Agenda

Welcome: Dr. Anuragini Shirish, LITEM & Prof. Niki Panteli, DOS

Session Facilitators: Jan Weber, Phd/RHUL & Anaya Kumar, Phd/LITEM

Time: 1-3pm, Wednesday 30th March
Livestreaming link: Please contact DOSdirectors@rhul.ac.uk if you want to join this event.

Dr Najmeh Hafezieh (DOS)
Title: Adopting a ‘Search’ Perspective in Exploration of How Organisations Transform Digitally

Abstract

As new forms of digital technologies continue to proliferate, Information Systems (IS) scholars argue that we are witnessing a paradigmatic shift in the nature of technologies and their potential in profoundly changing organisations and ways of working. Such technological shifts have also given rise to consumerisation of IT and thus creating more endowed consumers with changing expectations and practices. The black-boxed nature of digital platforms and their algorithms have imposed challenges for scholars to understand these changes. In this paper, we draw on the notion of ‘search’ and its use in the organisation and management literature to propose a new analytical approach in studying digital transformations. Unlike the existing use of search in enhancing organisational performance or introducing new products, we use search as an approach that organisations renew their offerings, processes and practices in redefining their value proposition. Through different reconfigurations of material enactments, search becomes the underlying logic of organising and the centralised control shifts to a de-centralised autonomy, which facilitates the ongoing adaptations of practices as organisations transform digitally.

Bio

Najmeh hafezieh is a Lecturer in Digital Innovation and Analytics at Royal Holloway University of London. Najmeh holds a PhD in Management from the University of Edinburgh and her main research interests are related to the dynamics of organisational digital transformation, changing nature of work, and digital innovation. Her current research is focused on the digitalisation of professions and occupations, the dynamics of AI agents and knowledge workers pairing, and the role of Gartner Hype Cycles in productisation of expectations in digital economy. Najmeh has presented and published her work in top Information Systems (IS) and Management conferences and currently is collaborating with colleagues in the UK, Australia, and Ireland.

Prof Mak Lycett (DOS)
Title: Digital Innovation in the Music Industry

Abstract

The music industry is a prime example of digital disruption and transformation at work. The transition of physical product (e.g., CDs, DVDs, vinyl) to digital streaming is the most visible and researched aspect of disruption to-date, but this is only the tip of the iceberg: Digital has impacted the supply/production network at every stage – from how and where music is produced, through how it is distributed to changes in the way it is consumed. There are three particular outcomes of digital transformation to-date that exist is some tension however. First, and most obviously, there have been significant changes in the way that we consume music. Second, there has been significant industry restructuring as traditional players (e.g., record companies, publishing houses) have responded to market changes and defended their position in doing so. Third, the production pipeline has become increasingly ‘democratised’ as technology and techniques that were once the preserve of specialists have increasingly become available to the mainstream. Arguably, these changes have not benefited music creators as intended as the fruits of democratisation have been hampered by conservatism in industry restructuring which – limiting the return from streaming and placing more ‘business’ responsibility on music creators. Digital disruption of the industry continues at pace however, with digital platforms continuing to proliferate, (newer) technologies such as AI and blockchain making inroads and new business models emerging. In this context, the purpose of this talk is to examine the challenges of disruption/transformation, its future directions and the opportunities for (collaborative) research in an exciting and vibrant domain.

Bio

Mark Lycett is Professor of Digital Innovation at Royal Holloway, University of London. His current research examines how novel technologies and work practices enable the creation and adoption of new business, technological and service delivery models alongside the new forms of value that may result from that. Mark has worked across many domains, from financial services to transportation, but his current (project) work is centred on the creative industries, applying his research interests in the context of immersive technology (e.g., mixed reality).

Aside from project work, he has a particular personal interest in the music industry, which is a prime example of the (disruptive) impact of digital technology. Mark has published his work in a number of leading journals and conferences and is engaged in ongoing research with a number of organisations. Prior to returning to education, he spent a number of years in industry, primarily in project management and consulting.

Prof Saïd Assar and Doctoral Student Taoufik El Oualidi (LITEM – SMART-BIS)
Title: Exploring explainability effect on trust and adoption in AI endeavors Abstract: Companies’ investment in new AI systems has seen recently a strong and constant progression. However, except for the GAFAM, the use of AI is still marginal at this stage, and seems to spark cautiousness and apprehension. A potential reason for this hesitation may be linked to a lack of trust. The goal of this research project is to explore the effects of explainability on trust in new AI-based digital systems and, ultimately, on usage and adoption. More precisely, in the perspective of an industrialized use of AI, we would like to study the role of explainability for stakeholders in the decision-making process as well as in value creation.

Bio

Saïd Assar is a professor in MIS. His research interests are related to IT usage and IS design in general, with a specific focus on Enterprise Architecture, Blockchain in Supply Chain, AI and trust. He is on the editorial board for many academic journals e.g. EMISA, SIM, IJEIS.

Taoufik El Oualidi is a PhD student at IMTBS/Paris Saclay University. His research subject is related to AI usage and the potential impact of explainability. He is an IT manager at La Poste Groupe, where AI techniques are being deployed.

Doctoral Student-Aurelie Roland (LITEM)
Title : The challenges of AI adoption by the public sector in France

Abstract

Many challenges push on the public sector to provide ever better services and better protection to citizens, with increasingly scarce resources. At the same time, the deployment of digital innovations in all types of organizations is accelerating. However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) large-scale deployment, seems longer and more complicated than expected. Our research project aims to understand enablers and inhibitors to the diffusion of AI in the public services, thanks to several case studies in the French public sector and innovation management research.

Bio

Aurélie Simard is a Ph.D. student in management sciences at the Laboratoire d’innovation, de technologies, d’économie et de Gestion (LITEM), Doctoral School of Human and Social Sciences (SHS) of the University of Paris Saclay. She works under a research contract sponsored by (CIFRE) La Javaness, a start-up that designs and deploys AI software. She is currently being supervised by Prof. Cedric Gossart, co-director of LITEM.