Linking Natural Modeling to Techno-centric Modeling for the Active Involvement of Process Participants in Business Process Design

2016

Group Decis Negot

Self Cite

The existence of a shared understanding about a collaborative work process among all involved actors is one prerequisite for its successful implementation. The development of a shared understanding is facilitated when the actors make explicit their individual views and create externalizations that can be used as subjects of discourse. Instruments supporting externalization and discourse about collaborative work need to provide adequate forms of representation and guide actors in implementing these reflection and alignment processes. Appropriate guidance can facilitate the construction of a shared understanding for actors not accustomed to such processes. This paper introduces a methodology that offers structural and procedural guidance by adopting diagrammatical conceptual modeling techniques. This methodology has been evaluated extensively in a multiple case study. A combination of interaction analysis of the modeling process and ex-post assessment of the actors' perceptions has been used to evaluate the adequacy of the proposed methodology with respect to the pursued objectives. The results confirm that the modeling methodology and the proposed guidance measures appropriately support the process of constructing a shared understanding about collaborative work processes.Keywords Multi-perspective articulation of work · Diagrammatical conceptual modeling of communication and work processes · Domain-expert-driven modeling · Bottom-up organizational development

Section: Structural Guidance Via Modeling Language Constructs and Laymentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting the Collaborative Construction of a Shared Understanding About Work with a Guided Conceptual Modeling Technique

2016

Group Decis Negot

Self Cite

“…CoMPArE/WP is an instance of the CoMPArE scheme presented above, which is based on natural modeling practices and which at the same time maintains a well-defined bridge towards techno-centric (formal) modeling (Oppl and Alexopoulou 2016). It adopts an ex-post approach for communication alignment.…”

Section: Alignment Practice: Ex-post Communication Alignment With Commentioning

confidence: 99%

Alignment of Multiple Perspectives: Establishing Common Ground for Triggering Organizational Change

Stary

2019

Designing Digital Work

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This chapter introduces methodological support for transitioning from existing to envisioned work processes via direct actor involvement. It suggests direct actor involvement in the alignment and validation of novel work practices, in particular when digital workflows or instruments are involved that fundamentally impact the modes of individual operation and collaboration. Alignment is required for consolidating various inputs for further processing. In particular, actively involving process participants in process modeling creates a challenge for consolidated digital work design. Process participants are not expected to have modeling skills and usually, they prefer to externalize their knowledge through diagrams that are as simple as possible in terms of both syntax and semantics (‘natural modeling’). Alignment leads to accommodation of novel perspectives on a work process according to the participants’ individual mental models, allowing their implementation in organizational practice after validation.

“…The method follows a multi-step modeling approach, in which participants first collaboratively create a concept map to agree on the notions used to refer to the relevant aspects of their work, then individually model their views on their own contributions and interfaces with others, and finally consolidate these models in a discursive way to create an agreed-upon representation of the overall work process. If modeling rules are adhered to, the resulting models are technically interpretable by a workflow engine, and in this way can be validated through simulated execution (Oppl and Alexopoulou 2016). CoMPArE/WP offers support measures to enable modeling by stakeholders who do not have any prior knowledge in conceptual modeling.…”

Section: Scaffolding Articulation and Alignment In Compare/wpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acting on Work Designs: Providing Support for Validation and Implementation of Envisioned Changes

Stary

2019

Designing Digital Work

Self Cite

This chapter introduces methods to enable to act on the results of articulation and alignment processes. As such, it outlines paths towards sharing and anchoring new work practices in organizations. The proposed methods allow to qualitatively validate novel work practices and to agree on strategies for their wider roll-out. Drawing from current practice-oriented research in organizational development, Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), and knowledge management, this chapter also includes an account on supporting technology that could be used to aid method deployment.