Chatbots at Digital Workplaces - A Grounded-Theory Approach for Surveying Application Areas and Objectives

IF 2.4 Q2 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
R. Wolff, Sebastian Hobert, Kristin Masuch, M. Schumann
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引用次数: 18

Abstract

Abstract Background: Chatbots are currently on the rise as more and more researchers tackle this topic from different perspectives. Simultaneously, workplaces and ways of working are increasingly changing in the context of digitalization. However, despite the promised benefits, the changes still show problems that should be tackled more purposefully by chatbots. Application areas and underlying objectives of a chatbot application at digital workplaces especially have not been researched yet. Method: To solve the existing problems and close the research gap, we did a qualitative empirical study based on the grounded-theory process. Therefore, we interviewed 29 experts in a cross-section of different industry sectors and sizes. The experts work in the information systems domain or have profound knowledge of (future) workplace design, especially regarding chatbots. Results: We identified three fundamental usage scenarios of chatbots in seven possible application areas. As a result of this, we found both divisional and cross-divisional application areas at workplaces. Furthermore, we detected fifteen underlying objectives of a chatbot operation, which can be categorized from direct over mid-level to indirect ones. We show dependencies between them, as well. Conclusions: Our results prove the applicability of chatbots in workplace settings. The chatbot operation seems especially fruitful in the support or the self-service domain, where it provides information, carries out processes, or captures process-related data. Additionally, automation, workload reduction, and cost reduction are the fundamental objectives of chatbots in workplace scenarios. With this study, we contribute to the scientific knowledge base by providing knowledge from practice for future research approaches and closing the outlined research gap. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss2/3/ Recommended Citation Meyer von Wolff, Raphael; Hobert, Sebastian; Masuch, Kristin; and Schumann, Matthias (2020) "Chatbots at Digital Workplaces – A Grounded-Theory Approach for Surveying Application Areas and Objectives," Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems: Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 3. DOI: 10.17705/1pais.12203 Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss2/3
数字工作场所的聊天机器人——测量应用领域和目标的基础理论方法
背景:随着越来越多的研究人员从不同的角度来解决这个问题,聊天机器人正在兴起。与此同时,在数字化的背景下,工作场所和工作方式也在不断变化。然而,尽管有这些承诺的好处,这些变化仍然显示出一些问题,这些问题应该由聊天机器人更有针对性地解决。特别是在数字化工作场所,聊天机器人应用的应用领域和潜在目标尚未得到研究。方法:为解决存在的问题,缩小研究空白,基于扎根理论过程进行定性实证研究。因此,我们采访了29位来自不同行业部门和规模的专家。这些专家在信息系统领域工作,或者对(未来的)工作场所设计有深刻的了解,尤其是在聊天机器人方面。结果:我们在七个可能的应用领域中确定了聊天机器人的三种基本使用场景。因此,我们在工作场所发现了部门和跨部门的应用领域。此外,我们检测到聊天机器人操作的15个潜在目标,这些目标可以从直接到中级到间接分类。我们还显示了它们之间的依赖关系。结论:我们的研究结果证明了聊天机器人在工作场所的适用性。聊天机器人操作在支持或自助服务领域似乎特别有效,在这些领域,它提供信息、执行流程或捕获与流程相关的数据。此外,自动化、减少工作量和降低成本是聊天机器人在工作场所场景中的基本目标。通过这项研究,我们通过为未来的研究方法提供实践知识和缩小概述的研究差距,为科学知识库做出贡献。可在:https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss2/3/推荐引用迈耶·冯·沃尔夫,拉斐尔;Hobert Sebastian;Masuch,克里斯汀;《马蒂亚斯·舒曼》(2020)“数字工作场所的聊天机器人——一种测量应用领域和目标的基础理论方法”,《亚太信息系统协会杂志》,第12卷,第2期,第3条。pais.12203 DOI: 10.17705/1可在:https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol12/iss2/3
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
4.10
自引率
33.30%
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