Paper Number
ICIS2025-1348
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Business environments are becoming increasingly complex due to the pervasiveness of digital technologies and socio-technical interactions, complicating the initiation of digital innovations. To navigate these complexities, incumbent firms draw on insights from employees working with core products or services, referred to as Employee-Driven Digital Innovation (EDDI). However, many employers face quiet quitting (e.g., 78% in Germany), leading to untapped innovation potential. Research on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) shows it can enhance employee engagement and produce higher-quality ideas more efficiently. This interview study, therefore, explores how employees and GenAI interact during ideation in incumbents. Based on current literature and semi-structured interviews with employees, managers, and researchers, an Employee-GenAI Involvement framework with three types of GenAI and employee involvement was developed. This research contributes theoretically by deepening the understanding of the initiation phase of digital innovation and practically by identifying drivers and barriers when integrating GenAI into employee-driven ideation.
Recommended Citation
Kuch, Felicitas; Lane, Christina Nicole; Oberländer, Anna Maria; and Sauer, Manuel Johannes, "Sparking Digital Innovation: A Framework for Employee and Generative AI Involvement" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 2.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/diginnoventren/diginnoventren/2
Sparking Digital Innovation: A Framework for Employee and Generative AI Involvement
Business environments are becoming increasingly complex due to the pervasiveness of digital technologies and socio-technical interactions, complicating the initiation of digital innovations. To navigate these complexities, incumbent firms draw on insights from employees working with core products or services, referred to as Employee-Driven Digital Innovation (EDDI). However, many employers face quiet quitting (e.g., 78% in Germany), leading to untapped innovation potential. Research on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) shows it can enhance employee engagement and produce higher-quality ideas more efficiently. This interview study, therefore, explores how employees and GenAI interact during ideation in incumbents. Based on current literature and semi-structured interviews with employees, managers, and researchers, an Employee-GenAI Involvement framework with three types of GenAI and employee involvement was developed. This research contributes theoretically by deepening the understanding of the initiation phase of digital innovation and practically by identifying drivers and barriers when integrating GenAI into employee-driven ideation.
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17-Innovation