Paper Number
ECIS2026-2531
Paper Type
SP
Abstract
This short paper addresses the persistent challenge of tacit troubleshooting knowledge loss on the manufacturing shop floor. Existing knowledge management approaches often fail under time pressure and rarely capture the situated experiential reasoning of operators. Building on tacit knowledge theory and internal crowdsourcing, we follow a design science research approach to develop a lightweight, worker-driven artifact that enables operators to document disturbances as structured cause-countermeasure micro-cases enriched with metadata. We derive three nascent design propositions on workflow-embedded capture, structured micro-contributions, and decentralized contributions with central curation. A planned mixed-method evaluation in a polymer production plant will examine usability, contextual fit, and sustained participation. The study contributes to design knowledge for worker-driven shop floor knowledge systems.
Recommended Citation
Rank, Yannick and Bodendorf, Freimut, "Capturing Tacit Troubleshooting Knowledge On The Shop Floor: A Worker-Driven Internal Crowdsourcing Approach" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 11.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/digitrans/digitrans/11
Capturing Tacit Troubleshooting Knowledge On The Shop Floor: A Worker-Driven Internal Crowdsourcing Approach
This short paper addresses the persistent challenge of tacit troubleshooting knowledge loss on the manufacturing shop floor. Existing knowledge management approaches often fail under time pressure and rarely capture the situated experiential reasoning of operators. Building on tacit knowledge theory and internal crowdsourcing, we follow a design science research approach to develop a lightweight, worker-driven artifact that enables operators to document disturbances as structured cause-countermeasure micro-cases enriched with metadata. We derive three nascent design propositions on workflow-embedded capture, structured micro-contributions, and decentralized contributions with central curation. A planned mixed-method evaluation in a polymer production plant will examine usability, contextual fit, and sustained participation. The study contributes to design knowledge for worker-driven shop floor knowledge systems.
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.