KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT WITHOUT MANAGEMENT - SHADOW IT IN KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

Authors

Melanie Steinhueser, University of Zurich, Department of Informatics, SwitzerlandFollow
Lena Waizenegger, University of Innsbruck, Department of Information Systems, Productions and Logistics Management, AustriaFollow
Shahper Vodanovich, Auckland University of Technology, Department of IT and Software Engineering, New ZealandFollow
Alexander Richter, IT University of Copenhagen, Business IT Department, DenmarkFollow

Abstract

The voluntary use of private device by employees without formal approval of the IT department, commonly termed Shadow IT, is an increasingly widespread phenomenon. In this paper, we study the role of private smartphones (and related applications like WhatsApp) in knowledge-intensive practices in the manufacturing domain. With an in-depth case study based on data gained from observations and interviews, we are able to empirically illustrate why workers use their private smartphones (contrary to company guidelines) and how they find significant gains of productivity by using the ‘forbidden’ applications. Our study contributes to knowledge management research by showing how private IT use can change existing knowledge management practices. At the same time, we are able to give rich insights into the rise of Shadow IT in a manufacturing context which takes place in a selforganised way without knowledge of the management. This enables us to take a step towards a knowledge management strategy perspective on Shadow IT.

First Page

1647

Last Page

1662

Recommended Citation

Steinhueser, Melanie; Waizenegger, Lena; Vodanovich, Shahper; and Richter, Alexander, (2017). "KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT WITHOUT MANAGEMENT - SHADOW IT IN KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE MANUFACTURING PRACTICES". In Proceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Guimarães, Portugal, June 5-10, 2017 (pp. 1647-1662). ISBN 978-989-20-7655-3 Research Papers.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2017_rp/106