Mobile Task Characteristics and the Needs for Mobile Work Support: A Comparison between Mobile Knowledge Workers and Field Workers

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufei Yuan ◽  
Wuping Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Task Characteristics ◽  
Work Support ◽  
Mobile Work ◽  
Field Workers ◽  
Mobile Task

scholarly journals Mobile Applications for Knowledge Workers and Field Workers

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Stieglitz ◽  
Christoph Lattemann ◽  
Tobias Brockmann
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Mobile Business ◽  
Mobile Data ◽  
Individual Enterprise ◽  
Employees Satisfaction ◽  
Field Workers

In recent years, the diffusion of mobile applications (mobile apps) has risen significantly. Nowadays, mobile business apps are strongly emerging in business, enhancing productivity and employees’ satisfaction, whilst the usage of customized individual enterprise apps is still an exception. Standardized business apps enable basic functionalities, for example, mobile data storage and exchange (e.g., Dropbox), communication (e.g., Skype), and other routine processes, which support mobile workers. In addition, mobile apps can, for example, increase the flexibility of mobile workers by easing the access to firm’s information from outside the enterprise and by enabling ubiquitous collaboration. Hence, mobile apps can generate competitive advantages and can increase work efficiency on a broad scale. But mobile workers form no coherent group. Our research reveals, based on two case studies, that they can be clustered into two groups: knowledge workers and field workers. Knowledge workers and field workers fulfill different tasks and work in different environments. Hence, they have different requirements for mobile support. In this paper we conclude that standardized mobile business apps cannot meet the different requirements of various groups of mobile workers. Task- and firm-specific (individualized) requirements determine the specification, implementation, and application of mobile apps.

scholarly journals On Challenges and Opportunities of Designing Integrated IT Platforms for Supporting Knowledge Works in Organizations

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-46
Author(s):  
Arijit Laha
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Work Support ◽  
Information Usage ◽  
Task Oriented

In an ideal Knowledge Management environment in an organization, two objectives need to be achieved. Firstly, knowledge workers should have customized informational support for their respective works and secondly, workers across the organization should be able to easily understand and utilize information produced from myriads of knowledge works. Unfortunately, in current KM research and practices, these two goals are rarely addressed together. In fact, most of the KM practices subscribe either to the task-based KM approaches or to the generic/universalistic KM approaches. Typically, each of them is either unable to cater to the need of the other category or provide some ad hoc measures. This paper examines the major issues from a very basic level to understand the problems and attempts to present a solution that systematically covers both the objectives of KM. In the process, it develops a theory, the Task-oriented Organizational Knowledge Management (TOKM), within which the problems are analysed and a viable solution is identified. TOKM gives us a set of design principles for building a new class of IT-based support systems which can serve as a major component of organizational KM. TOKM focuses on information usage in knowledge works and the scope of technology intervention in the related processes. In this paper, the Task-oriented Organizational Knowledge Management is presented as an Information System Design Theory (ISDT) for building integrated IT platforms for supporting organizational KM. In developing the design, the information requirements of knowledge workers in light of an information usage model of knowledge works is studied. Then the model is extended to study possibilities of more advanced IT support and formulate them in the form of a set of meta-requirements. Following the IS design theory paradigm, a set of artifacts are hypothesized to meet the requirements. Finally, a design method, as a possible approach of building an IT-based integrated platform, the Knowledge-work Support Platform (KwSP), is outlined to realize the artifacts in order to meet the requirements. KwSP is a powerful platform for building and maintaining a number of task-type specific Knowledge-work Support Systems (KwSS) on a common sharable platform. Each KwSS, for the task-type supported by it, can be easily designed to provide extensive and sophisticated support to individual as well as group of knowledge workers in performing their respective knowledge work instances.

Identifying the ideal fit between mobile work and mobile work support

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufei Yuan ◽  
Norm Archer ◽  
Catherine E. Connelly ◽  
Wuping Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Work Support ◽  
Mobile Work ◽  
The Ideal

scholarly journals Does a Good Fit between Mobile Work Support Functions and Mobile Sales-Force Worker Tasks Lead to Improved Work Performance?

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 52-69
Author(s):  
Markus Lembach ◽  
Michael Lane
Keyword(s):  
Work Performance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Support Functions ◽  
Work Support ◽  
Mobile Work

Mobile devices can improve the way sales-force work is conducted in information intensive industries such as the pharmaceutical industry. However, there is a lack of empirical research which has examined the extent to which a good fit between mobile work support functions and sales-force worker tasks and individual characteristics influences intention to use. Does a good fit translate into a perceived positive impact on sales-force worker performance? Drawing on TTF and TAM theories, an online survey was conducted with sales-force workers in the German division of a large pharmaceutical company. The findings indicate that location dependence and time criticality positively influence perceived usefulness of mobile work support functions and that this perceived fit positively influences intention to use and perceived performance impact of mobile work support functions. Furthermore, there are differences in the perceived usefulness of mobile work support functions across job roles, pharmaceutical business units and length of tenure.

scholarly journals Potential Fit between Geotechnical Tasks and Mobile Computing Technologies

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.7) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Aamer Shehzad ◽  
Mohd Zaidi Abd Rozan
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Mobile Work ◽  
Computing Technologies ◽  
Field Workers ◽  
And Performance

Trend of rapid pace in earthworks has forced geotechnical laboratories to increase their productivity and performance at organizational as well as at individual level. Though geotechnical work involves numerous mobile work processes but the true potential of rapidly growing mobile computing technologies (MCT) has not yet been effectively exploited mainly due to lack of realization of a potential match between features of this specific technological paradigm and major task requirements.  To fill this gap, this study investigated and characterized salient task characteristics and features of MCT. Based on the theory of task-technology fit (TTF), an initial conceptual model is proposed which reflects hypothesized relationships for finding a fit between task and technology and consequently assessing its impact on performance of geotechnical field workers. This paper contributes to the knowledge pool of information system through development of an adapted TTF model in geotechnical mobile work context. Lastly, future research plan of using quantitative methodology for finding empirical support of this conceptual model is presented.  

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