Research

The successful digitalization of strategic and operational business activities is essential for corporate success in the 21st century. New digital technologies offer great potential, but are also fundamentally changing the way companies work together. Their contribution to sustainable business practices is becoming increasingly important. Digital technologies can promote sustainable behavior at an individual level and sustainable processes in companies, but they also harbor risks for sustainability efforts. The role they ultimately play depends largely on how they are perceived by the people who use them - with all their individual motivations, emotions, habits and values.

Research focus

Our integrated research profile, summarized under the title “Management of Human-Centered Information Systems for Sustainable Development”, combines the three essential perspectives on digitalization and sustainable business described above - the information systems perspective, the sustainability perspective and the human perspective - to explore the design, impact and perception of different types of digital technologies for sustainable development at the individual and organizational level.

Information systems perspective

In the research focus on the information systems perspective, we deal with the targeted design of information systems to support individual and organizational sustainability. The generation of design knowledge follows a design-scientific, iterative approach. Current research activities focus in particular on the use of motivational design in information systems, e.g. through gamification, behavior change techniques or VR, and the design of green information systems in the corporate context. However, research into the sustainable design of extended reality and metaverse applications as new forms of digital working environments is also one of our focal points in the information systems perspective.

Sustainability perspective

The sustainability perspective looks at the potential and impact of digital technologies on the five pillars of sustainable development as understood by the United Nations, both in an operational and non-operational context for society as a whole. In this respect, our research activities have focused in particular on technological support for environmentally friendly behavior in the private and professional environment and the use of AI for sustainability innovations as well as the potential and risks of digital technologies to support physical and mental health in the workplace and to promote quality (higher) education.

Human perspective

In our research focus on the human perspective, we take a psychological view of the perception and use of digital technologies. The focus is on researching motivations, preferences, needs and cognitive processes that influence the adaptation and use of information systems for sustainability. The focus is on people as mediators between digital technologies as a medium and sustainability as a goal. A particular focus of our research to date is on the consideration of specific motivations, characteristics and psychological barriers that are relevant for system use in the context of organizations and sustainability. In addition, the data-driven analysis of user behavior in green information systems to support sustainable development is a core aspect of the user perspective.