Browsing by Person "Lahmer, Stefanie"

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Digital facilitation of group work to gain predictable performance
(2024) Gimpel, Henner; Lahmer, Stefanie; Wöhl, Moritz; Graf-Drasch, Valerie
Group work is a commonly used method of working, and the performance of a group can vary depending on the type and structure of the task at hand. Research suggests that groups can exhibit "collective intelligence"—the ability to perform well across tasks—under certain conditions, making group performance somewhat predictable. However, predictability of task performance becomes difficult when a task relies heavily on coordination among group members or is ill-defined. To address this issue, we propose a technical solution in the form of a chatbot providing advice to facilitate group work for more predictable performance. Specifically, we target well-defined, high-coordination tasks. Through experiments with 64 virtual groups performing various tasks and communicating via text-based chat, we found a relationship between the average intelligence of group members and their group performance in such tasks, making performance more predictable. The practical implications of this research are significant, as the assembly of consistently performing groups is an important organizational activity.
Empowering the digital individual: design and analysis of information systems for work effectiveness and well-being
(2025) Lahmer, Stefanie; Gimpel, Henner
Information systems (ISs) have become deeply embedded in our everyday lives, transforming both professional and private domains. This development is driven in part by the growing recognition that ISs and their designs can significantly improve individuals’ lives. Today, it is nearly impossible to imagine working without ISs. Even in our private lives, for instance, smartphones are essential for staying connected. However, this ongoing digitalization of the individual presents not only opportunities, but also substantial challenges. While ISs can improve work effectiveness, such as creativity and performance, they are also associated with harmful effects, most notably technostress. To effectively address these harmful effects, it is crucial to understand the underlying causes and consequences of technostress as well as how to cope with it. In this context, IS offer promising stress management approaches by fostering humanistic outcomes such as health and well-being. Ultimately, IS design plays a central role in shaping how these systems function and what they aim to achieve, offering pathways to both lever the opportunities and counter the challenges of the digitalized individual. The increasing presence of ISs in our lives has been conceptualized through the Digitalization of the Individual (DOTI) framework, which captures the digitalization of individuals along two key dimensions. First, it identifies the various roles an individual may assume in the IS research, such as an employee. Second, it outlines three complementary research angles: the design of ISs, behaviors, and the consequences of digitalization. This dissertation is situated within the DOTI framework, and focuses on the analysis and design of ISs tailored to individuals in diverse professional and private roles. This dissertation aims to develop design knowledge for IS that supports both instrumental outcomes (such as creativity and performance) and humanistic outcomes (such as health and well-being) by addressing challenges such as technostress faced by digitalized individuals. To achieve this, the dissertation applies qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods, including interviews, online surveys, experiments, and field studies. Several methodological approaches are embedded in higher-level design science research. This dissertation has two parts. Part A analyses workplace and IS design, focusing on individuals in their roles as employees. Chapter 2 examines how ISs in hybrid work influence creativity, presenting insights into workplace designs, technological tools, and methods for creative collaboration. Chapter 3 narrows the focus to a specific IS, illustrating how an IS can enhance group performance, offering a design. Chapter 4 addresses technostress in organizational contexts by conceptualizing and operationalizing tech-nostress creators (TSCs), aiming to improve theoretical clarity and the measurement of technostress. Part B of the dissertation develops IS design knowledge to address technostress and promote individual health and well-being through health behavior change support systems (HBCSS). Chapter 5 introduces design knowledge for HBCSSs that support the management of stress by detecting it through physiological and contextual data and providing personalized coping strategies. Chapter 6 builds on this by identifying users’ preferred gamification elements to foster long-term engagement with HBCSSs for sustainable behavior change. Chapters 7 and 8 narrow the focus to interruption overload as a specific TSC, presenting design knowledge for interruption management systems that support personalized coping. These chapters emphasize individual differences in technostress perceptions and contribute to human-centered IS design. In sum, this dissertation contributes to the development of IS design knowledge that supports opportunities for IS use and addresses the challenges of technostress, fostering individual health and well-being. It offers theoretical and practical insights into the design of ISs that support creativity, consistent performance, and stress management. By exploring both broad and specific aspects of IS design and proposing tailored, human-centered design solutions, this dissertation supports responsible and sustainable digitalization in the evolving IT landscape of everyday life.