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Akzeptanz des Einsatzes von Wearables im Betrieb durch Betriebsräte und Beschäftigte
Get PDFWearables (z.B. Datenbrillen und Smartwatches) sind ein besonders sichtbares, aber auch umstrittenes Element von Industrie-4.0-Anwendungen. Sie versprechen eine Verbesserung der Arbeitsqualität durch Unterstützung von Beschäftigten, bergen zugleich aber auch Gefahren der Rationalisierung und vor allem Überwachung von Arbeitsprozessen. In dieser Studie wird untersucht, unter welchen Bedingungen Betriebsräte und Beschäftigte den Einsatz von Wearables im Betrieb akzeptieren. Konzeptionell baut die Analyse auf Forschung über die Rolle von Betriebsräten in Digitalisierungsprozessen sowie dem Technology Acceptance Model auf. Empirisch fußt die Analyse auf 16 qualitativen Fallstudien sowie einer Befragung von 1.046 Erwerbstätigen. Die Studie zeigt Unsicherheiten beim Umgang mit der Wearables-Technologie, aber auch insgesamt erfolgreiche Einflussnahme der Betriebsräte. Ein interessanter Kontrast zeigt sich im Hinblick auf die Wahrnehmung der Betriebsräte und der Beschäftigten. Während einige Betriebsräte die geringe Mobilisierungsfähigkeit von Beschäftigten für Datenschutzfragen beklagen, bewerten die befragten Beschäftigten den Datenschutz als Bedingung für die Akzeptanz von Wearables deutlich höher als den Nutzen für die Arbeit. Potentielle Erklärungen sind das „Privacy Paradox“, aber auch eine Unterschätzung der Potentiale der Datenschutzthematik seitens der Betriebsräte.
Wearables (e.g., data glasses and smartwatches) are a particularly visible but also controversial element of Industry 4.0 applications. They promise to improve the quality of work by supporting employees, but at the same time also harbor dangers of rationalization and, above all, surveillance of work processes. This study examines the conditions under which works councils and employees accept the use of wearables in the workplace. Conceptually, the analysis builds on research on the role of works councils in digitalization processes and the Technology Acceptance Model. Empirically, the analysis is based on 16 qualitative case studies and a survey of 1,046 employees. The study shows uncertainties in dealing with wearables technology, but also overall successful influence of works councils. An interesting contrast emerges with regard to the perceptions of works councils and employees. While some works councils complain about the difficulties to mobilize employees around data protection issues, the employees surveyed rate data protection as a condition for accepting wearables significantly higher than the benefits for work. Potential explanations are the “privacy paradox”, but also an underestimation of the potential of the data protection issue on the part of the works councils.BMB
Weizenbaum Panel’s Literature Digest: April 2024
No full textDer Literatur Digest ist eine monatlich erscheinende Zusammenstellung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes zu Themen an der Schnittstelle zwischen Digitalisierung und Politik. Er präsentiert die neuesten Erkenntnisse zu Fragen der politischen Partizipation und guter Bürgerschaft in Zeiten der Digitalisierung.The Literature Digest is a monthly compilation of the current state of research on topics at the nexus of digitalization and politics. It presents the latest findings on issues of political participation and good citizenship in times of digitalization
Editorial: Volume 4, Issue 2
Get PDFThis issue of the Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society brings together contributions that deal with the transformation of the public sphere in times of digitalization from an interdisciplinary perspective. Authors are Pu Yan and Ralph Schroeder, Paddy Leerssen, Damian Trilling, and Sercan Kiyak, Stefan Mertens, David De Coninck, and Leen d’Haenens.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF
Comparative Digital Political Communication: Comparisons Across Countries, Platforms, and Time
Get PDFComparative communication research needs to catch up to other disciplines. In this special issue and the associated International Communication Association preconference, we focus on comparative work related to digital political communication. This introduction argues that comparative digital political communication needs to consider comparisons across various dimensions, including countries, platforms, and time, whereas existing comparative communication research focuses on country or territorial comparison. We highlight the six submissions’ approaches to comparative work. Each submission provides at least one of these three dimensions of contrast. We conclude with a discussion of enduring gaps in this field of research, such as the lack of studies using time as a dimension of comparison. Time is crucial for understanding ever-changing digital media platforms. We also conclude by discussing some ongoing challenges in political communication research
Unveiling ‘Algorithm Governance’: Shaping Labour Platforms’ Strategies and Working Conditions in the Digital Era
Get PDFResearch on platform work has primarily focused on analyzing how algorithmic management influences working conditions by empowering platforms to govern digitally-delivered services. However, prior research has overlooked the crucial aspect of how algorithmic management underlies platforms’ use of diverse contractual forms of employment available in the labor markets from where they source their workforces. Bridging this gap is vital to understanding how labor platforms integrate algorithm management, which employs digitally programmed procedures for coordinating and governing labor input, with various contractual employment structures influenced by regulations and collective actors such as trade unions. Coined as algorithm governance, this phenomenon represents the fusion of algorithm management with contractual employment frameworks, emanating from labor market regulations and policies. This essay pioneers the concept of algorithm governance, illuminating its ontological capacity to enrich debates on algorithm management. Algorithm governance thus explains how algorithm management intricately shapes working conditions by influencing the use of diverse contractual employment forms within the labor market.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF
Investigating Innovation Diffusion in Gender-Specific Medicine: Insights from Social Network Analysis
Get PDFThe field of healthcare is characterized by constant innovation, with gender-specific medicine emerging as a new subfield that addresses sex and gender disparities in clinical manifestations, outcomes, treatment, and prevention of disease. Despite its importance, the adoption of gender-specific medicine remains understudied, posing potential risks to patient outcomes due to a lack of awareness of the topic. Building on the Innovation Decision Process Theory, this study examines the spread of information about gender-specific medicine in online networks. The study applies social network analysis to a Twitter dataset reflecting online discussions about the topic to gain insights into its adoption by health professionals and patients online. Results show that the network has a community structure with limited information exchange between sub-communities and that mainly medical experts dominate the discussion. The findings suggest that the adoption of gender-specific medicine might be in its early stages, focused on knowledge exchange. Understanding the diffusion of gender-specific medicine among medical professionals and patients may facilitate its adoption and ultimately improve health outcomes.This work has been partially funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) under grant no. 16DII131 (‘‘Deutsches Internet-Institut’’)Open access funding provided by Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU
Trapped in the Matrix: Algorithmic Control and Worker Dispossession in the African Platform Economy
Get PDFDigital labor platforms are reshaping the work landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, promising enhanced productivity and empowerment. Yet, this study reveals a more complex reality, particularly in Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Based on 41 in-depth interviews, it exposes how algorithmic management systems deeply erode worker autonomy, highlighting significant financial, task, and behavioral dispossession. This research, grounded in neo-Marxist and postcolonial theories, scrutinizes the nuanced limitations of autonomy and the pervasive control exerted by algorithmic management, reflecting the lived experiences of workers. The findings illuminate enduring patterns of accumulation that echo historical exploitation, maintaining asymmetric power dynamics and dependence. Despite this, the study captures the agency of workers as they navigate and resist these systemic constraints, challenging the dominant techno-optimistic narrative. It underscores the critical need for contextually informed empirical research to shape policies that champion equity and elevate marginalized voices during transformative economic shifts.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF
Weizenbaum Panel’s Literature Digest: October 2024
Get PDFDer Literatur Digest ist eine monatlich erscheinende Zusammenstellung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes zu Themen an der Schnittstelle zwischen Digitalisierung und Politik. Er präsentiert die neuesten Erkenntnisse zu Fragen der politischen Partizipation und guter Bürgerschaft in Zeiten der Digitalisierung.The Literature Digest is a monthly compilation of the current state of research on topics at the nexus of digitalization and politics. It presents the latest findings on issues of political participation and good citizenship in times of digitalization
A study on tacit knowledge – Development of a theoretical knowledge model and its instantiation in Virtual RealityZum Erkenntnisgegenstand des stillschweigenden Wissens – Erarbeitung eines lerntheoretischen Wissensmodells und dessen Instanziierung im virtuellen Raum
Get PDFThe present dissertation examines the subject of tacit knowledge, a topic of significant relevance in the fields of business knowledge management, information systems, and information system science. Starting with a critical in-depth analysis of the foundational works of Michael Polanyi and Ikujirō Nonaka & Hirotaka Takeuchi, the research process aims to develop an understanding of tacit knowledge that is decoupled from metaphysical perspectives and to provide explanations for its formation supported by learning theories. Embracing the potentials of digital (learning) technologies, a virtual reality-based learning environment is also created, which can contribute to the acquisition of tacit knowledge. Using the Design Science Research Method (DSRM), the work pursues two design goals: the development of a learning-theoretical knowledge model to explain the formation of tacit knowledge and the development of a virtual reality-based learning environment to acquire tacit knowledge