design to complex IT projects, these platforms are increasingly shaping the everyday working lives of millions of people worldwide. But what does this mean for contractors and how is it changing work overall? The associated research projects examine the effects and framework conditions of platform work on the motivation and perception of contractors and the resulting trade-off relationship with conventional employment relationships. At the same time, the virtually traded jobs are detached from fixed physical work locations and predefined circles of colleagues. Platforms offer great potential for self-determined work, the creation of personal holding environments, and the extensive integration of disadvantaged groups of workers who have few opportunities in traditional organizations. The studies provide new insights into motivation in virtual work, the mutual development of crowdworkers among themselves, and a more inclusive work organization. In practice, a better understanding of work on platforms is gained in order to facilitate targeted use and more efficient regulation. The aim is to improve the work experience of contractors while simplifying the use of this virtual and efficient work organization for organizations. Examples of publications include:
In times of work intensification and the need for efficiency, satisfaction, willingness to change, and conscious management practices such as mindfulness are increasingly becoming the focus of attention. We examine the relationships between employees, organizations, and management. Investigating these connections provides valuable insights into how organizations design their structures and practices to promote employee well-being, productivity, and overall success.
Virtual worlds and the concept of the metaverse open up new possibilities for research and practice. These technologies offer a unique environment for conducting social experiments and behavioral studies in a cost-effective manner. At the Chair of Management, Human Resources, and Information, we are interested in how communication and monitoring in virtual space affect trust and trustworthiness; what influence this has on reducing social distance; and whether behaviors such as bubble formation, which are familiar from the physical world, can also be observed in virtual worlds. Examples of publications are:
Editorships
