Paper Number
ECIS2026-1867
Paper Type
CRP
Abstract
While generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is increasingly used in the team innovation process, it remains unclear when, why, and how teams come to incorporate it into collective work. We integrate affordance theory with team agency, which we conceptualize as members’ reasoning that forms collective intentions to pursue shared objectives with technologies such as GAI. We conducted focus group interviews with 83 participants from 18 innovation sprint teams that used GAI. Our findings reveal three materializations of team agency: (1) execution, (2) integration, and (3) reorientation. These become actionable through three corresponding affordances: (1) refinement, (2) synthetization, and (3) stimulation. This study contributes by explaining how GAI reshapes the team innovation process through materializations of team agency and affordances at the intersection of teams, GAI, and institutional contexts. Based on our findings, we provide practical guidance for teams using GAI to elaborate promising concepts, consolidate heterogeneous inputs, and encourage problem exploration.
Recommended Citation
Steiger, Thomas; Durani, Khalid; Hutter, Katja; and Just, Julian, "The Materialization Of Team Agency In The Human-Gai Innovation Process: An Affordance Perspective" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/genai/genai/10
The Materialization Of Team Agency In The Human-Gai Innovation Process: An Affordance Perspective
While generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is increasingly used in the team innovation process, it remains unclear when, why, and how teams come to incorporate it into collective work. We integrate affordance theory with team agency, which we conceptualize as members’ reasoning that forms collective intentions to pursue shared objectives with technologies such as GAI. We conducted focus group interviews with 83 participants from 18 innovation sprint teams that used GAI. Our findings reveal three materializations of team agency: (1) execution, (2) integration, and (3) reorientation. These become actionable through three corresponding affordances: (1) refinement, (2) synthetization, and (3) stimulation. This study contributes by explaining how GAI reshapes the team innovation process through materializations of team agency and affordances at the intersection of teams, GAI, and institutional contexts. Based on our findings, we provide practical guidance for teams using GAI to elaborate promising concepts, consolidate heterogeneous inputs, and encourage problem exploration.